Creating memories
Every season, Lou Calen transforms into a true hub of discovery. In the stunning cliff-side setting of Cotignac, a delightful collection of visual artists, writers, musicians, chefs, and wellness practitioners come together to share their expertise and offer visitors exceptional experiences. There are workshops, concerts, exhibitions, literary events, and gastronomy events: each moment can become a sensory journey to discovery, shaped by the authentic soul of Provence and the unique energy of those who guide it.
Upcoming workshops & events
From 13 Feb. To 31 Dec.
Every Saturday lunchtime, lobster takes centre stage. Hot or cold, simmered, sautéed or flame-grilled, Benoit Witz cooks it in line with the kitchen garden and market. A four-course set menu, renewed weekly, ending with creations from our pastry chef.
Location:
Day :
Saturday
Hours :
12 pm to 2 pm
Price:
84€ (excluding drinks)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
From 4 Jul. To 19 Sep.
Born in the 1970s, Narrative Figuration left its mark on art history through its critical view of consumer society. Bringing together major artists of the movement, this exhibition highlights the enduring relevance of its social, political and ecological concerns.
Location:
Schedule :
Tue–Sat, 10am–12.30pm & 4.30pm–7.30pm
Price:
4€
Free access
Thursday 17 September
Echo brings together a soulful voice and piano with a repertoire spanning jazz, soul and pop. The duo takes to the terrace of La TUF’s summer bar for an intimate live performance, where you can enjoy the music up close to the artists.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Saturday 19 September
Provence is an inexhaustible source of creativity, where Gilles Dugenet invites you to dive in and find your inspiration. Using simple drawing and painting techniques, the artist will encourage you to create a series of small drawings and paintings in a sketchbook, that can be cherished long.
Location:
Schedule :
9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Price:
60€ (material provided)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Saturday 19 September
For their second four-hands dinner, Benoît Witz and Théo Sanchez continue to explore the many facets of plant life. Leaves, flowers, seeds, branches and fruits picked at different stages of ripeness become the ingredients of a cuisine where fermentation reveals unexpected new flavours.
Location:
Schedule :
Please arrive at 7:30 pm
Price:
120€ (5-course) – Wine pairing: 30€
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Sunday 20 September
Are you interested in learning about wild plants? Vera Schütz, a native of the country, takes you on a tour of Lou Calen’s gardens to discover Provençal plants and their forgotten virtues. After studying phytotherapy and herbalism, she shares all her knowledge about wild plants.
Monday 21 September
Who will be named Cotignac’s best mixologist? For the inaugural Cotignac Cocktail Challenge, Lou Calen is challenging professional bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts alike to reinvent pastis or absinthe. To enter, send us your recipe by 17 September.
Thursday 24 September
The Space Cowboys passionately revisit the great funk-rock classics of recent decades, from Prince to Bruno Mars, with stops at Jackson, Madonna, and many more. A guitar-vocals and percussion-synth duo delivering a festive musical journey that makes you want to dance.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, 25cl beer or soft drink)
Booking:
Recommended
Sunday 27 September
Mathieu Segret invites you to practice mindfulness. You will use wood carving as a means of relaxation and liberation. Each gesture, each sculpted form will nourish your relationship with yourself and nature. Your work will bear the imprint of this inner journey.
Location:
Schedule :
9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Price:
95€ (material provided)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 1 October
Hailing from Lorgues, Leszam blend guitar, vocals and bass, at the crossroads of organic and electric sounds. Moving freely across eras and styles, their repertoire embraces pop, folk, reggae, rock, rap and retro jazz, sung in French and English, with influences from near and far.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Sunday 4 October
Move and eat well: two simple pleasures come together one Sunday a month at Lou Calen. A Pilates session with Fabé Dia, former Olympic athlete, awakens the body and releases tension, before enjoying the Bistrot’s generous buffet.
Location:
Schedule :
11 am to 12 pm
Price:
Pilates only : 25€ ; Pilates + Brunch : 76€
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 8 October
More than just a concert, this group with infectious chemistry takes you on a journey through Brazil. From region to region, rhythms and colours unfold through surprising arrangements, giving familiar tunes a fresh twist while celebrating the country’s musical diversity.
Location:
Schedule :
From 8 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Saturday 10 October
Spiral basket-weaving craft is an ancestral technique which countryfolk have used for centuries here, in Provence, and made famous now. Julia Lebouc shares her artisanal know-how through the creation of a “secret box” basket made from wild straw.
Location:
Lou Calen
Schedule :
9 am to 1 pm
Price:
65€ (material provided)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Sunday 11 October
Therapist based in Correns, Oriane Mutabazi invites you to immerse yourself in a sound bath using musical instruments and the voice. This will be followed by mantra chanting which will establish and extend the benefits of deep relaxation throughout your being.
Sunday 18 October
Are you interested in learning about wild plants? Vera Schütz, a native of the country, takes you on a tour of Lou Calen’s gardens to discover Provençal plants and their forgotten virtues. After studying phytotherapy and herbalism, she shares all her knowledge about wild plants.
