Champagne Festivals and Events: A Month-by-Month Calendar

Champagne festivals and events run through the year, from the Saint-Vincent processions in January to Habits de Lumière on the avenue de Champagne in Épernay in December. Some open growers' cellars for a weekend, and others fill a town center with chalets, parades or concerts.

This page covers the events month by month with their published dates, the trains from Paris, the houses that receive visitors around them, and what passes and visits cost. For the wider region, see Champagne.

Getting there

The quickest option from Paris is the direct TGV from Gare de l'Est to Reims-Centre station, in 45 minutes. Direct trains from Gare de l'Est take about 1 hour to Château-Thierry, home of Champagne et Vous, and 1 hour 20 minutes to Épernay, home of Habits de Lumière.

For the Route du Champagne en Fête and other Côte des Bar events, about 10 direct trains a day run from Gare de l'Est on the Paris–Troyes–Bar-sur-Aube line, in 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. The drive from Paris to Épernay is 140 km, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Between Reims and Épernay, the TER Ligne des Bulles runs about every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with stops at Rilly-la-Montagne, Germaine, Avenay-Val-d'Or and Aÿ-Champagne. The avenue de Champagne is a 5-minute walk from Épernay station.

For the 2026 Route du Champagne en Fête, a shuttle ran from Troyes to Bar-sur-Aube on both days, leaving Troyes at 9 a.m. and Bar-sur-Aube at 8 p.m., for €18 ($19) round trip.

For timetables and fares, see Paris to Reims by train, Paris to Épernay by train, Reims to Épernay and Champagne without a car.

When to go

Events run in every season, and the houses keep their own calendars. Mumm opens every day from May 1 to October 31, and Mercier every day from April 6 to November 15. In winter, Mercier closes from the evening of December 30 until April 6, Mumm opens Thursday to Saturday from January 15 to February 28, and Pommery closes on December 25 and January 1 and 2.

January

The Saint-Vincent festival honors the winegrowers' patron saint on the Saturday before January 22. Growers in each village give thanks for the previous harvest and ask the saint to watch over the coming year, and hundreds of participants in traditional costume gather in the streets.

Around January 22 each year, the Archiconfrérie Saint-Vincent holds its grand parade in one of the region's main towns: Château-Thierry, Épernay, Reims or Troyes. Created in the 1930s, it brings together about one hundred Champagne brotherhoods, and the day includes a folk procession, a mass and a banquet. The 2026 parade was on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

In the Côte des Bar, each local confrérie celebrates Saint-Vincent with its own festivities, meals and parades.

Late January in Reims brings the start of the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique and the FARaway arts festival. In 2025, FARaway ran from January 29 to February 8, and the rally left Reims on January 30.

April to June

Reims Polar, a film noir festival with meetings, masterclasses and screenings, ran from April 1 to 6, 2025.

On a Sunday in May, the Côte des Bar holds a gourmet walk of about 10 km in Celles-sur-Ource, with food stops served by volunteer growers.

The Fêtes johanniques, a medieval weekend in Reims in honor of Joan of Arc, were held on May 31 and June 1, 2025.

June to August

The Flâneries musicales classical music festival ran in Reims from June 19 to July 19, 2025, with nearly 40 concerts in about twenty venues, closing with a picnic concert in the parc de Champagne.

The Fêtes Henri IV in Aÿ take place every two years on the first weekend of July, and the next edition is on July 3 and 4, 2027, on Place de l'Église. Winegrowers open their historic courtyards with food, exhibitions and music, alongside an artisans' market, brass bands on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and a barrel organ festival.

Through the summer months, the Vign'Art festival displays contemporary artworks across Champagne.

The Route du Champagne en Fête was imagined by winegrowers in 1995 and is organized by the association Cap'C. It moves each year to a different village or sector of the Côte des Bar, where growers open their cellars, and it draws 25,000 to 40,000 visitors per edition.

The 2026 edition took place on August 1 and 2, 2026, with 22 cellars in 10 villages of the right-bank Vallée de l'Aube around Bar-sur-Aube. Tastings ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Harvest

The harvest generally takes place in September, but in recent years it has often begun as early as mid-August, and in 2026 the first vineyards started picking on August 6. Le Cochelet, the traditional end-of-harvest meal, is called Le Chien in the Aube.

During the harvest, the Vendangeur d'un jour (grape picker for a day) experience runs at growers' estates. It was created by the Grand Reims tourist office and the Vignerons Indépendants, and time slots open once the harvest dates are known.

September and October

The European Heritage Days take place each year in September, and in 2026 they fell on September 19 and 20. The Reims tourist office runs guided visits of the cathedral and lesser-known buildings that weekend, booked online.

Les Relais du Goût, a Reims gastronomy festival held alongside the Heritage Days, had its third edition from September 18 to 20, 2026.

