Les Lumières de Noël de Montbéliard

Every evening at 4.30 pm, the narrow streets of Montbéliard take on a new look. Arches, scrollwork and garlands light up, the façades change colour, and the scent of cinnamon wafts from the chalets. For their 40th edition, themed ‘Once upon a time’, the City of Montbéliard’s Christmas Lights will be on display from 21 November to 24 December 2026.

The Christmas market brings together 180 craftspeople and producers, stretching from the foot of Saint-Martin Church to Cour Beurnier, Square Sponeck and Place Velotte. Here, visitors can browse for pottery, jewellery, glassware, woollen scarves and items made from ‘verquelure’ – a fabric woven locally. For savoury treats, the gourmet alley in Sponeck Square serves Montbéliard sausages and local cheeses.

Following Corrèze in 2025, Switzerland takes over. A dozen Swiss craftspeople bring carved wooden decorations, jewellery made from fish scales from Lake Geneva, music boxes and night lights. Visitors can sample raclette, rösti and fondue, also served in cable cars set up in Place Denfert-Rochereau. Over the weekend of 5 and 6 December, the alphorns of the Écho du Tunnel band will ring out through the alleys.

Once night falls, Tante Airie, a figure from Montbéliard folklore, hands out sweets to well-behaved children and tells her story in her house on Place Dorian. An ice rink and Father Christmas’s house await a little further on. One evening is enough to explore the town centre. Save another evening for the castle: its esplanade is lit up from 28 November.