Halloween in Biarritz: the public garden transforms into a horror village

In the Biarritz public garden, a strange ballet is being prepared: skeletons, pirates and ghosts await visitors for three days of thrills, from Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 October.

Opposite the Gare du Midi, Biarritz's public garden has been surrounded by high gates for several days, preventing access. Around it, passersby stop and stand on tiptoe to try to catch a glimpse of the mysterious spectacle unfolding behind the barriers.

Under a gray and threatening sky, skeletons and ghosts emerge from their tombs, enormous spiders weave their webs in the trees, cursed pirates face the Kraken, while in a ghost town of the Far West, skeletons wander in stagecoaches.

This year again, the City of Biarritz is thinking big for Halloween, celebrated from Wednesday, October 29 to Friday, October 31. Ten years ago, Frédéric Canot, then in charge of festivities with Biarritz Événements, had modestly started to build this terrifying universe. Since his death in April 2024 , Sylvain Doumayrou, from the town hall's events department, has taken over the reins of this animation which has become XXL over time: seven universes, a dozen actresses and actors, holograms... "We took up this legacy from Frédéric, who passed on his passion to us," says Sylvain.

Ten years ago, it was "a cemetery with a few graves," he recalls. Investments have gradually allowed this terrifying setting to be expanded. "We could never have built all this overnight," emphasizes Fabrice Sébastien Bach, deputy director of commerce, who estimates the total amount of material accumulated at around €300,000. The installation is the third largest in France, after those at Disneyland and Parc Astérix, he assures.

"The castle has phenomenal wind resistance. It could have been found on the roof of the Gare du Midi."

The events department works hand in hand with head decorator Noëlle Venutier, who creates more than half of the sets used. She also oversees their maintenance each year. "In July or August, we return to the garden. We reorganize so that people don't feel like they're seeing the same thing every year."

This edition put the installation teams to the test. Storm Benjamin forced them to dismantle everything just days before the opening. "The castle, for example, has phenomenal wind resistance," says Sylvain, pointing to the haunted set. "We could have found it on the roof of the Gare du Midi." So everything had to be dismantled, tarpaulined, and weighted down, before reinstalling everything in just one weekend... A job that had initially taken two weeks. "This kind of hazard is hard psychologically and physically," says Sylvain, who consoles himself "with the smiles of the children."

The event is a huge success every year, attracting 150,000 visitors over three days, "the same number as for August 15th," says Fabrice Sébastien Bach. For this edition, the town hall spent around €65,000. "It was €120,000 five years ago. We're spending a little less each year, even though we've more than doubled the space. We're optimizing. There's a lot of work going on internally to restore and save money."

The Halloween village opens its doors Wednesday at 2 p.m. As soon as it's dismantled, the Christmas village begins to be installed, opening its doors on November 28, also in the public garden. The event is completely free.