The knights’ tournament in the lices of the Cité — the grassy strip between the inner and outer walls, entered at the Douves gauches — is Carcassonne’s one fixed medieval-style show of the summer. It is produced by the Association Carcassonnaise de Spectacles in partnership with the town, and local press reported the 2026 season as its 25th. The tourist office bills it as ‘Tournois de chevalerie et spectacle de fauconnerie’; many listings still call it the Grand Tournoi de Chevalerie.
The 2026 season runs from Sunday 12 July to Thursday 27 August, with three 45-minute performances a day at 14:00, 15:30 and 17:00 every day except Saturday. Mounted knights in armour fight with lance, sword and mace in a choreographed tournament staged as a contest between rival houses; new in 2026 is a falconry display with birds of prey flown free over the arena. Seating is on a shaded tribune and is not numbered, so arriving 20 minutes early gives the best view.
Tickets in 2026 cost €13 for adults, €9 for children aged 5–10 and €11 per person for groups of ten or more; under-fives go free. They are sold online through the Carcassonne tourist office booking site and at the entrance. Dogs are not admitted and tickets are non-refundable; the show is described as suitable for children from about three years old.
The tournament sits alongside the town’s other July–August fixtures: the Festival de Carcassonne concerts in the Château Comtal and the Grand Théâtre, the 14 July ‘Embrasement de la Cité’, when fireworks light up the whole fortress, and the daily opening of the Château Comtal and ramparts. The Cité is a 25–30 minute walk uphill from Carcassonne railway station, or a short ride on the summer shuttle bus from the lower town.
