This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our small business.
Amiens runs two headline events that shape the whole year for visitors: the free Rendez-vous de la Bande Dessinée comics festival in June and the Christmas Market with its cathedral light show in December. Most events are free and concentrated in the compact centre, so you can often combine several in one weekend. See our weather by month guide for more.
Amiens Events and Festivals: Winter
Amiens Christmas Market (Marché de Noël)
From the third weekend of November to December 30, around 130 chalets fill the pedestrian centre near the cathedral and Place Gambetta with crafts, mulled wine and food. It’s one of the largest markets in northern France, free to enter, and runs daily, typically 11:00-20:00 with longer hours on weekends. The things to do guide covers it in depth.
Cathédrale en Couleurs (Chroma)
A nightly sound-and-light show that projects the cathedral’s original medieval polychrome colouring onto the west facade, free to watch, from mid-June to late September and again from December 1 to January 1. Shows start after dark, usually around 21:30 in summer and earlier in winter. Our best neighborhoods breakdown has the specifics.
Amiens Events and Festivals: Spring and Summer
Rendez-vous de la Bande Dessinée d’Amiens
One of France’s biggest comics festivals, held the first weekend of June, typically June 6-7 in 2026, across marquees and venues around the city centre. Entry is free and it draws around 200 authors for signings and exhibitions. Compare with the where to stay guide before you book.
Fête au Bord de l’Eau
A mid-June street festival in the Saint-Leu quarter with live music, dance and riverside performances along the Somme, free and family-friendly, usually running a full weekend. Details are in the travel tips guide.
Nuit des Hortillonnages
On summer evenings in late June and early July, the floating gardens host illuminated art installations reached by boat, with shuttles from the Port d’Amont. Tickets run about €10 and sell out, so book when the city publishes the dates. For the overview, see the Amiens guide.
L’Été en Pente Douce
A free summer programme of concerts, open-air cinema and workshops held across the city’s parks and squares through July and August, aimed at families and locals.
Amiens Events and Festivals: Autumn
Festival International du Film d’Amiens (FIFAM)
A long-running world-cinema festival each November that screens around 200 films in venues including the historic Cirque Jules Verne. Individual screenings cost roughly €6-8, with passes available; it typically runs two weeks.
To time a trip around these dates, pair this events and festivals calendar with our best time to visit guide.
