The year 2026 will be marked by multiple events in the Poppy Country and in the Somme.
In addition to commemorative ceremonies, historical, cultural, sporting and gastronomic events will allow the stories and legacy of the Battle of the Somme to be shared and passed on.
The program is still under construction, you can already find the first events here.
APRIL
- Art Deco Spring
Discover our program in the Poppy Country region and the Hauts-de-France region : https://www.printempsartdeco.fr/en/
- Throughout april - exhibition "unusual letters from the Great War"
Library Le Zèbre in Albert
Through some fifty unique documents, discover the writings, messages, original letters and tokens of affection exchanged during the Great War.
From illustrated postcards in the trenches to letters braided with ribbons, from embroidered cards to collages of dried flowers, from pencil illustrations to different compositions of photos and drawings… Discover the moving testimonies of soldiers, prisoners, wounded, women and children immersed in this terrible war.
- april 11th, 6 PM - Conference on Mail Art by Pierre-Stéphane Proust in connection with the exhibition
Based on a narrated projection of original letters, hand-illustrated maps and rich iconography honoring correspondence during the war (writing, delivery, reception, reading of the letter…) discover in a sensitive and moving way the letters of soldiers of the Great War exchanged with their families.
Public : all public
Library Le Zèbre in Albert
MAY
- may 9th, 5 PM to 10PM- The Somme and George Butterworth : A symphony of memories
In partnership with Coquelicot Tourisme at the Zèbre in Albert
A tribute to George Butterworth, one of the most talented British composers of his generation, who fell in Pozières on August 5, 1916.
5 PM to 7 PM, special screening of the biographical documentary "All My Life's Buried Here" (2019) followed by a discussion with the director and Anthony Murphy (the composer's leading biographer)
From 8 PM to 10 PM, concert by the Brass Band of the Somme, with the participation of the music school of the Poppy Country. The program will feature works by Butterworth and Ralph Vaughan Williams, linking military history and musical heritage.
- may 14th to 17th - 55th anniversary of the Ptit train de la Haute Somme and 110th anniversary of the historic line of the Battle of the Somme
To mark this double anniversary, the P'tit train de la Haute Somme invites you to celebrate the history and legacy of a unique railway line and an exceptional railway heritage, full of history and still very much alive thanks to the passion of its volunteers. The program includes: steam train rides, historic train services, historic locomotives from other railways, and model train exhibitions.
https://www.petittrainhautesomme.fr/all-you-need-to-know-about-us/
- may 29th to 31st - Sound and light show at the Thiepval Memorial
Poppy Tourism is organizing a sound and light show retracing the Battle of the Somme through tributes and portraits of soldiers projected onto the Thiepval Memorial in partnership with the CWGC and Rencontres Audiovisuelles.
Information : Poppy Tourism (+33)03/22/75/16/42
JUNE
- june 23, 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM - Concert « Ancre et Bleuets » by the Picard composer R.Pierrepont
Basilica, Albert
Poppy Tourism and the music school of the Poppy Country offer you a moving concert.
Performed by a children's choir from several schools in the area and accompanied by the Albert Municipal Band, this musical work evokes the memory of the Great War. Composed of seven movements, it evokes key moments in local history through sensitive writing, blending melodic gentleness and rhythmic impulses. A moving creation, where the voices of today tell the story of yesterday.
- june 27th, 7 PM - open-air film concert “La bataille de la Somme ” (1916)
Historial de la Grande Guerre (Thiepval)
Geoffrey H. Malins made the first documentary about the Somme battlefield in July 1916. A month later, several million viewers flocked to theaters to see the screening. 110 years later, the Somme Departmental Council invites you to an open-air film concert, accompanied by musicians. Laurent Veray, a film historian, will provide historical context for this exceptional film, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- june 27th to 30th 7:30 PM - Bagpipes of the Leaning Virgin
Basilica Notre-Dame de Brebières
Poppy Tourism invites you to a concert at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebières. Under the gaze of the golden Virgin, bagpipes resonate and make the region vibrate. A unique event where music, memory and conviviality come together.
