From 27 July to 7 August, the 17th Biarritz Piano Festival brings its keyboards to the city’s most beautiful settings, facing the Atlantic. Twelve days of classical, jazz and surprises — opening with the Labèque sisters, daughters of Bayonne. Our guide to enjoying it, including for free.

Each summer, a grand piano appears where you least expect it: on the Rotonde of the Espace Bellevue, in the intimacy of the Salon Diane, at the foot of the Lighthouse, or facing the ocean on the Côte des Basques at sunset. For twelve days, the Biarritz Piano Festival turns the city into one great open-air stage. Here is how to make the most of it — as a seasoned music lover or a simply curious passer-by.

Seventeen years of piano by the ocean

Since 2010, the festival has built its signature on a simple, unbeatable idea: to present the world’s greatest pianists in exceptional settings, just metres from the waves. Volodos, Khatia Buniatishvili, Alexandre Kantorow, Fazıl Say and Víkingur Ólafsson have all played here. Backed by Casino Barrière and Yamaha, it has become one of the Basque summer’s cultural highlights — without ever losing its intimate feel.

The Labèque sisters open the ball

For the opening, on 27 July at the Espace Bellevue, the festival has saved a special moment: Katia and Marielle Labèque, at two pianos, celebrate their 55-year career with the programme “Of a Bright Garden & Wild is the Wind”. The nod is significant: the two sisters were born in Bayonne, just a few kilometres away. A homecoming for one of the most celebrated piano duos on the planet.

A grand piano facing the Atlantic, and a city holding its breath.

Classical, jazz and surprises

The 2026 programme embraces eclecticism. On the classical side, David Fray spans Bach – Scarlatti – Wagner (29 July), while young Eric Lu, Vanessa Wagner, Vittorio Forte, Théo Ould and Clément Lefebvre champion the great repertoire. But the festival also likes to step outside the salon: a Jazz at the Lighthouse with the Noé Huchard Trio, an electro-piano night at the Cité de l’Océan skate park, or the opening after-party entrusted to David Chalmin and his “Cercle Invisible”. The piano in every guise.

Piano for everyone: matinées and free evenings

Good news for locals: the festival is not just for connoisseurs. The Salon Diane matinées offer affordable concerts, including one dedicated to children. And above all, the “Piano & Sunset” pre-opening on the Côte des Basques, on 26 July, is free to attend, drink in hand, facing the sun as it sinks into the ocean. The finest way to step into the festival without spending a penny.