Mark a red cross in your diary for August 28, 29 and 30, 2026: Béthune Rétro returns for its 23rd edition! The town center of Béthune will once again be transformed into a time machine, heading back to the 1950s and 60s.

For three days, all of Béthune lives to the rhythm of rockabilly, swing and rock’n’roll. On the program:

47 free concerts on several open-air stages in the city’s streets and squares
A vintage market with retro clothing, accessories, vinyls and 50s decor
Exhibitions of vintage cars: hot rods, American convertibles and vintage European vehicles
A competition of elegance for the most beautiful models
A unique atmosphere: residents and visitors dress up in costumes, hairdressers offer retro cuts, the windows play the game

It’s the largest rockabilly festival north of Paris, completely free, and it’s in Béthune — just a few kilometers from the mining basin. A golden opportunity for a memorable outing with family or friends.

To follow the news of the festival and its upcoming program: official website of the City of Béthune.

Take out the polka dot skirts and cowboy boots — Béthune Rétro is the place for summer!

Good news for theater lovers and families in the mining area: until December 7, 2026, the Louvre-Lens is hosting a free exhibition dedicated to the masterpieces of the Comédie-Française.

Stage costumes, miniature sets, portraits of famous actors and unpublished documents: this exhibition retraces 350 years of history of the oldest theater in the world still in operation. A journey behind the scenes of French performing arts, accessible to all without paying a cent.

The exhibition is installed in the Mezzanine Space on level -1 of the museum. It is included in the visit to the Time Gallery, itself free. It is therefore a zero-euro cultural outing for the whole family, a stone’s throw from the slag heaps and settlements of Pas-de-Calais.

The Louvre-Lens is open every day except Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To prepare for your visit, consult the official Louvre-Lens agenda.

A free and enriching outing not to be missed — share the information with those around you!

In Lens, the Louvre-Lens museum is offering an extraordinary exhibition until July 20, 2026. Beyond the Arabian Nights — Stories of Orientalism invites you on a fascinating journey between East and West, through nearly 300 masterpieces.

The exhibition explores how forms, imagination and knowledge have circulated between cultures over the centuries. Paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and precious manuscripts come together to tell the story of these exchanges. A rich program, designed for all audiences, from the very curious to the confirmed art lover.

The Louvre-Lens is also a remarkable building located on the old slag heaps of the mining basin, a stone’s throw from the mine shafts listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coming here is to experience a double journey: that of art and that of the industrial history of the North.

The museum is open Monday to Sunday (except Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To find out more and reserve your tickets, go to the official Louvre-Lens website.

And you, when are you going there? Share this article with your loved ones!

The Louvre-Lens is hosting a free exhibition on 350 years of Comédie-Française until December 7, 2026. Paintings, sculptures, costumes and stage objects retrace the history of the oldest theater in the world.

Mezzanine space, accessible free of charge. Open every day except Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Source: presse.louvrelens.fr

The Gayant Festival returns to Douai from July 12 to 14, 2026! Mr. Gayant (8.50 m, 370 kg) goes out at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Large procession at 3 p.m., funfair with 150 attractions, fireworks on Tuesday 14 around 11 p.m.

Classified as UNESCO intangible heritage. Free entry!

Source: douaisis-agglo-tourisme.com

The Louvre-Lens presents an exceptional exhibition until July 20, 2026: “Beyond the Arabian Nights”. Nearly 300 masterpieces invite you on a journey from Paris to Isfahan, from Constantinople to Venice.

Workshops and guided tours are offered every Friday (next: April 17 at 1:30 p.m.). To be combined with the free Time Gallery.

Louvre-Lens — 99 rue Paul Bert, Lens. Source: louvrelens.fr

“Perception(s)” show at the Phénix in Valenciennes: a sensory immersion on May 12 and 13
📅 From Tuesday 12 to Wednesday 13 May 2026

📍 Le Phénix, national stage, Boulevard Harpignies, Valenciennes (59300)

Le Phénix, the national stage of Valenciennes, will host the show “Perception(s)” on May 12 and 13, 2026: an original contemporary creation that transforms the spaces of the place into a land of sensory discovery.

In this ambulatory show, spectators are not seated in front of a stage: they circulate, explore, feel. The performers occupy the spaces of the Phénix to offer a unique experience where every sense is engaged. Lights, sounds, movements — everything is designed to question our relationship to space and to others.

Accessible to all audiences, including young audiences, Perception(s) is an invitation to look differently at the world around us. A committed and poetic contemporary creation, at the heart of one of the most dynamic national scenes in Hauts-de-France.

Find all the information and ticketing on the Northern cultural agenda or directly from the Phénix de Valenciennes.

An extraordinary experience to share with family or friends curious about contemporary culture. Absolutely worth discovering!

“Arise from between the walls”: a danced visit to the former Mining Offices of Lens
📅 From Wednesday to Sunday until May 31, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. (duration 45 min — except May 1)

📍 Jean Perrin Faculty (former Grand Offices of the Société des Mines de Lens), Lens (62300)

As part of the Art Deco Spring 2026, the Pic la Poule company is offering a unique artistic experience: “Surgir d’entre les Murs”, a danced and sung visit to the former Grand Offices of the Société des Mines de Lens.

The building, a jewel of Art Deco architecture listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, becomes the living setting for a performance where a dancer dialogues with the architecture and the garden. His body literally offers itself to the building, embracing the curves, the angles, the materials of this building steeped in working-class history.

Dance, song, heritage and industrial history combine for a sensory and memory experience of great beauty. Each session lasts approximately 45 minutes and is accessible to all audiences.

Sessions take place every day from Wednesday to Sunday at 3:30 p.m. To reserve and for more information, contact the Lens-Liévin Tourist Office on 03 21 67 66 66.

An original and poetic way to discover the heritage of the mining basin. Not to be missed before the end of May! Share this cultural gem with your loved ones.