At the 2026 Medieval Festival, Loches Opens Three Days of Shows, Encampments and a Market Until Evening

Three days in the fortified city

The 2026 Medieval Festival settles into Loches for three days, August 15, 16 and 17, 2026, with announced hours from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for visits and activities at the Royal City. The event invites the public to step into the Middle Ages through medieval shows, demonstrations, workshops and re-enactment areas spread across several parts of the heritage site.

The program covers the Royal City of Loches, with the keep and the Royal Lodge, as well as Parc Bachet and the mail du Donjon, where the medieval market is held. This layout gives the event the feel of a route: visitors can move from shows at the Royal Lodge to encampments near the keep, then head to the town activities or the artisans’ stalls.

A lively Royal Lodge

At the Royal Lodge, one of the announced highlights is The Medieval Banquet, a participatory show led by two actor-musicians. The public is invited to experience a festive Middle Ages meal from the inside, in a short 30-to-45-minute format offered at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. by Compagnie La Muse.

Music also has an important place with Les Derniers Trouvères, who sing Celtic and medieval imagery and thought in modern French. The show, performed by the association Les Derniers trouvères, lasts 30 minutes and returns at four times: 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The day at the Royal Lodge is also paced by a juggling show from Compagnie Les baladeux. The description announces acrobatic juggling and adventure stories, for a 30-minute performance scheduled at 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

Workshops, storytelling and games throughout the day

Several activities run continuously, making it possible to shape a visit without relying only on showtimes. Les Formes au bout des doigts offers an interactive workshop-show around clay: the public watches, shapes and discovers handcrafting in an atmosphere described as calm and friendly.

The colorist illuminator’s workshop introduces illumination, a technique developed in the 14th century and presented as the ancestor of the stencil. The participatory workshop uses various masks and natural pigments, with an announced duration of 25 minutes and continuous operation by Scriptoria Mina.

Younger visitors can also find a theatrical story with Princess Jenny Who Did NOT Want to Marry, by Compagnie Gina Gagap. The show tells of a princess who refuses to marry and sets trials for suitors so they can prove their loyalty and courage. It lasts 45 minutes and is performed at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

The Royal Lodge also hosts an activity around a 15th-century apothecary’s stall, devoted to medieval medicine, as well as a large area of wooden medieval games. Greasy pole, quintain, ring game, checkers, treasure fishing, chess, stilts, hoops and tug of war are among the activities announced throughout the day.

Encampments around the keep

At the keep and Parc Bachet, the program shifts toward re-enactment encampments. La Maisnie du Mont Ferrand sets up a medieval encampment with activities, craft presentations, medieval board and tabletop games, a foot-jousting list, a presentation of medieval cooking and artillery.

Les voies de Samarcande, for its part, offers an oriental medieval encampment. The announced activities cover armor making, board games, oriental food, adult archery, shamanic music, forging, oriental fencing and the creation of an oriental tea room.

Another encampment is entrusted to A tous les temps, with activities and demonstrations around weapons and armor, calligraphy, herbalism, board games and skill games. These three areas are announced as running continuously, which reinforces the idea of a freely circulating visit between stages, workshops and re-enactments.

The town joins the celebration

The Medieval Festival is not limited to the paid enclosure of the city. In the town center and in the city, activities are announced with free access from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The public may come across a parodic street show with Les Catapultés and their infernal machine, presented as catapult, prison and battering ram all at once, by Compagnie Créalid.

The town program adds music, theater and circus with Compagnie Kazan and Les Chroniques des Arpenteurs, as well as music from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance by Compagnie Smedelyn and Ensemble L’Oisel. Demonstrations of choreographed combat in armor are also planned with Les Rodeurs du Nord, on August 15 and 16.

On the mail du Donjon, the medieval market is announced from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with food available on site. The Royal City also mentions an artisan market every day on the mail du Donjon, making it one of the most accessible stopping points for visitors who want to extend the atmosphere beyond the scheduled shows.

Announced tickets and passes

The practical information indicates prices of €15.00 and €13.00 for the Medieval Festival, with booking available through an online ticket. The Royal City home page also displays opening hours of 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week, for the period consulted.

A Privilege Pass is highlighted for people who want to attend the Medieval Festival over two or three days. Its price is announced at €25.00, with access to all the Medieval Festival activities and the other benefits of the pass, according to the Royal City presentation.

A date in the summer calendar

On its website, the Royal City lists the Medieval Festival among its upcoming events, from August 15 to 17, at the Royal Lodge and keep. The same page presents the site as a fortified city overlooking Loches and the Indre Valley, with a royal lodge, a 37-meter keep and a redesigned visitor route with sound features, videos and projections.

The event is organized in partnership with the town of Loches. Between the shows at the Royal Lodge, the encampments at the keep, the free-access activities in the town center and the market on the mail du Donjon, the program above all gives one major practical message: visitors will need to choose their own pace within a dense offering, rather than follow a single stage or a single schedule.