FESTIVITIES and TRADITIONS

Marseillan has always been renowned for its festivities. Its traditions have been handed down through time, marking the seasons and losing none of their magic or their festive spirit.
The team at the Tourist Office have devised an extensive programme of activities to make your summer one of continuous enjoyment. Participate in the activities, games, evening entertainments and shows offered you free of charge by the resort staff, either as a family or with friends.
The Tourist Office also invites you to explore Marseillan by attending our friendly tasting sessions for local produce which are held every Sunday evening at 6.30 pm.

- Spring Festival : : opens the celebrations with a procession of flower covered floats and children in fancy-dress costumes, the dance of the "farandole" with "Maître Pierre" and entertainment for all ages.

During the spring festival, the village children parade through the village streets, following Maître Pierre. Dressed as a harlequin, with a long beard and a Napoleon-style hat, Maître Pierre beats out the rhythm of the procession with his long stick.

This tradition dates back to the 17th century, the time of the salt tax and the salt smugglers. At that time, Maître Pierre was a miller on the hill above Marseillan. Salt-tax collectors (Gabelous) passing his mill made him open his sack, suspecting it to contain salt. In fact, it contained flour. A gust of wind blew the flour into the tax collectors' faces that is how the tradition was born.

To begin with, the flour was blown simply from the palm of the hand, but this was soon replaced by fire side bellows or vineyard blowers, which blasted bystanders with flour is no longer used in the farandole, but the childern still parade with Maître Pierre through the village streets.

- La Saint Pierre : is a ritual feast honoring dead sailors. This tradition takes place every first Sunday of July and begins, at first , by religious masses in the church of Saint John the Baptist, and at the end by a spray of flower thrown in the open sea of Thau basin. In spite of its solemn value, this celebration doesn't breed any melancholy.

- Le capelet ou "course à la bigue" : this is the most ancient Marseillan's tradition. It takes place every summer in Marseillan's harbour. The origins are lost in the mists of time but the rules remain unchanged : contestants must try to reach the end of a slippery mast, protruding from a barge, and grab the two hats placed there. The acrobatic antics and spectacular dives into the harbour delight the crowds, as does the accompanying traditional music of oboe and drums.

- The jousts : as soon as the good weather returns, the water jousters - Chevaliers de la Tintaine - take to the water in their red and blue boats to do battle in the famous Languedoc jousts.

- The Sea feast : is a festivities day in Marseillan plage with a geant "brasucade" (mussels cooked in a wood fire with special spicy sauce) every first Sunday of August. It's in a good mood that musical shows host joyfully the resort.

- The Thau Festival : it is a world musics festival based on extraordinarily rich musics and cultures. Many famous musicians have been playing in the cities around the Thau Basin. That Festival is one of the most important animations of the summer. And in Marseillan, it take place on the Port deTabarka, where you will enjoy musical trips and festivities. Voir la vidéo de l'édition 2007

- Convivencia Festival : It's a on board of a barge that bands stop off at different cities. This travelling festival sails in "Canal des Deux Mers", between Castelnaudary and Sète, and stops in Marseillan for an unforgettable music and dance evening.

- The holidaymakers feast : every third Wednesday of July, Marseillan honours its holidaymakers with petanque tournament, jousts, parade and a firework display.

- National feast in Marseillan : begins in July, the13th with a torchlight procession and a firework display, and in July, the 14th with the "capelet" in the harbour and a dance in the evening.

- The August 15th local feast : "capelet", jousts, dances, fireworks display and parade.