Les ÉquidaysFive free days devoted to the horse, during the autumn half-term
In mid-October, the Calvados department moves its equestrian village from town to town: more than a hundred free activities, parades through town centres, displays, first pony rides and open days at the studs.
Calvados is one of the leading equestrian departments in France, and the Équidays are its showcase: five days in mid-October, during the autumn half-term holidays, with a travelling village that sets up in several towns in turn, parades, shows, meetings with breeders and activities for children. Everything is free. Camping Portland stays open until the autumn holidays: an opportunity for a late-season break by the sea, with the Bayeux stage ten minutes away.
The dates
Every year- Mid-Octoberfive days
- 5 townsa travelling village
- 100 activitiesacross the department
Les Équidays are organised by the Calvados department during the autumn half-term. The detailed programme, town by town, is published at the end of the summer.
Getting there
From the campsite- 10 kmto the Bayeux stage
- 40 minto Caen
- Carrecommended
The event travels: in 2026, the village stops in Bayeux, ten minutes from the campsite, then in Caen, Vire, Falaise and Lisieux. The annual programme specifies the towns selected.
Useful to know
Before you go- Freeall activities
- With childrenfirst pony rides
- Half-termright in the middle of the holidays
Admission is free at every site. Some very popular activities, such as first pony rides or stud visits, are run in time slots allocated on the day.
Les Équidays, seen from the campsite
An equestrian village that changes town
The whole point of Les Équidays is that they move: rather than one large fixed show, the department sets up an equestrian village in several towns in turn, with displays, shows, town-centre parades and meetings with professionals from the sector.
On top of that come dozens of local initiatives (open days at stud farms, guided rides, visits to national studs, exhibitions), spread across Calvados over the five days.
A department of horses
Between the studs of the Pays d’Auge, the racecourses of Caen, Cabourg and Deauville and the riding centres along the coast, the horse is part of the Normandy landscape all year round. Les Équidays are the moment when the doors are opened.
From the campsite, the day comes together easily: an Équidays stage in the morning, the beach or Bayeux in the afternoon. In the autumn holidays, the Bessin has regained its calm and the big tides uncover kilometres of foreshore.
Open until the autumn half-term
The campsite stays open until the autumn half-term, with its heated water park: the period is quiet, rates are the lowest of the year and cottages are easier to book than in summer.
It is the week when Les Équidays and the campsite’s Halloween activities overlap: enough to fill an autumn family holiday without getting back in the car every day.
Frequently asked questions about Les Équidays
When do Les Équidays take place?+
Are Les Équidays free?+
Where do the activities take place?+
Is the campsite open during Les Équidays?+
Illustrative photo: Jonathan Hutchins / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
The other events
The D-Day Festival Normandy
The Bayeux Medieval Festival
The Normandy Beach Race
The Rétro Festival in Caen
The Beauregard Festival
Halloween at the campsite
Your base camp in Normandy
5-star cottages and a 2,020 m² heated water park, in Port-en-Bessin facing the Channel.
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