Events in Chamonix & the Mont Blanc Valley

Events in Chamonix

There are loads of events organised year-round. From quirky local events to large scale sporting spectacles there is always something worth a gander. In this section we bring you information about the major annual events in resort and don't forget to check out our calender for the latest updates.

Christmas & New Year

Wondering what to do this Christmas and New Year?  The festive season in the snowy Alps is always magical and every year there is some sort of celebration in resort to mark the occasion.  Christmas is a far less commercial event in France than in the UK and so you won’t find things publicised for months in advance - but you can always be sure of a glass of vin chaud (mulled wine), a few carols and perhaps the odd firework or two!  Many of the restaurants will put on a special festive menu with champagne and traditional French dishes, so book in advance if you want to treat yourself to a meal out.

Likewise, planning ahead is advised if you have your heart set on ringing in the New Year in a particular bar or club – many of them are ticket-only, so enquire in advance to avoid disappointment!

Christmas in Chamonix officially starts at the very beginning of December (occasionally the last weekend in November) when the Christmas lights are switched on.  The night is marked with vin chaud, hot chocolate and music.  From then on you can enjoy Christmas concerts, festive markets and live music throughout town as the resort gears up for Christmas and New Year.

Christmas Eve is usually marked with street parades, a carol concert outside the Tourist Office and a rather theatrical visit from Father Christmas.  Christmas Masses are held all evening at the Catholic Church in the centre of town (Eglise de Saint Michel).

There doesn’t really tend to be any specific New Year’s Eve celebrations in Chamonix – all the bars hold their own parties, restaurants often lay on a special menu and perhaps some entertainment.  Come midnight the hoards of tipsy revellers head down to the clock tower in the centre of town for the big countdown – not an official event as such, more of a long-held tradition.  On the stroke of midnight you are advised to duck as champagne corks and fireworks are unleashed in celebration!

To find out exactly what Chamonix has in store this year have a look at our What’s On Calendar.  You can read about the revelries of years gone by in our Après Ski Report, just use the drop-down box called ‘Archived Reports’ to go back to the date you are looking for.  To get a feel for what Chamonix nightlife is all about, take a look at our Dining & Going Out Guide.

Freeride World Tour

Ski & snowboard freeride competition, mid January

"The Best Rider on the Best Mountains in the Ultimate Freeride Competition" 
The Freeride World Tour brings male and female skiers and snowboarders from all over the globe together to allow them to crown a world champion. The competition travels to France, Russia, Switzerland, America and Austria and the stop in France takes place in Chamonix. The riders have just one run down the Hotel Face in Brevent to prove their worth.

Le Kandahar - World Cup Downhill Skiing

Men's Alpine Skiing World Cup, biannually in February

Les Houches in the Chamonix valley is home to the Kandahar World Downhill Ski Championships. This race has become one of the main sporting events in the Chamonix valley and showcases Chamonix's excellent skiing reputation.

Created in 1928, the Kandahar was the first international alpine competition to combine downhill and slalom events. This combination still exists in the Olympic Games and the World Championships. Both are spectacular and very difficult and, the race remains a measure of excellence, even if over the past few years, skiers are increasingly less suited to such events.

The downhill race takes place every two years on La Verte piste in Les Houches during early February and over the years has attracted many big downhill competitors including: James Couttet, Karl Schranz, Emile Allais, Ingemar Stenmark, André Aamodt, Alberto Tomba and Bode Miller.

Friday February 3
Verte des Houches - Les Houches
9-10.00am : Downhill reconnaissance
12.00pm : Downhill
5.00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic

Place du Mont-Blanc - Chamonix
4.30pm : Opening of the Kandahar village
- Highlights on the Giant screen
- Giant Tartiflette
- Bar
- DJ
6.00pm : Downhill Val Gardena recovery awards ceremony and race bib distribution for the downhill Kandahar
6.30pm : Fireworks
7.00pm : DJs & drinks

Saturday February 4 : Downhill Kandahar
Verte des Houches - Les Houches
9-10.00am : Downhill reconnaissance
12.00am : Downhill
5.00pm : Race committee meeting at the Majestic