Information : +33(0)3/22/75/16/42
- june 29th, 3:30 PM - Conference in English “The British Royal Family” by historian Heather Jones
Thiepval church
During the First World War, the British monarchy faced major challenges. Thus, in order to remain legitimate and visible, the king and queen went to the front and the Prince of Wales enlisted. But how did these experiences transform the monarchy? What impact did they have on its image? Do they explain why, during a time of revolution, the British monarchy not only survived but thrived ? This lecture will explore the lasting impact of the Great War on the British monarchy.
Guided tour of the Thiepval Museum at 5 PM and book signing after the conference.
- june 30th, 6:30 PM - Franco-British commemoration
Bus-les-Artois
A tribute to French and British soldiers at the war memorial and village memorials, in a ceremony of reflection and shared remembrance.
Inauguration of a bench, exhibition on the rear front at the community hall.
JULY
- july 1st, all day - Commemorations of the Battle of the Somme
Sunken Lane, Ovillers-la-Boisselle, Contalmaison, Thiepval, Beaumont-Hamel, Fricourt.
From sunrise to sunset, the region pays tribute to the soldiers who fell during the Battle of the Somme. Ceremonies, wreath-laying ceremonies, and moments of reflection remind us that their memory lives on. A Nieuport 17 will drop poems written by schoolchildren on paper impregnated with seeds of symbolic flowers (poppies, cornflowers, forget-me-nots).
- july 3rd, 9 PM - Memorial vigil “The Night of Remembrance”
Albert National Necropolis
As night falls, come and illuminate the Albert National Necropolis during a grand vigil which will mark the opening of a commemorative and festive weekend. Residents and visitors are invited to place a light on one of the 3,400 graves, to pay tribute to the French soldiers who fell in the Somme, to the rhythm of voices, music and testimonies.
Each participant will be given a light.
- july 3rd to 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM - 3 days in the heart of history
Albert Public Garden
The Somme 1916 Museum invites you to the heart of a large memorial village, combining reconstructions, activities and encounters in the city's public garden. More than 150 reenactors and memory actors will be present to welcome you and share their passion.
Demonstrations, exhibitions, parades and walkabouts, workshops and activities for young and old will punctuate this great memorial weekend.On Saturday evening, the 110th guinguette invites you to share a warm and friendly moment.
- july 5th : town crier, bearer of a message of peace and songs
By Alexis from the association "Compagnie Issue de Secours", in Albert Public Garden.
Information : Poppy Tourism +33(0)3/22/75/16/42
- july 10th, Inauguration of the Lieutenant Dogson Stele and songs by Alexis for the association "Compagnie Issue de Secours"
Contalmaison
Lost for many years, the stele dedicated to Lieutenant Dogson will be officially inaugurated and repositioned on a new site, chosen to better honor his memory.
Information : Poppy Tourism +33(0)3/22/75/16/42
- july 11th, 9 to 10 PM - Visite théâtralisée “Somme 1916 : sous nos pas, leurs histoires” (Theatrical tour “Somme 1916: their stories lie beneath our feet”)
Place d’Armes in Albert
Immerse yourself in the heart of the story of the Battle of the Somme through the eyes of a child transported in 1916. Guided by his steps, the spectators cross a city that lives to the rhythm of the front: the preparations, the waiting, the assault, the absence… but also stories of love and friendship, alongside men from the ends of the earth who, in our villages of Picardy, will experience moments out of time. Civilians and soldiers come back to life, embodied by more than 70 extras, blending reenactment, theatrical performance, sounds and sets.
- july 25th - Somme Memorial Youth Tournament
Stade Potez in Albert
The USOAA (Albert), Leyton Orient (London) and Linfield (Northern Ireland) teams will face off.
- july 25th - Concert Linfield 110th
In Bertrancourt
Memorial concert and karaoke
AUGUST
- august 1st, Commemoration in memory of composer George Butterworth
Memorial George Butterworth (Between Pozières and Contalmaison)
A moment of reflection in his memory, punctuated by bagpipes, Brass Band and the laying of a wreath.
- august 8th and 9th - On the walls, they wrote history
Bray-sur-Somme harbor
In 2023, more than 40 World War I soldiers’ graffiti were rediscovered in the bell tower of the church in Bray-sur-Somme. Explore-game, reenactments, workshops and activities for children, screenings, exhibitions, parade: the town of Bray-sur-Somme invites you to rediscover its history through two days of encounters, transmission and sharing.
