Every May — 8 to 10 May for the 2026 edition — the medieval festival gives the lanes, ramparts and squares of Semur-en-Auxois back to the costumes, music and tales of the Middle Ages.

Founded in 2000, the event is young beside the town itself — but where other places build their re-enactments from scratch, Semur welcomes the festival into a genuinely medieval setting: pink-granite towers, cobbled old town, vaulted passageways.

Set at the heart of that scene, Maison Jazey places you just a few steps from the festivities, in the calm of an hôtel particulier, one of Semur's grand private mansions, in the heart of Semur-en-Auxois — the ideal address for living the festival without giving up any comfort.

History

A festival born to bring heritage to life.

The first edition took place in 2000, with a clear ambition: to showcase the town's medieval heritage and share it with residents and visitors alike. The idea took root, and the festival became a lasting fixture of Semur's calendar.

Over the years, its programme came to be built around the great chapters of the town's past and to spread across much of the month of May, making spring the festive high season of Semur-en-Auxois.

On site

Theatre, music and arms in costume.

The festival unfolds a lively programme blending theatre companies, music ensembles, arms displays and re-enactment scenes. Residents and visitors alike are invited to step back in time, over a weekend or a wander through the upper town.

The setting does the rest: you drift from an encampment to a joust, from a craftsman's workshop to a concert, along lanes that have themselves never left the Middle Ages.

Our take

In Semur, the medieval festival has no need to build a set: the town is one. That is what changes everything — the costumes don't cross a stage, they cross eight centuries of architecture still standing.

Maison Jazey

Staying for the festival

Maison Jazey, in the heart of the town

May holds the most sought-after weekends of the year in Semur. Maison Jazey offers two apartments in a mansion a few minutes' walk from the festivities, with secure parking included — a rarity in the heart of the medieval town.

Book direct and you enjoy the best rate guaranteed and our concierge service. As with the Fête de la Bague, it pays to plan ahead: these dates go fast.

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Practical information