Sunday 25 October
Guided by Mathieu Segret, you will painstakingly sculpt a vase, scrape by scrape, using a kiridashi, a traditional Japanese knife. You will learn different sculpting gestures and leave with your wood creation as well as with the tools needed to carve wood at home should you wish to.
Location:
Schedule :
9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Price:
95€ (material provided)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
From 6 Nov. To 8 Nov.
Take three days and spark your inner transformation. That is the promise of this autumn retreat, which combines sound therapy, Qi Gong, and breathwork to guide you towards the release of limiting patterns. A healthy vegetarian diet will support this process.
Past workshops & events
Sunday 13 September
Therapist based in Correns, Oriane Mutabazi invites you to immerse yourself in a sound bath using musical instruments and the voice. This will be followed by mantra chanting which will establish and extend the benefits of deep relaxation throughout your being.
Saturday 12 September
Spiral basket-weaving craft is an ancestral technique which countryfolk have used for centuries here, in Provence, and made famous now. Julia Lebouc shares her artisanal know-how through the creation of a “secret box” basket made from wild straw.
Location:
Lou Calen
Schedule :
9 am to 1 pm
Price:
65€ (material provided)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 10 September
When voice meets guitar and the clarinet lends its breath, Fafa Carioca Trio creates a new Brazilian interlude. A three-way conversation between kindred musicians, where melodies answer and intertwine through reimagined covers and original compositions.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Wednesday 9 September
Step behind the bar with Thomas, our mixologist, and explore two cocktails with plenty of character: James Bond’s iconic Dry Martini in several guises, and a Moscow Mule made with ginger beer prepared in-house. Shaker in hand, it’s your turn to mix… and taste!
From 4 Sep. To 5 Sep.
Monty Python legend Eric Idle is coming to Cotignac for a very special weekend. Open-air film screenings, a signing of his book Idle in Provence, an aperitif and dinner at Le Bistrot will mark this unique opportunity to meet the British comedian, who has been in love with the Var for more than fifty years.
Location:
Friday :
From 8.30 pm
Saturday :
From 3 pm
Price:
Friday : 12€ / Saturday : 68€
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 3 September
With the mic checked and guitar in hand, Broken Man sets off along the winding roads of American roots music. His uplifting, crowd-pleasing folk pop draws on blues and country, weaving together original compositions and carefully reworked covers. A genuine artist with a vibrant repertoire.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Thursday 27 August
Open-air concert with Mattias, a singer-songwriter from the Draguignan area! Join him to revisit an international musc repertoire with his signature groovy style, blending energy, emotion, and music. Enjoy his unique voice... and his usual trademark hat!
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Tuesday 25 August
Narundi, a singer from the Var with a spellbinding voice, revisits international classics with a jazz-lounge twist. Her expressive interpretations breathe new life into these timeless melodies. A concert in aid of the Comité Communal Feux de Forêts (local forest fire prevention committee).
Monday 17 August
Step behind the bar with Thomas, our mixologist, and learn to create two cocktails with plenty of character: a Chameleon Mojito that changes colour before your eyes and a perfectly balanced, tangy Cosmopolitan. Shaker in hand, it’s your turn to mix… and taste!
Friday 14 August
Medicinal plant, artists’ muse or notorious spirit? Vera, our herbalist, dedicates this new workshop to the fascinating world of absinthe. Discover its uses through the centuries and the secrets of its production before tasting two elixirs and exploring their full aromatic richness.
Thursday 13 August
For this four-hands dinner, Benoît Witz and Théo Sanchez make the tree the centrepiece of an original menu. Medlar, quince, mulberry, fig and apricot trees inspire a five-course culinary journey where wood, leaves, blossoms, fruit and young shoots reveal unexpected flavours.
Location:
Schedule :
Please arrive at 7:30 pm
Price:
120€ (5-course) – Wine pairing: 30€
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 13 August
Niko and Stan, from the band Naloo, perform a sun-soaked acoustic repertoire filled with good vibes. Guided by the rhythm of guitar and percussion, the duo creates a relaxed and easy-going atmosphere, like the end of a summer day by the sea.
Location:
Schedule :
From 7 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
Wednesday 12 August
Let yourself be captivated by the enchanting scent of lavender and enjoy a timeless moment, rooted in the traditions of Provence. From the early morning harvest to the delicate art of weaving, discover a time-honoured craft that blends patience and precision.
Wednesday 12 August
This summer, as dusk settles over Lou Calen, the big screen comes to life. After dinner at Le Bistrot, the evening continues with a screening of *The Grand Budapest Hotel*, a whimsical comedy to watch, rewatch and share. An open-air cinema night where time happily slips away.
Location:
Schedule :
Dinner from 7:00 pm – Film at 9:30 pm
Price:
55€ (3-course menu + cinema)
Booking:
Mandatory, limited availability
Thursday 6 August
La Beky is an explosive personality with an overwhelming passion for music. From mainstream to deep house, funky or disco, she delivers tailor-made, always eclectic sets that ignite the dancefloor and get even the shyest to dance with joy.
Location:
Schedule :
From 8 pm
Price:
10€ (entry + 1 drink : wine, beer or soft)
Booking:
Recommended
