The newly published programme for Les Bruixes Font La Fête offers far more local character than an ordinary Halloween celebration.

When: Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2026; main festivities from 2pm on Saturday
Where: Perpignan city centre and several cultural venues
Price: Most activities are free; advance booking is compulsory for certain sessions.

Highlights include:

• An Enchanted Procession through the streets at 4pm and 6pm, accompanied by dancers, performers and Perpignan’s Bruixes de la Fabrica.
• A giant werewolf game, magical challenges, traditional wooden games and witch-themed workshops around the historic squares.
• Magic-lantern performances using the *ancestor of cinema at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm.
• An investigation into Catalan witch legends inside the Castillet.
• A theatrical trail combining music, dance and drama inside Hôtel PamsHôtel Pams, with six free bookable sessions daily on 30 and 31 October.
• Horror short films for visitors aged 15 and over at the Institut Jean Vigo.

It is colourful, theatrical and closely connected to Catalan folklore, so most of the event should be enjoyable without fluent French. 

Official programme – Perpignan City Council:

https://www.mairie-perpignan.fr/actualites/4e-edition-les-bruixes-font-la-fete

*A magic lantern (lanterne magique) was an early image projector, used centuries before film was invented. A lamp inside a box shone through painted glass slides and projected the pictures onto a wall or screen.

By changing or moving the slides, performers could create simple effects—ghosts appearing, figures moving or scenes transforming. These popular lantern shows helped lead to modern cinema, which is why the magic lantern is often called “the ancestor of the cinema.”