Mines de Beffrois

Le blog touristique du bassin minier

Author: f.deschodt@gmail.com

  • Main Square Festival 2026: Katy Perry, Orelsan and Twenty One Pilots at the Citadelle d’Arras!

    Main Square Festival 2026: a dream lineup in Arras on July 3, 4 and 5!

    📅 Friday 3 to Sunday 5 July 2026
    📍 Citadelle Vauban — Arras (62000)

    The Main Square Festival returns for an exceptional edition at the UNESCO-listed Citadelle Vauban in Arras. Three days of live music in one of the most beautiful settings in northern France.

    Headliners: 🎤 Friday July 3: Katy Perry | Saturday July 4: Orelsan | Sunday July 5: Twenty One Pilots

    Tickets available on the official website. Don’t miss this unmissable event in the Arras region!

  • Star Academy Tour 2026 in Douai: the academicians in concert at the Gayant Expo on May 30

    Star Academy Tour 2026 in Douai: the academicians in concert at the Gayant Expo on May 30
    📅 Saturday May 30, 2026

    📍 Gayant Expo, Avenue des Nations, Douai (59500)

    The most anticipated show of the year is coming to Douai! On May 30, 2026, the academicians of the Star Academy will take over the main stage of the Gayant Expo for an unforgettable concert event.

    After months of intense training and emotions shared with millions of viewers, the talents revealed by the famous show are hitting the road for a national tour. The Gayant Expo in Douai, one of the largest venues in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, hosts this festive and generous musical evening.

    A live show, known and new songs, and a crazy atmosphere guaranteed! Whether you’ve been a fan since the beginning or simply curious, it’s an evening to enjoy with family or friends.

    Reserve your seats now on Infoconcert or the usual ticketing platforms. Places are going fast!

    A great musical evening in the capital of the Douaisis region — share the info with all the Star Academy fans in your circle!

  • The Voice Is Back: tribute to Frank Sinatra at the Colisée in Lens, May 23, 2026

    The Voice Is Back: tribute to Frank Sinatra at the Colisée in Lens, May 23, 2026
    📅 Saturday May 23, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

    📍 The Coliseum, municipal theater, Place du Théâtre, Lens (62300)

    For the 110th anniversary of the birth of Frank Sinatra, the Colisée de Lens is hosting an exceptional tribute: The Voice Is Back. A Rat Pack evening that promises to be unforgettable in the heart of the city of Lens.

    Stephen Triffitt, who played Frank Sinatra for three seasons in Las Vegas in the famous show The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas, returns to the stage with breathtaking vocal precision and stage charisma. He is accompanied by Mark Adams in the role of Dean Martin. On the program, the greatest classics:

    Fly Me to the Moon
    New York, New York
    My Way
    That’s Life
    and many others…

    The Colosseum offers remarkable acoustics for a musical evening full of elegance and nostalgia. A live orchestra accompanies the two artists for a celebration worthy of the Chairman of the Board.

    Tickets at €42. Reservation on Fnac Spectacles or directly at the Colisée de Lens.

    A prestigious evening not to be missed! Offer this musical journey to your loved ones who are fans of the legendary crooner.

  • Charlie Winston in concert at the Métaphone in Oignies: folk-rock evening on a mining site

    Charlie Winston in concert at the Métaphone d’Oignies: folk-rock evening on a mining site
    📅 Thursday May 21, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

    📍 Le Métaphone — 9-9bis, Route Nationale 43, Oignies (62590)

    The British singer Charlie Winston will settle in on May 21, 2026 at the Métaphone, the concert hall of the legendary 9-9bis mining site in Oignies. A folk-pop-rock evening in a unique industrial setting listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Known for his skillful blend of folk, pop and rock, Charlie Winston has an extraordinary voice and stage presence. His fifth album “As I am”, co-produced with Vianney and released in 2022, is his most intimate and introspective work. On stage, he delivers a generous show, oscillating between intense moments and touching moments.

