Christmas in Bordeaux –
Things to do with your family at Christmas in Bordeaux
As winter gently settles over the Gironde and Bordeaux begins to glow with festive lights, the region offers a unique atmosphere in which to experience the magic of Christmas as a family.
Staying at Les Sources de Caudalie means enjoying a retreat in the heart of the vineyards, an inviting haven where the warmth of the season can be savored, all while being ideally located to explore Bordeaux and its winter traditions.
From Christmas markets and sparkling decorations to gourmet discoveries, festive activities, and moments of relaxation, the surrounding area is filled with countless experiences to share together.
Here are our must-see highlights for celebrating the holiday season in true South-West spirit.
The Christmas Market
November 28 to December 28, 2025
Place des Quinconces hosts a warm and charming Christmas market where more than a hundred artisans and creators set up their wooden chalets. It’s the perfect opportunity for a leisurely family stroll, finding unique gifts, and enjoying the lively atmosphere filled with choirs, stlit walkers, creative workshops, and visits from Santa Claus.
Food lovers will appreciate the winter specialities sold throughtout the market, from giant pretzels and hot chocolate to aligot and roasted chestnuts, mots crafted with local ingredients.
The iconic Ferris Wheel also makes its return to Place des Quinconces, adding a touch of magic to the festivities. Rising 55 meters high, it offers stunning panoramic views of the city bathed in holiday lights. Whether by day or night, let yourself be swept up in the season’s wonder and the joy of seeing Bordeaux from above.
Light Projection on the Grand Théâtre
December 6, 2025 – January 4, 2026
Each evening at nightfall, the iconic façade of the Grand Théâtre transforms under a shimmering play of lights. From 5:30 pm to midnight, a creation by the Bordeaux-based comapny Limelight bathes the monument in a reimagined marine universe for the holiday season, where the Ocean becomes a poetic and luminous backdrop.
Inspired by the ancestral mmagic of the “lanterne magique”, this projection captures the wonder of early visual spectacles and offers a gentle, shimmering interlude in the heart of winter.
An invitatio, to wander, to dream, and to let yourself be carried away by the spirit of Christmas.
Ice rink
November 22, 2025 – January 4, 2026
The Allées de Tourny are transformed into a shimmering ribbon of ice where everyone can try their hand at skating or rediscover the joy of gliding outdoors. The Christmas ice rink welcomes visitors every day from 11am to 10 pm, becoming a place where people take their time to push off, spin, laugh and sometimes dare a little more than expected.
Beginners take their first steps, more experienced skaters weave around with ease, and everyone enjoys this winter bubble in the heart of the city. The atmosphere, lit by festive lights and holiday cheer, gives each moment on the ice a special charm, inviting everyone to experience their own magical skating moment.
The Cathedral Reinvented
Light, music and heritage
Saint-André Cathédral is hosting LUMINISCENCE, an immersive creation blending light, music, and storytelling to reveal the monument in an entirely new way. Through monumental projections that highlight every architectural detail, the show takes visitors on a true journey through the site’s history, running until January 3,2026.
The experience begins with a musical walk beneath the vaults, where unusual instruments and subtle lighting invite visitors into the atmosphere of the performance. It continues in the nave with seated show in which images, voices, and harmonies bring key moments of the past back to life, from the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine to the defining hours of the Liberation. A poetic encounter between heritrage and contemporary creation, designed for audiences of all ages.
A Sensory Dive
The Bassin des Lumières invites visitors on a spectacular immersion into the heart of the underwater world. Enhanced by subaquatic sounds and monumental projections, this creation brings audiences face-to-face with a hundred marine species : glowing jellyfish, reef fish, majestic turtles, formidable sharks, and life-size blue whales appearing before their eyes.
From mysterious depths to vibrant coral reefs, all the way to the icy whiteness of the polar ice floes, each scene forms a sensory odyssey where color, movement, and music come together. A poetic and envelopping experience that reveals the beauty of a universe as fascinating as it is fragile.
A Luminous Journey Through Parc Bordelais
A magical world in the heart of winter
Parc Bordelais lights up for a new edition of the Odyssée Lumineuse, a nighttime walk where hundreds of monumental lanterns bring magical words to life, enchanted forests, fantastical creatures, underwater landscapes, and scenes from distant realms. Each tableau reveals a spectacular setting that transforms this iconic park into a true fairytale promenade.
The major feature this year: The Northern Lights. Suspended above the pathways, they envelop visitors in shimmering, Nordic-hued veils of light, adding a potecic and enchanting dimension to the experience. The eveving continues with a shadow-theater performance imagined by the duo The Black Fingers, where gestures and silhouettes compose a delicate, hypnotic moment perfectly in tune with the ambiance of the trail. An immersive, family-friendly experience, ideal for embracing the holiday spirit in one of Bordeaux’s most beautiful parks, from December 12, 2025 to January 11, 2026.