- august 28th and 29th : Air show of the Somme Special 110th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme
- august 30th, 7:30 AM - The poppy hike
Mametz
A sporting event that invites you to explore by bike or on foot circuits combining sporting effort and the discovery of the Somme's memorial heritage.
www.facebook.com/vtt.pozieres/
SEPTEMBER
- september 4th, 6:30 PM : 4th year anniversary of the Linfield Memorial in Bertrancourt followed by songs with the association "Issue de Secours"
Information : Poppy Tourism 03/22/75/16/42
- septembre 12th : 110th anniversary trenches hike
Information : Poppy Tourism : 03/22/75/16/42
- september 19th and 20th, European Heritage Days
Remembrance Trail
On the theme of "Heritage in Danger", the activities and guided tours will highlight the fragility of the Somme's heritage, particularly sites related to the First World War.
journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr
- september 26th - Aviation festival
Remembrance Trail At the Amiens Henry Potez International Airport, a musical reading of the Red Baron and song with Alexis from the association "Compagnie Issue de Secours"
Information : Poppy Tourism : 03/22/75/16/42
OCTOBER
- october 29th around 6 PM, bagpipe concert
In front of the Basilica of Notre Dame de Brebières, in Albert with Somme Battlefield Pipe Band and The Boy’s Brigade
Information : Poppy Tourism : +33(0)3/22/75/16/42
NOVEMBER
- Semaine du Souvenir (Remembrance week)
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.
Commemorations and memorial events during the week of November 11, in tribute to veterans and military personnel still in service.
- november 7th, 8th and 11th - Les rendez-vous avec l'Histoire Mondiale (encounters with World History)
Remembrance trail
To mark Armistice Day, Somme Tourisme and the guides of the Somme Battlefields' Partner network are organizing a weekend of guided tours in the area to help you (re)discover the history of the places marked by the Battle of the Somme.Meet the guides, visit international sites and walk in the centuries-old footsteps of millions of soldiers.
- november 13th, 10:15 AM - Commemoration in tribute to the 51st Scottish Division
Scottish monument to the 51st Division - Beaumont-Hamel
The ceremony will begin at the 51st Scottish Division monument and continue to the Hawthorn Ridge crater in Beaumont-Hamel, for a time of reflection in tribute to the combatants of the First World War.
Here you will find the dates and times of the ceremonies for the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
April 25th - Anzac Day at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux
June 30th at 6:30 PM - Bus-les-Artois
July 1st at 7:28 AM - Lochnagar Crater
July 1st at noon - Thiepval Memorial
July 1st at 2:30 PM - Ulster Tower in the village of Thiepval (you need to book at sommeassociation@btconnect.com)
One hundred years later, their sacrifice still resonates within you
We know how deeply this 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme touches your heart. Perhaps life, distance or the trials of time have separated you from these lands where so many lives were given for ours. But know this, from the bottom of your heart: here, none of these heroes will be forgotten.
Each soldier whose name you entrust to us will receive a poppy, respectfully placed on their grave or in their honor. Their story will be read, shared, and carried by our voices during ceremonies. Their acts of bravery, their hopes, their silences—all that makes them so much more than a name engraved in stone—will resonate with us.
Share their stories with us, and we'll create tributes to them. Write to us: officedetourisme@paysducoquelicot.com
To make sure their name is never forgotten, please share with us:
• His identity: The soldier's full name
• His final resting place: The name of the village where he is buried in the Poppy Country
• His story (a few lines, 30 maximum) – those details that keep his memory alive
• The date he passed away
• A personal message – the one you would have liked to say to him, or that you would like to see read aloud by our town crier or on social media
• Your permission for his tribute to be shared on our social media and those of our partners
• Your relationship to him (e.g., great-grandfather)
• Please provide us with a contact number (phone or email) so you can be part of this moment
Together, let's ensure that the 110th anniversary of the Somme is not just another date, but a moment of transmission and sharing!
Every citizen, association or tourists can contribute to the success of this event !
If you want to share your ideas don't hesitate to send an email to : officedetourisme@paysducoquelicot.com
Feel free to share information and events about the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme with your family and friends and come with them to the events and commemorations.