Champagne et Vous brings growers from the western Vallée de la Marne to Place Jean Moulin in Château-Thierry, as part of the Vignobles en Scène program. The 2026 edition took place on October 17 and 18, 2026: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a ticketed DJ evening from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Champagne Day falls on the fourth Friday in October and is celebrated online with the hashtag #CHAMPAGNEDAY. Also in October, a night walk of about ten kilometers follows vineyard paths around Buxeuil, Neuville-sur-Seine, Courteron and Gyé-sur-Seine in the Côte des Bar.

November and December

The Reims Christmas market fills the Promenades Jean-Louis Schneiter with chalets, about a one-minute walk from Reims-Centre station. The 2025 market ran from November 26 to December 28, 2025, with 150 chalets of regional specialties, crafts and gifts, and a 50-meter Ferris wheel on Place d'Erlon.

The Reims tourist office ranks it the third-largest Christmas market in France, after Strasbourg and Colmar. During the market, Regalia, a 15-minute open-air show, is projected on the facade of the Saint-Remi basilica. In the Aube, Troyes hosts the Bulles Enchantées giant baubles in winter.

The 26th Habits de Lumière takes place in Épernay from Friday, December 11, to Sunday, December 13, 2026, organized by the City of Épernay with the Avenue de Champagne Committee. The program runs from 6 p.m. on Friday to noon on Sunday.

On Friday evening and from nightfall on Saturday, the avenue de Champagne fills with illuminations, video-mapping, champagne bars, live music and fireworks. Saturday morning brings Habits de Saveurs, a demonstration-tasting by starred chefs and houses, and Saturday afternoon the Concours des P'tits Pâtissiers for children, Accords mets et vins workshops and cellar visits.

On Sunday, more than 500 vintage vehicles parade through the town, and some houses offer cellar visits and tastings.

Visiting the estates

In high season, the Reims tourist office says it is essential to book guided cellar visits with the houses in advance. On the avenue de Champagne in Épernay, walk-in means tasting at a bar, boutique or caveau without a booking, and cellar visits usually still need a reservation.

Pommery, in Reims, opens all year, seven days a week, and closes on December 25 and January 1 and 2. Tours run in English and French.

Veuve Clicquot, in Reims, opens from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. From November 4, 2026, to January 3, 2027, it opens Wednesday to Sunday, and it closes on December 25 and January 1, 2027.

Moët & Chandon, in Épernay, opens from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visits without a booking are possible, but places are limited and the house recommends booking online.

Mercier, in Épernay, opens every day until November 15, then Wednesday to Sunday from November 18 to December 27.

Ayala, in Aÿ, runs visits and tastings by reservation from Tuesday to Saturday.

For booking terms and cancellation rules, see Booking Champagne House Visits.

What it costs

Entry-level house visits with a tasting cost €25–48 ($27–52). Mercier's The Founder, a 45-minute visit, costs €25 ($27), and Moët & Chandon's The Imperial Moment, 1 hour 30 minutes, costs €48 ($52).

In Reims, G.H. Martel starts at €28 ($30), Mumm's 1 hour 30 minutes Cordon Rouge Experience is €30 ($32), and Pommery's 45-minute Brut Royal visit is €30 ($32) self-guided or €36 ($39) guided. Veuve Clicquot's 1-hour Brut Yellow Label visit costs €36 ($39). In Aÿ, Ayala's 30-minute introduction, a tasting of two champagnes without a cellar tour, costs €30 ($32).

Entry to the Reims Christmas market is free, and Regalia needs no reservation. At Habits de Lumière, the avenue de Champagne evenings, Habits de Saveurs, the P'tits Pâtissiers contest and the vehicle parade are free with no ticket. The Accords mets et vins workshops, cellar visits, champagne bars and food are paid.

At the 2026 Route du Champagne en Fête, the Passeport Dégustation cost €45 ($49) online or €50 ($54) on site and covered both days. It included a flute and holder, a booklet with one tasting per cellar, and the entry wristband. A €15 ($16) companion wristband for non-drinkers and designated drivers was sold on site, and minors entered free.

Champagne et Vous is free to enter. In 2026 its non-refundable €25 ($27) ticket included 5 tastings at the growers, a flute, a small bottle of water and the growers' catalogue.

Vendangeur d'un jour lasts 3 hours and costs €69 ($75) for adults and €19 ($21) for children aged 7 to 17, and children under 7 go free. Tickets are sold through the Épernay tourist office.

Before you go

• Event weekends fill rooms early: the Côte des Bar tourist office says accommodation for the Route du Champagne en Fête is booked very early and suggests widening the search to the whole Côte des Bar.
• At the Route du Champagne en Fête, entry to the cellars requires that year's wristband. Passes are not mailed: everyone, including online buyers, collects them in person, in advance at the tourist offices in Bar-sur-Seine, Bar-sur-Aube, Chaumont and Troyes, or on site.
• During Habits de Lumière, cellar visits are booked directly with the houses, not through the festival.
• Champagne cellars are cold all year: Pommery's stay at 10°C and Mercier's at 10 to 12°C, and Mumm asks visitors to dress warmly.
• Spit as you taste, and choose a designated driver if you are driving.