    The 9-9bis is much more than a concert hall: it is a former coal extraction site transformed into a place of culture open to all, in the heart of the mining basin. Attending a concert there is a unique experience between the industrial past and contemporary artistic creation.

    Tickets at €33. Book quickly on the 9-9bis website.

    A beautiful evening to experience and share! The 9-9bis is easily accessible and offers an unusual setting for this beautiful musical encounter.

  • European Night of Museums at the Lewarde Mining Historical Center: free on May 23!

    European Night of Museums at the Lewarde Mining Historical Center: free on May 23!
    📅 Saturday May 23, 2026, from dusk until midnight

    📍 Historic Mining Center of Lewarde, Fosse Delloye, rue d’Erchin, Lewarde (59287)

    The largest mining museum in France opens its doors free of charge on the evening of May 23, 2026, as part of the 22nd edition of the European Night of Museums.

    The Lewarde Mining Historical Center, located on the site of the Fosse Delloye, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers a unique dive into the history of mining. Reconstructed underground galleries, impressive machines, testimonies from miners… an exceptional heritage to discover in a very special nocturnal atmosphere.

    Museum Night is the perfect opportunity to come (or return) to discover this emblematic place in the mining area with the whole family. Entrance is free for the evening, with special entertainment and a unique atmosphere in the evening light.

    To prepare for your visit, consult the complete program on the official CHM Lewarde website. A moment of memory and culture not to be missed!

    Share the event with your family and friends – an unusual evening in the depths of the working history of the North awaits you!

  • The Route du Louvre: hike and run between Arras and Lens on May 10, 2026

    The Route du Louvre: hike and run between Arras and Lens on May 10, 2026
    📅 Sunday May 10, 2026

    📍 Departures: Saint-Laurent-Blangy (23 km hike), Place Jean Jaurès Lens (10 km and 5.3 km), Ablain-Saint-Nazaire (14 km hike)

    On Sunday May 10, 2026, the 21st edition of La Route du Louvre links Arras to Lens through the plains of Pas-de-Calais and landscapes marked by mining history. A sporting and cultural event accessible to all levels.

    Four formats for all tastes:

    8:00 a.m. — 23 km hike (€6) — departure from Saint-Laurent-Blangy nautical base
    9:15 a.m. — 10 km race (€14) — departure from Place Jean Jaurès, Lens
    10:25 a.m. — 5.3 km hike (€6) — departure from Place Jean Jaurès, Lens
    10:30 a.m. — 14 km hike (€6) — departure from Ablain-Saint-Nazaire

    Registrations for the 10 km race were open until May 3, 2026, but the hikes welcome participants on the big day. The Route du Louvre is an opportunity to cross emblematic landscapes between Artois and Lens-Liévin, with the Louvre-Lens as a landmark. Find all the information on the official website.

    A great family or sporting outing to discover the territory differently, between heritage and nature. Share this meeting with your hiking friends!

  • Spring of Art Deco in Lens-Liévin: a unique mining heritage to rediscover in May

    Spring of Art Deco in Lens-Liévin: a unique mining heritage to rediscover in May
    📅 From April 3 to May 31, 2026 — Guided tours in May: May 9, May 23 and May 30

    📍 City center of Lens, Jean Perrin Faculty (former Grands Bureaus des Mines), Dourges, Aix-Noulette

    Until May 31, 2026, the Art Déco Spring celebrates the unique architectural heritage of the mining basin. For its 8th edition, this regional festival takes you to discover the jewels of the interwar period in Lens-Liévin and the entire region.

    The Art Deco Fortnight concentrates its events from May 18 to 29 in the Lens-Liévin urban community. On the program in May:

    May 9 at 10:30 a.m. — Guided tour of downtown Lens
    May 23 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. — Essential visit “Art Deco in Lens”: Place Jean Jaurès, Reconstruction facades, Lens train station (45 min)
    May 23 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. — Creative jewelry workshop inspired by Art Deco geometric shapes
    May 30 at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. — Visit to the former offices of the Société des Mines de Lens

    Visits, conferences, workshops and shows — all in buildings classified as UNESCO World Heritage! Reservation with the Lens-Liévin Tourist Office on 03 21 67 66 66.

