Transport
Arrive fresh in Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves.
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PAPILLONSDE NUIT
The big all-genre event for the southern Manche region, in Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves in Normandy, every Whitsun weekend since 2001. Three themed nights — rap/reggae, rock/electronic, French chanson — nearly 100,000 entries and free camping included with every ticket. 25th edition May 14, 15 and 16, 2027.
Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027
The Festival Papillons de Nuit festival.
In a nutshell.
Festival Papillons de Nuit takes place every year on the Whitsun weekend in Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves, a small town in the southern Manche department, in Normandy. Born in 2001 on the initiative of local association Roc en Baie, it has grown from 10,000 attendees in its first year to nearly 100,000 entries today, with three evenings of open-air concerts spread across two main stages. 2027 marks its 25th edition, on May 14, 15 and 16.
The festival's identity lies in its three themed evenings: one devoted to rap and reggae, one to rock and electronic, one to French chanson — bringing together names as different as Renaud, Orelsan, Iggy Pop or Sean Paul on the same bill over the years. Having grown from one to three stages in 2007, the festival has become one of the biggest music events in western France, while staying grassroots and independent: around 1,700 volunteers run each edition.
The site remains a genuine Norman field, a few minutes' walk from the town of Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves — camping there is free and included with every ticket, no booking required. Be ready for some mud if the Whitsun weekend turns rainy: in 2024, a storm made the ground impassable and forced the cancellation of two of the three evenings, a reminder that this is an open-field festival, not a covered venue.
Festival Papillons de Nuit · what's confirmed
What we know about Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027.
- Dates
- May 14–16, 2027, announced by the organiser.
- Confirmed
- Tickets
- From €54, read on the official ticket shop.
- Confirmed
- Line-up
- Not yet announced. Announcement expected around November 2026 (estimate).
- Upcoming
"Confirmed": read on the festival's official website. "To reconfirm": announced, but not yet rechecked by us. "Estimate" or "upcoming": not yet announced by the organiser. See the official website
Festival Papillons de Nuit in practice
Profile of the festival.
Capacity, atmosphere, crowd, hours and on-site budget: the full profile of Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027 before you get your tickets.
Origin
Born in 2001 from a local association
Created by Roc en Baie (Saint-Pois) with 10,000 attendees in its first year. Only interrupted in 2020 (Covid) and 2021 (a scaled-down version cancelled for lack of bookings), it celebrates its 25th edition in 2027.
Scale
~92,000 to 99,000 entries over 3 nights
92,000 entries in 2023 (including 75,000 paid tickets), a record expected around 99,000 in 2026 — more than 1.3 million attendees combined since 2001. Figures cover the whole weekend, not a per-night capacity.
Three evenings, three moods
Rap/reggae, rock/electronic, French chanson
Each evening has its own dominant genre rather than one uniform lineup across the three days — meaning Sean Paul and Amelie Lens one year, Julien Doré or Claudio Capéo another.
Grassroots and volunteer-run
~1,700 volunteers, an independent festival
Run by a local association rather than a private operator, with strong regional roots: 40% of the crowd comes from the Manche, the rest from Calvados, Orne and Brittany.
What to pack
Boots and rain gear
The site is an open field, and Whitsun in Normandy guarantees nothing weather-wise — the 2024 storm made the ground impassable. Come ready for mud as much as sunshine.
Budget
From €54 a day, free camping included
2026 pass (reference pending 2027 prices): €54 a day, €138 for 3 days. Camping and cashless payment (SouPap's wristband) are included either way — the main cost to plan for is food on site.
Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027 practical info
Practical info.
Dates, hours, transport and lodging: what you need to know before you go.
Dates and schedule
Three evenings of concerts, Friday to Sunday of the Whitsun weekend (May 14–16, 2027). Camping opens Thursday at 6pm and closes Monday at noon.
Tickets
1-, 2- or 3-day pass at papillonsdenuit.com, free camping included with every ticket. 2026 reference prices: €54 a day, €138 for 3 days — 2027 prices weren't published at time of writing.
Cashless payment
The “SouPap's” wristband (NFC chip) is the only payment method on site for food and drinks, rechargeable online before and during the festival, with the balance refunded afterwards.
