Madeleine Festival

The Madeleine Festival is a must-see event in Mont-de-Marsan. Year after year, this celebration transforms the city’s streets, like Rue Léon Gambetta, into a lively spectacle. Every July, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the city center to attend one of the biggest summer events in the Landes region. For five days and nights, the city comes alive with music, dance, sporting and cultural events. The festivities kick off on the steps of the Town Hall, following the procession of the statue of Saint Mary Magdalene to the Plumaçon Arena. There’s something for everyone, from thrilling bullfights and a colorful cavalcade of parade floats to dances led by local music bands playing South-Western folk tunes and traditional regional competitions featuring cows, bullfighters and leapers. You’ll find yourself caught up in the excitement as the crowds fill the streets and the music fills the air. Fun fact: unlike most festivals in the south of France, the city is not decorated in red, but in blue and white, the colors of Mont-de-Marsan’s coat of arms. And let’s not forget to thank King Henry IV, who started this tradition back in 1594. It was his idea to celebrate the city’s patron saint!