Joutes du Grau-du-Roi - Les Nautiques

Date: 22 August 2026 – 24 August 2026

Location: France

Organizer: Societe Nautique du Grau-du-Roi - Port Camargue

Water jousting, not sailing, is the game at Le Grau-du-Roi, and the town takes it seriously. Les Nautiques is the annual tournament of joutes languedociennes run with the Societe Nautique du Grau-du-Roi - Port Camargue, and the 2026 edition, the 131st, runs from 22 to 24 August on the channel through the middle of town. Two rowed boats, each with a raised platform called a tintaine at the stern, pass each other at speed while a jouster in white stands with lance and shield and tries to put his opponent in the water. Crews from across the Languedoc region compete, crowds line both banks, and the format has barely changed in over a century. A separate night tournament is held on 13 July under floodlights. Free to watch from the quaysides. Simple, loud and a bit mad, which is exactly the point.

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