    A great way to (re)discover the built heritage of your region. Come and share your most beautiful photos of the Art Deco architecture of the mining basin!

  • The Louvre-Lens invites you to the doors of the Thousand and One Nights until July 20

    The Louvre-Lens invites you to the doors of the Arabian Nights until July 20
    📅 From March 25 to July 20, 2026 (current exhibition)

    📍 Louvre-Lens, 99 rue Paul Bert, Lens (62300)

    The Louvre-Lens is hosting an exceptional exhibition until July 20, 2026: “Beyond the Thousand and One Nights. Histories of Orientalisms.” Nearly 300 major works await you in this fascinating dive between East and West.

    For the first time, masterpieces from the Louvre’s Department of Islamic Arts are leaving Paris to come to Lens. The exhibition traces, from the Middle Ages to today, how forms, imaginations and knowledge circulated and were transformed between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

    A chronological and critical approach, enriched with French and Belgian collections, which invites us to question cultural representations and millennia-old exchanges. Stories, shows and workshops for young and old complete the program throughout the exhibition.

    Find the entire program and reserve your tickets directly on the official Louvre-Lens website. The museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    A great opportunity to combine an extraordinary cultural visit with a stroll in the city of Lens and its mining history. Share this outing with your loved ones!

  • Trail of the Black Pyramids 2026: climb the slag heaps of the mining basin on May 8 and 9!

    Trail of the Black Pyramids 2026: climb the slag heaps of the mining basin on May 8 and 9!
    📅 May 8 and 9, 2026

    📍 9-9bis mining site, Oignies (62590) — departures also from Liévin and Auchel

    The most unusual sporting event in Nord-Pas-de-Calais is back! On May 8 and 9, 2026, the Black Pyramids Trail takes over the slag heaps of the UNESCO World Heritage Mining Basin for its 11th edition.

    Five formats are offered for all levels:

    Ultra 123 km — 23 slag heaps, 1800 m elevation gain, departure from Auchel
    70 km — 13 slag heaps, 1000 m elevation gain, from Noeux-les-Mines
    46 km — 9 slag heaps, 550 m altitude difference, departure Saturday May 9 at 9 a.m. from Liévin
    23 km — 4 slag heaps, 300 m elevation gain, departure Saturday May 9 at 10:30 a.m. at 9-9bis
    10 km — 2 slag heaps, 100 m height difference, accessible to all

    The trail starts from the legendary 9-9bis site in Oignies, a former mining site classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, transformed into a place of culture and meetings. Participants cross a unique landscape: green slag heaps, settlements, mining towns… a total immersion in the working history of the North.

    The event is organized by the Mission Bassin Minier, with a supportive and festive atmosphere throughout the route.

    Whether you are an experienced runner or simply curious to discover the slag heaps in a different way, the Trail of the Black Pyramids is an event not to be missed. Sign up and share this great challenge with your loved ones!

  • The LEGO® universe at the Cambrai Museum: a breathtaking exhibition until May 31

    📅 Until May 31, 2026
    📍 Museum of Fine Arts of Cambrai, 15 rue de l’Épée, 59400 Cambrai

    Are you looking for an original family outing before the end of May? The Cambrai Museum of Fine Arts is hosting a unanimously acclaimed exhibition: “The mysteries of the universe in LEGO® bricks”.

    Spectacular models recreate planets, galaxies, black holes and cosmic phenomena entirely constructed from small colored bricks. Space, often complex to understand, here becomes accessible and fascinating for everyone — from the youngest to adults.

    The exhibition combines the fun and creative aspect of LEGO with an educational approach to astronomy. A successful marriage between art, science and imagination, in the beautiful rooms of the Cambrésis museum.

    Cambrai is easily accessible from Valenciennes, Douai and the entire mining area. A great opportunity to combine a visit to the exhibition with a stroll in this city of art and history.

    Information and timetables on agendaculturel.fr

    Hurry: the exhibition closes on May 31. To share with all LEGO and science lovers!

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