Place du Mont-Blanc - Chamonix
4.30pm : Opening of the Kandahar village
- Highlights on the Giant screen
- Giant Tartiflette
- Bar
- DJ
6.00pm : Downhill Kandahar awards ceremony and Super Combined race bib distribution
6.30pm : Fireworks
7.00pm : DJs & drinks

Sunday February 5 : Super Combined
Verte des Houches - Les Houches
11.00am : Downhill
2.00pm : Slalom
3.00pm : Podium Official awards ceremony for super combined at the finish line - Entertainment on the big screen

Winter Sessions

Weekender snowsports party held end of March

Winter Sessions is a unique collection of events throughout the French Alps, where music, art and snow sports collide. Celebrating the spirit of the mountains and spreading the good times vibes. Towards the end of the season Winter Sessions takes over Chamonix with a festival that includes everything from snowboard comps and rail jams, to legendary DJ’s and open-air stages. Spring sunshine and good times in the most spectacular location Europe has to offer. Miss it at your peril!

Piolets d'Or

Festival of Alpinism, end of March

The Piolets d'Or is the Oscars of the Alpine world. This yearly event celebrates the greatest ascents, awarding those with Piolets d'Or (golden ice axes). Each year the event celebrates the triumphs of the toughest and most imaginative men and women mountaineers. More than just the recognition of a performance, the Piolets d'Or celebrates passion, spirit and values.

Freeride Days

End of the ski season party - early May

The Chamonix Freeride Days signals the end of the Chamonix ski season. The Grand Montets skiing area plays host to the event providing entertainment in the form of music, swimming pool, a waterslide, BBQ and lots of beer. The event is essentially a last gasp effort by the locals and seasonaires to really hurt themselves on the rails or the big wall that are set up at Lognon ski area. If that fails to entertain, there is still drowning by waterslide, or attempting the slide topless as has been done by brave kids in previous years! It’s not a huge problem if you do not make it across the slide as there is a hot tub waiting for you to dip into!

In previous seasons, the Ecole de Ski Française (ESF) have set up a speed test to the left of Marmottons piste, however a helmet is required if you want to test yourself. There’s usually a DJ in place at the bottom of the Herse chairlift, where a BBQ, beer, and those huge tartiflette pans full of sausages and potatoes are free flowing. In 2005 there was a volleyball match too and if past years are anything to go by, and the weather allows, you might be lucky and see some daredevils leaping out of helicopters.

The event takes place on the last weekend of the season, which normally falls in early May.

Fête de la Musique

National celebration of music, 21st June

Fête de la Musique is the celebration that takes place every summer solstice on 21st June in cities, towns and villages across France – Chamonix being no exception! More than a music festival, the Fête de la Musique is a free event that spills out from the bars and restaurants onto the streets and encompasses every type of music imaginable, from local amateur teen bands to professional classical musicians, from club DJ’s to traditional folk bands.

Starting in the afternoon, the event is a family occasion that is open to all. It is a great opportunity to wander round Chamonix, taking in the sights and enjoying the party atmosphere! There are often large stages set up outside the Tourist Office, in Place du Mont Blanc (by the Galerie Alpina) and in Place Balmat (by the Post Office). One of the treats of the Fête de la Musique is to book an outside table at one of Chamonix’s many restaurants and sit back to watch the action (we recommend booking in advance on this popular night).

As the evening wears on, the party steps up a notch and many of the streets and squares turn into open-air dance floors as DJ’s take their decks outside and turn the volume up. If you really want to experience the carnival atmosphere you should head down to the Rue de Moulin, a narrow cobbled pedestrian street where revellers squeeze in to dance to the music pumping out of the many bars and from the live bands playing anywhere they can find space!

Fête de la Musique is one of those certain nights throughout the year when the French authorities waive normal licensing laws, allowing the revelry to continue as long as there are people with the stamina to enjoy it – it is definitely one of the not-to-be-missed events of the Chamonix summer social calendar!