Access and transport
Avranches and Villedieu-les-Poêles train stations, 20 minutes from the site, with free shuttles (also from Brécey, Mortain, Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët and other southern Manche towns). By car, A84 exit then dedicated carpool parking (IKO platform) right next to the campsite.
Accessibility
An 80m² covered platform between the two main stages, an adapted shuttle from the accessible parking, adapted restrooms and volunteers in pink vests to help. Flag needs in advance with the organisers.
TransportSaint-Laurent-de-Cuves has no train station: get off at Avranches or Villedieu-les-Poêles, then a free shuttle to the site.
- By train
- Avranches station (Caen-Rennes line) or Villedieu-les-Poêles (Paris-Granville line), both 20 minutes from the site by free festival shuttle.
- By car
- Via the A84 (exits 36 or 38) — 1h from Caen or Rennes, 1h30 from Cherbourg. A carpooling-only car park (IKO platform) is right next to the campsite.
- Shuttles
- Free from the Avranches and Villedieu-les-Poêles stations, as well as from Brécey, Mortain, Sourdeval, Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët, Isigny-le-Buat, Coutances and Saint-Lô.
- Carpooling and organised hitchhiking
- The IKO platform (dedicated car park) and the Rézo Pouce network (organised hitchhiking, via the Mobicoop app) complete the offering for coming without an individual car.
AccommodationFree on-site camping remains the simplest option; the town itself has no real hotel offering.
- Official campsite
- Free and included with all tickets, no booking. Opens Thursday 6pm, closes Monday noon. Toilets, showers and a water point on site; a dedicated area for camper vans and converted vans.
- Hotels
- The village of Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves has no hotel: most of the offering is in Avranches or Villedieu-les-Poêles, about twenty minutes away.
- Distance from the festival
- From Avranches or Villedieu-les-Poêles, allow 20 minutes by free festival shuttle or by car.
- Alternative
- The tourist offices of Mont-Saint-Michel and Villedieu Intercom list gîtes and B&Bs in the surrounding countryside, for those who prefer to avoid camping.
DestinationThe southern Manche countryside, about thirty kilometres from Mont-Saint-Michel.
- Mont-Saint-Michel
- About 31 km away (less than an hour by road): one of France's most visited sites, an obvious stop before or after the festival.
- Avranches
- A sub-prefecture of the Manche 20 minutes away: the Scriptorial (Mont-Saint-Michel manuscripts) and the botanical garden, departure point of several festival shuttles.
- Villedieu-les-Poêles
- 'The copper city', renowned for its coppersmith craft and its bell foundry — a break 20 minutes from the site, another shuttle point.
- Usual weather
- Mid-May in Normandy: around 15 to 19°C, changeable weather and showers possible — the site is in an open field, bring boots in case of rain.
Information last updated on October 2, 2026
Festival Papillons de Nuit aftermovie
The vibe of the
festival.
The official aftermovie from the 2026 edition.
Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027 line-up
The full line-up.
Day by day.
The Festival Papillons de Nuit 2027 line-up hasn't been revealed yet. We'll update this page as soon as it's announced.
Line-up coming soon
The first names usually drop in autumn, several months before the festival. Come back then: the full day-by-day line-up will show up here.
Comfort, well positioned
Get organised for
Festival Papillons de Nuit.
At 6am, a ten-minute journey can feel very long. Pick the right home base now, and the route that leaves you enough energy for the rest.
Lodging
Places to stay around Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves.
Activities
Fill your days too.
Bars, restaurants, spots worth a visit between two shows: enough to fill the gaps in the schedule without improvising on the spot at the last minute.
A taste of it
Festival Papillons de Nuit
like you were there.
The main stage in the rain on a festival evening, the site and the town's church spire at dusk, and a few headliners from recent editions — Orelsan, Philippe Katerine, Suzane, Nolwenn Leroy.
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01 — Festival Papillons de Nuit
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03 — Festival Papillons de Nuit
04 — Festival Papillons de Nuit
05 — Festival Papillons de NuitPhoto credits: Selbymay · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0, Selbymay · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0, Julia Buchner from Paris, France · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0.
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