The outdoor sports festival Grandes Heures Nature is returning to Besançon from June 11 to 14, 2026. This festival, which started in 2019, offers seven sports events including trail running, climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and mountain biking. This year, they are expecting 4,000 participants.
The outdoor sports festival Grandes Heures Nature will shake up Besançon from June 11 to 14. The program includes seven events with climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, and trail running. Last year, 3,351 people registered for the sports activities. The festival, which had its first edition in 2019, is supported by Grand Besançon Métropole. They hope to attract 4,000 participants this year, with around 3,250 people already registered by Tuesday, May 12, which is more than last year at the same time.
“The vast majority of participants come from the region.”
Since the Covid-19 period, the festival in Besançon has seen a steady increase in registrations each year. Last year, 19,000 people attended the festival village located in Parc Chamars, and Grand Besançon Métropole hopes to welcome 25,000 this year. The event aims to attract even more people from outside the region, as stated by Willy Joly, project director of Grandes Heures Nature at Grand Besançon Métropole: “95% of practitioners are from the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region. But we have some events that draw people from further away, such as the climbing open, which attracts people from Alsace, the Chalon basin, some from Lyon, and some events that will cross the border and attract our Swiss audience.”
Participants will pass through 19 municipalities
The municipalities around Besançon are also involved, as athletes will pass through 19 municipalities, down from 22 last year to ensure the smooth running of the activities. This year, there is a new event, as described by Willy Joly: “The swimrun is a combination of running and swimming. We will start from Roche-lez-Beaupré heading to Parc Chamars, with alternating sections, all in the same outfit. We swim with our sneakers and run with our wetsuit!”
“Besançon must become the capital of outdoor sports.”
The stakes are high, as Ludovic Fagaut aims to make Besançon the national reference for outdoor sports: “This festival must aim bigger and broader. It is a lever for attractiveness and economic development. We must attract more tourists.” Businesses are heavily involved during these four days, and according to Ludovic Barbarossa, sports advisor at Grand Besançon Métropole: “The idea is to make it a major part of the tourist offer. You can come to Besançon through this gateway and come back to do other things in this magnificent playground that is Besançon.”