Chamonix Mont Blanc Marathon

For hard core marathon runners, end June

If you’re a fan of distance running then the Marathon du Mont Blanc is the ultimate challenge. Covering 42kms and climbing over 1000 metres, this high-altitude race is only for the super-fit! An annual event, the marathon takes place every June and attracts thousands of competitors and spectators. There are a number of extra events held throughout the weekend, enabling everyone to get involved. ...read more

World Climbing Championships

Speed & technical climbing competition, mid July

Every year, Chamonix hosts the World Climbing Championships (Coupe du Monde d’Escalade) during which the world’s finest speed and technical climbers descend on the resort for three days of astonishing articial climbing wall action. ...read more

Cosmo Jazz Festival

Free jazz music in the Alps, end July

The Cosmo Jazz Festival is the latest of festival to arrive in Chamonix. This entirely free festival is the fruit of the imagination of André Manoukian. With concerts set in some of Chamonix's most amazing locations; the top of the Aiguille du Midi, Lac Blanc and Grans Montets. Back in town it’s time for the Apérojazz, where the streets will resonate to the jazzy sound of brass bands that are let loose on the town. In the evening, the musicians gather together at the Cham jam sessions until the end of the night.

Fete de Guides de Chamonix

Celebration of Mountain Guides, mid August

Each year during the middle of August the Chamonix valley celebrates the history of its mountain guides and their courageous achievements. Over a 4 day period the Guide Company (La compagnie des Guides) and the event sponsors put on a variety of attractions to raise money and awareness for the guides and to award those with outstanding achievements, as well as remembering those who lost their life on the mountain.

The main event of the Festival of the Guides of Chamonix (Fete des Guides de Chamonix) is generally started at the climbing wall at Les Gaillands, Chamonix. This is a ‘tickets only’ event held in the evening and offers live music, traditional food, games for children, fireworks and best of all, a performance on the cliff face by the local mountain guides.

The official ceremony is usually followed the proceeding day and commences with the laying of wreaths at the Chamonix cemetery. Guides in traditional costume, consisting of cords and ice axes, make a procession through the town to the church. The president of the company presents medals, blesses the tools of the mountain and announces the honorary guide of the year. There are a number of stalls present selling local fare & mountain related products.

To find out the history and traditions of the mountain this event is well worth attending. You can learn more about the company of guides by going to the Maison de Montagne next to the church in Chamonix or visiting the Compagnie des Guides website.

The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

Endurance race around Mont Blanc, end August

Over the course of three days, participants cover a total of 166kms, 3 countries, 7 valleys, 71 glaciers and 400 summits, experiencing a difference in altitude of 9400 metres. This race is a true test of endurance, a combination of pleasure/pain, highs and lows. The trail begins and ends at Chamonix but you can catch sight of the runners as they pass through Les Houches, Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, Courmayeur, La Fouly, Champex, Trient, Vallorcine, and Flegere. Each of these areas celebrates the achievement of the runners by holding a fete with concerts, barbeques and general encouragement, clapping and cheering as the runners pass by.

There is no monetary prize for being the first to complete the course as the philosophy of the trail is that everyone’s a winner – it’s a personal achievement and as such there is a wonderful sense of team spirit about the event. In 2005, the winner crossed the line in an amazing 21 hours and 6 minutes. For us lesser mortals, it is possible to take a similar tour of Mont Blanc over a period of 8 to 10 days, staying in mountain refuges and hopping on the odd bus if necessary! Many people come to Chamonix each year to do just that, the scenery is quite spectacular and you really do feel on top of the world.

Chamonix Hockey Club (usually weekly matches)

Get yourself down to the ice-rink and support the local team, usually on a weekly basis there is a match. The Chamonix Hockey Team actually do quite well and the matches can get quite riotous... As an alternative evening out maybe have dinner in the nearby Micro Brewery de Chamonix (aka 'The MBC') and then head over to the rink with a group of friends. There is a bar so you can get a few beers in whilst you watch the game. Remember to take some warm clothes and shoes, hats and gloves - you are going to be sitting in a large freezer in a ski resort, believe us - it's doubly cold!