Fete de la Saint-Louis Sete

Date: 20 August 2026 – 25 August 2026

Location: France

Organizer: Ville de Sete

Every August, Sete stops for the Fetes de la Saint-Louis, six days of water jousting, sport and music that the port town has celebrated in some form since 1666. The 2026 festival is the 282nd edition and takes place from 19 to 25 August. Water jousting is the reason to come. Crews row two heavy boats at each other on the canal, and jousters in white, braced on a raised platform called the tintaine, use lance and shield to knock one another into the water. Categories cover juniors, seniors and veterans across the week, and admission is free, with the heavyweight tournament, the one everyone waits for, on Monday 24 August. The rest of the programme is broad: a swim across Sete, boules and tennis tournaments, nightly concerts on the squares and quays, and bodegas that keep going long after the jousting ends. A fireworks display closes the festival on Tuesday 25 August.

Event website

View this event on the World Sailing Day map

More sailing events in France

See all sailing events in France, or browse the world map to discover regattas, open days and sailing festivals near you — and explore yacht clubs, marinas and sailing schools along the way.

Sailing nearby

Planning to attend? These clubs, marinas, schools and other sailing places are close to France and worth a visit while you are in the area:

Want to grow sailing in France? Become a World Sailing Day ambassador.