Opal Coast
Opal Coast events
A motorbike race on the sand in January, a three-month carnival, giant kites in April, and herring to close out the year.
- Events
- 9
- Free
- 5
- Towns
- 8
The next event
From 14 to 15 November 2026
Étaples Herring King festival
Étaples-sur-MerNearly 10,000 visitors
See this eventThe year at a glance
January
Enduropale du TouquetFebruary
Dunkirk carnivalMarch
Étaples scallop festivalApril
Berck-sur-Mer kite festivalMay
June
July
Audresselles crab festivalFestival de la Côte d’OpaleAugust
Wissant flobart festivalSeptember
Trail de la Côte d’OpaleOctober
November
Étaples Herring King festivalDecember
The months don’t move from one year to the next. The dates do — the ones we know are on each card, and the event page links to the organiser to check them.
Winter
The coast empties, the wind picks up, and it’s the season of the big popular events. The best time to watch a rough sea from a deserted sea wall.
Over 300,000 spectatorsFrom 29 to 31 January 2027 · Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
Enduropale du Touquet
The biggest beach motorbike race, over ten kilometres of sand
- Beach motorbike racing
- 5 races
Up to 30,000 revellers in a single bandeFrom 7 to 9 February 2027 · Dunkerque
Dunkirk carnival
Three months of bandes and balls, and the only crowd where everyone links arms
- Free (the bandes)
- From January to April
Over 20,000 visitorsFrom 27 to 28 March 2027 · Étaples-sur-Mer
Étaples scallop festival
Two days of harbour festivities to mark the end of the scallop season
- Free entry
- In spring
Spring
April is the month of the kites. The days grow longer, the beaches fill up slowly, and prices haven’t climbed yet.
Summer
Village fêtes follow one another all along the coast, often free, often on the square or on the sand. This is the Opal Coast at its liveliest, and its busiest.
Around fifty stalls, six bandsEarly summer, every year · Audresselles
Audresselles crab festival
Half a century of crab, flobarts and concerts on the village square
- Free entry
- Early summer
Four nights of concertsEarly July, every year · Boulogne-sur-Mer
Festival de la Côte d’Opale
Four nights of French-language music facing the harbour, since 1976
- Founded in 1976
- French-language music
Three days of village festivitiesLate August, every year · Wissant
Wissant flobart festival
The flat-bottomed boat born of a coast with no harbour, celebrated every late summer
- Free
- Late August
Autumn
The calm returns, and it’s herring season. September remains one of the best months for walking the coast: the light is low and the paths are empty.
Over 7,000 runnersThe second weekend of September, every year · Wimereux
Trail de la Côte d’Opale
Seven distances, from ten to a hundred and ten kilometres, over cliffs and dunes
- Over 7,000 runners
- From 10 to 110 km
Nearly 10,000 visitorsFrom 14 to 15 November 2026 · Étaples-sur-Mer
Étaples Herring King festival
Three tonnes of smoked herring in one weekend, right on the quayside
- Free entry
- Mid-November