Dunkirk Carnival 2027: dates and where to stay in Malo-les-Bains
The Trois Joyeuses fall on 7, 8 and 9 February 2027, and the Malo-les-Bains bande, known as the Bande de la Violette, on Sunday 14 February. Our two apartments are 150 metres from place Turenne, where its final rigodon takes place.
The carnival, on foot from your door
The Kursaal five minutes away, the seafront one minute, the Malo rigodon at the end of the street. During carnival, places in the neighbourhood are booked months ahead.
When is Dunkirk Carnival in 2027?
Dunkirk Carnival follows the church calendar: it is built around Shrove Tuesday, which falls on 9 February 2027. The season opens on 1 January with the Bain des Givrés, a New Year's Day dip on Malo beach, and closes in April in Pitgam. In between come nearly forty bandes and dozens of balls, but everyone has the same handful of highlights in mind.
The Trois Joyeuses, the peak of the carnival, take up the three days leading to and including Shrove Tuesday: Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, with the Bande de Dunkerque, the Bande de la Citadelle and then the Bande de Rosendaël. The throwing of herrings from the town hall balcony opens the Sunday in late afternoon.
The bandes not to miss
The Trois Joyeuses. The heart of the carnival. The day before, on Saturday, the Basse-Ville bande serves as a warm-up. On Sunday, the fishermen's bande sets off through Dunkirk behind its drum major, Cô Boont'che, on its way to the herring throw and the rigodon at the foot of Jean Bart's statue.
The Bande de la Violette, right here in Malo. The Sunday after Shrove Tuesday, it's Malo's turn: the Bande de la Violette, which many locals consider the true Dunkirk bande. Before it sets off, the mayor of Dunkirk and the local councillor for Malo hand out violets to the women, a lovely tradition that gives the bande its name. The band then winds through the neighbourhood, runs along the seafront for a while, and finishes with the final rigodon on place Turenne, facing the sea. In the evening, the party carries on at the Bal de la Violette in the Kursaal.
Bergues, the last big carnival. In early March, head to Bergues, the fortified town on Dunkirk's doorstep. The bande sets off at 3 pm, and at 5 pm all eyes turn to the town hall balcony, where the mayor throws Bergues cheese and sausages into the crowd. Catching a piece of this pungent local cheese is a real trophy! The day ends with the rigodon around the bandstand on the Grand-Place.
Pitgam, the grand finale. To close the season, head for Pitgam, a small Flemish village in the middle of the countryside. Every year, cars can't get in: you park out in the fields and walk to the village along the road. You can see it in the distance... and smell it already: a kilometre out, the scent of barbecue shows you the way! Pitgam is the barbecue bande. Carnival-goers bring their own, from small portable grills to industrial-sized barbecues, and the whole village fills with the smell of charcoal and grilled sausages. That's the spirit of the bande: you share, right up to the last day of the season.
The order of the great balls
The balls are held at the Kursaal, five minutes on foot, and almost always follow the same order year after year: Bal du Chat Noir (16 January), Bal des Kakernesches, Nuit de la Rose (23 January), Bal des Corsaires (30 January), Nuit de l'Oncle Cô (6 February), then the Trois Joyeuses from 7 to 9 February, with the Bal des Acharnés on the 7th, the Bal des Gigolos et Gigolettes (13 February), the Bal de la Violette on the evening of the Malo bande (14 February), the Bal du Sporting (20 February) and finally the Bal du Printemps (27 February). These are the dates for the 2027 edition.
These balls fill up well in advance and tickets go quickly. If your stay is built around a particular ball, book the apartment at the same time as your tickets.
Six weekends of carnival on the seafront
Something the official calendars leave out: all season long, the bars on the Malo seafront switch to carnival mode at weekends, with DJs and carnavaleux in costume. In practice that covers about six consecutive weekends, from the Bal de la Rose to the Bal du Printemps, so late January to late February 2027.
In other words, even outside the headline dates, a February weekend in Malo stands a good chance of landing in the middle of it. Find out what a ball night is really like, from the avant-bal on the seafront to onion soup at dawn.
Coming by train: the carnival starts on board
From Lille, Armentières, Bailleul or Hazebrouck, on the big bande days, the carriages turn into a party on rails: singing, music, punch, laughter... Even the ticket inspector gets his own little song as he walks through (« Ohé ohé contrôleur... », a cheeky carnival chant). At every stop more carnival-goers climb aboard, and the closer you get to Dunkirk, the funnier it gets.
Coming to the carnival without the hassle
The carnival goes ahead in any weather: bring a warm costume and sturdy lace-up boots, and leave the car at home. A bande lasts three to five hours, mostly standing and walking.
Parking gets difficult on the big days. The DK'Bus network is free and runs extra services during carnival, and from 37 rue de la Colline everything is walkable: the seafront is a minute away, place Turenne two, the Kursaal five.
Live the carnival like a local
Five chapters to understand it all before you dive in, written by people who live in Malo.
Loucé and Adélise, 37 rue de la Colline
During carnival the accommodation question settles itself fast: places in the neighbourhood are booked months ahead and platform prices climb. Loucé and Adélise are 150 metres from place Turenne and a minute from the seafront, with self check-in by key box, which helps when you come home late from a ball.
The dates of the Trois Joyeuses and of the Malo bande come from the official 2027 carnival calendar, published in early October 2026. Times and the detailed programme may still change: check the tourist office website before booking ball tickets.