©Timothé Lovergne The summer program at Calais LA Plage: Let's Dance!
From June to September, Calais makes its seafront resonate! The 2026 season has chosen a central theme: David Bowie, ten years after his death, and his universal invitation to dance:Let's Dance! The program, which spans the entire summer, will keep you moving: concerts, exhibitions, shows, beach activities: here is the complete program for summer 2026 at Calais LA Plage.
David Bowie as the soundtrack of the summer!
A collection of the most acclaimed tributes
Saturdays in July and August feature a collection of tribute concerts covering half a century of popular song. The 10 July, the Biopic Live Once Upon a time Bowie The show takes over Place d'Armes at 20pm for a two-hour performance. This show, which usually takes place in Parisian venues, is offered free of charge! Concert at Place des grands hommes July 11, Color Snake & The Singer Concert – Tribute to Balavoine the July 25, Don't stop QUEEN Now August 22nd with Mickey Callisto, revelation of Britain's Got Talent whose flashmob around Bohemian Rhapsody has been viewed more than 50 million times worldwide.
The evenings that get the Place d'Armes and the seafront dancing all summer long
Summer is off to a great start, and right from the start...June 20th! La Dragon Company organizes its annual Silent Party, now in its third edition. The principle: each participant receives headphones, chooses their track from several channels and dances in silence. On July 14th, the unprecedented merger of Back to 80 and Back to 90 gives birth to Back to the Hits 80/90 : two hours of live performances from 20pm to 22pm, before the fireworks display launched from the beach at 23pm. The August 8, Calais For Night returns for its 2nd edition with El Figo (14 years old, Ibiza resident, present at Tomorrowland), Morgan Nagoya, Chris Willsman and Siks. The show starts at 20pm and lasts until midnight.
See all the festivals and concerts of the season
©Stephan Muntaner Entertainment for the whole family
All summer long, Place Albert 1er and the seafront share the role of playgrounds! In town, Saturday afternoons see a mix of inflatable villages, treetop adventure courses, old-fashioned wooden games and sporting challenges such as the Champions' Journey or XL Street Dino CourseActivities designed for children, but which effortlessly bring together several generations around the same rules.
On the beach, the tone changes. The climbing palm tree, the surf simulator et pirate sailing They offer more physical thrills by the sea. Activities open to all levels, from first-timers to serious performance!
©Nohcab Calais Beach: have fun, contemplate without limits
Calais LA Plage offers a rich summer program, but above all, it's the perfect seafront for families! The fine sandy beach stretches for several kilometers along the sea. Skatepark, playgrounds, solarium, viewpoint… all these free activities allow you to enjoy the summer without a worry.
The summer village with its 12 chalets and the gourmet village is also the ideal spot to find a memorable souvenir, or to enjoy the local artisanal ice creams that have made us famous.
The facilities of Calais LA Plage
Open-air art gallery
11 artists in a new edition of the Calais Street Art Festival
Calais won Golden Street Art 2025, national urban art competition, for Flow's work created during the previous edition. Building on this recognition, the Street Art Festival, led with Graffiti Workshops come back from July 13 to August 17 with eleven artists from five different countries.
L7 Matrix (Brazil) brings its very colourful world; Nuno Viegas (Portugal), Shozy (Russia) and vinyl (France) are among the names that have already made their mark on other cities around the world. Shozy will create a work about the Coubertin high school, specializing in large-format 3D trompe-l'œil. In total, more than 90 works of street art already dot the Calais territory, turning the streets into a permanent open-air gallery.
The 90 works to discover
©Fred Collier Urban colors with Patricia Cunha
The Portuguese artist, well known to the people of Calais for her colorful and visual installations, returns with news works of art! Her creations bring a poetic and colorful dimension to the urban landscape, inviting you to take a fresh look at the city and everyday life.
His facilities will be available to view: Rue du Commandant Mengin, Rue Royale, Rue Charost, Place d'Hôtel de Ville, Halle and Place d'Armes.
©Lyzebre Shows at Fort Risban
Fort Risban, facing the English Channel, has become the place for spectacular encounters. On July 18, the company Cowprod It presents two performances of an equestrian show on the world of the Far West (15pm and 17pm): vaulting, acrobatics, cowboys and evocations of Indian rites and legends. The next day, the Madiran Raptor Park takes over with two falconry displays at the same times. This park is one of only two still authorized in France at this stage, along with Puy du Fou, as regulatory standards are becoming increasingly strict.
On July 26th at 16pm, the Hervé Koubi Company presents What the Day Owes to the Night and unveils a preview of Swan Lake. Their new show is being presented for the very first time during its residency. The company, currently the most internationally renowned French company, is based in Calais. The Calais audience is the first to discover this show before the rest of the world.
©City of Calais Bowie Odyssey
One exhibition, 1,000 pieces and 50 years of career!
The exhibition that sets the tone for the entire summer is now open. at the Gambetta Forum from July 4th to August 16th. Jean-Charles Gautier, one of the greatest French collectors of Bowie memorabilia, based on the Calais coast, brings together more than 1,000 carefully selected pieces Vinyl records, original documents, press kits, photographs, and rare formats such as the precursor to the laserdisc and Ludiste cartridges from the 1970s are on display. Fifty prints signed by Mick Rock, Bowie's iconic photographer in the early 1970s, are being presented for the first time in the region. The Radio France Record Library complements the collection with several hundred record sleeves, accessible via a jukebox installed in the space.
Bowie Odyssey
©Jean-Charles Gautier The exhibition is bilingual French-English, This attention is not insignificant in a city that looks out onto England from 45 kilometers away. It retraces fifty years of career of a multifaceted artist: author, composer, performer, film and theatre actor, whose Broadway appearance in Elephant Man is often forgotten. The Alhambra cinema Alongside this, a film retrospective is being offered, and collectors' weekends and record fairs are scheduled throughout the period. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 14 pm to 18 pm, free admission.
The Summer Fair at the Western Basin
From July 25th to August 23rd, the Western Basin is transformed. The rides and attractions of the Summer Fair set up shop for four weeks, turning this port area into a life-sized playground. Family rides, thrill rides, and carnival stalls create a scene that Calais residents recognize year after year, and that visitors often discover by chance while strolling along the port. It's one of the few paid events in the summer program, and one of the most popular.
Calais Summer Funfair
©Stephane Ribeiro Da Ascencao 
©Stephane Ribeiro Da Ascencao Absolutely not to be missed
The complete program so you don't miss anything this summer
Very soon, you'll find the complete program of events leaflet right here! In the meantime:
View the online calendarWhat is the program for Calais LA Plage for the summer of 2026? + -
The program runs from June to September 2026. Free events are offered every weekend: open-air concerts, a street art festival, shows at Fort Risban, and family activities in Place Albert 1er and on the beach. The full schedule can be found here. Major events are concentrated between July 4th and August 31st, with occasional events leading up to the European Heritage Days on September 19th and 20th.
Complete agendaAre the events at Calais LA Plage subject to a fee? + -
Almost all of the programming is free: concerts, exhibitions, shows, beach activities, and a street art festival. Only the funfair attractions at the Summer Fair in the West Basin require payment.
How to park in Calais for the summer? + -
Parking is free on the seafront and in the main entertainment areas, a concrete argument for families with children.
Getting around & parking in Calais XXLAre there any activities for children throughout the summer? + -
Every weekend offers family entertainment in the city centre: inflatable villages, tree climbing, old-fashioned games, sports courses and an educational farm take place in Place Albert 1er and Place d'Armes from July 4 to August 30.