Morzine-Avoriaz is an active community that hosts free events all year round. Below are a list of just a few of these for you to enjoy!
December Events:
Rock on Snowboard Tour 15th/16th/17th Dec
To kick off winter in some serious style – you’ll be able to test all the latest equipment on the slopes for free, get advice on the right gear for your chosen discipline, and take part in events, contests and the have-a-go stand. All the brands will be here… There will also be free concerts and parties throughout the weekend.
Christmas
The festive season in the snowy Alps is always magical and every year there is some sort of celebration in resort to mark the occasion. Christmas in Morzine officially starts at the beginning of December when the Christmas lights are switched on. The night is marked with vin chaud, hot chocolate and music. From then on you can enjoy Christmas concerts, festive markets and live music throughout town as the resort gears up for Christmas and New Year.
New Years Eve
Come midnight the hoards of merry revellers head the centre of town for the big countdown – not an official event as such, more of a long-held tradition. On the stroke of midnight you are advised to duck as champagne corks and fireworks are unleashed in celebration! Likewise, planning ahead is advised if you have your heart set on ringing in the New Year in a particular bar or club – some of them are ticket-only, so enquire in advance to avoid disappointment!
January Events:
La Grande Odysee Savoie Mont Blanc
Europe’s largest husky dog race is an epic event that sets teams of dogs and mushers against each other as they attempt to cross fourteen resorts across the Savoie region including Les Gets, Morillion, Megeve and Samoens. The race runs for ten days from around 10 days in January.
February Events:
March Events:
Rock the Pistes and Snowboxx Festival 17th-24th March
Snowboxx and Rock the Pistes Festival is one of the events of the season in the Portes du Soleil. A music festival spread across the entire ski area, each resort hosts a series of indoor and piste-side concerts so you literally have to ski to some of the venues and party on in your ski boots. And the best part is: the festival is included in the cost of your lift pass, which some might say means it’s absolutely FREE. Past acts have included Basement Jaxx, Rag’n’Bone Man, the Klaxons, Caravan Palace and Chinese Man. The line-up hasn’t been announced for this year yet, but we’ll keep you updated!
April Events
June Events
Crankworx, Les Gets
This is a huge International Mountain biking event, bringing together the best freestyle, freeride and downhill riders from around the world. It’s part of a 3 stage world tour that starts in Rotorua in New Zealand, then heads to Les Gets and finishes up in Whistler, Canada. Come and check out the pros competing in the European Whip Off Championships, GT Dual Speed & Style, Rockshox Pump track night challenge, FMB Diamond Slopestyle, the Polygon Air Downhill & the IXS Cup. There’s so much riding to be had in Les Gets for beginners to experts, or just come along and watch the pro’s do their thing!
Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB Event
The Pass’Portes du Soleil event sets the start of the summer season – 3 days of mountain biking across the Portes du Soleil. The classic circuit is 80km long, it includes 7000m of downhill and 1000m of uphill. 15 lifts give you access to 9 different resorts, with some great riding along the way. The trails range in altitude from 2250m – 1000m and take riders through both France and Switzerland. All routes use the areas comprehensive lift network meaning that much of the uphill work is done from the comfort of a chairlift and all you have to do is enjoy the downhill. Riders tackling the full 80km circuit are rewarded with a whopping 6500m of descent! However, if you prefer to earn your descents with a bit of uphill pedalling, then each route has an alternate section enabling you to get your head down and get a bit of a sweat on. Likewise, for hardcore downhillers, options are available to deviate off the main drag onto some steeper, more technical sections where you can really put those downhill bikes through their paces.
Fete de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique is the celebration that takes place every summer solstice on 21st June in cities, towns and villages across France. More than a music festival, the Morzine Fête de la Musique is a free event that spills out from the bars and restaurants onto the streets and encompasses every type of music imaginable, from local amateur teen bands to professional classical musicians, from club DJ’s to traditional folk bands.
July Events
2018 French National DH Championships
The event will take place in Morzine from July 26-28, 2018.
The sponsors Santa Cruz bicycles are working in partnership with the Morzine-Avoriaz Tourism Office and the Pleney Lift Company to develop a brand new Downhill track for the occasion, on the legendary Pleney mountain.
Bastille Day
Celebrated across the whole of France with a bang…well, several in fact, fireworks always feature heavily. And the residents of Morzine celebrate this national holiday with as much enthusiasm as the rest of the country. Various activities are held across the city on the 14th, in memory of the storming of the Bastille on the same date in 1789. Traditionally the fireworks display normally starts off between 10-11pm.
Tour de France
The Alps have played a large part in the race over the years with the gruelling mountain climbs providing some of the most exciting spectacles of the event. The route changes slightly each year, taking in different towns, villages and cols along the way. Even if the race doesn’t pass near to where you are this summer you can guarantee that it will still be avidly watched in bars and cafés around the country with everyone joining in to cheer on the famous yellow jersey!
Le Monde de Morzna
This event was created to provide some fantastic children’s entertainment and as an opportunity for families to spend time together. For three days the Place de l’Office de Tourisme becomes an imaginary village where children can meet elves, fairies, wizards and witches!
August Events
Mont Blanc Motor Rally
For petrol heads in the Alps the Mont Blanc Rally is one of the big events of the summer. First held in 1947 it was originally organised as part of the Fete d’Evian and was known as the “Rally Paris-Evian”.Over the years the rally’s course and focus shifted and it became the “Rally Evian – Mont-Blanc” and then in its tenth year, the “Rally Mont-Blanc Iseran”. It was not until 1961 that it finally became the “Rally Mont-Blanc”.
Trail des Hauts Forts
Morzine mountain trail race held in August. It is an all natural trail runners race with a short (23km) and a long (43km) version of the Trail des Hauts Forts. The route takes you through three mountain passes around the Hauts-Forts peaks and through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Portes du Soleil area.
Jazz Up Festival Avoriaz
Get the apres ski going with a week devoted to jazz. The main concerts are held in Festival Hall and there is live music in the bars, cafes and restaurants – jazz concerts, aperitif sessions, dinner dances and gala concerts are on the agenda.