Since 1971, Cordes-sur-Ciel has brought its medieval past back to life for a weekend. The festival’s name pays tribute to the Maison du Grand Fauconnier, the finest of the town’s Gothic houses, famous for its carved façade. The setting does the rest: five fortified walls, Gothic houses with sculpted fronts, monumental gateways and the great covered hall form an open-air theatre.
On 11 and 12 July 2026, the cobbled streets of the bastide fill with costume. Reenactment camps, a craft market, period music and dancing, and everywhere street performers — jugglers, fire-eaters, acrobats — give the upper town the air of another age. You can come simply to watch or join in: visitors are invited to wander in medieval or fantasy costume.
Entry is free and the festival is family-friendly. To round off the evening, Le Tranchoir serves a medieval banquet under the hall (set menu €35, drinks not included), by reservation. The full programme, refreshed each year, is published by the Comité du Grand Fauconnier on the festival website.