Cahors Juin Jardins
The festival that cultivates art
About Juin Jardins
Cahors Juin Jardins: When Art Takes Root in Gardens
Since 2006, the Cahors Juin Jardins festival has transformed the city of Cahors and its surroundings into an open-air artistic trail, at the crossroads of contemporary art, gardens, and landscape. Born during the national event "Rendez-vous aux jardins" and as part of the labeled remarkable gardens of Cahors, the festival has established itself as a major cultural event in the Lot department and the Occitanie region.
A Festival Rooted in Environmental Issues
Each year, Cahors Juin Jardins explores new creative spaces around an annual theme related to environmental issues. The festival weaves connections between art, gardens, landscape, and cultural rights, fostering dialogue between artists, scientists, biologists, botanists, and agricultural professionals. This transdisciplinary approach makes it a unique laboratory for reflection on our relationship with the living world and nature.
Gardens as Creative Spaces
The heart of the festival lies in the opening of about twenty private and public gardens in Cahors, transformed for the occasion into exhibition and creation spaces. The city's secret gardens, usually hidden behind the walls of medieval houses, open their doors to the public for a weekend, offering a unique discovery trail where works of art, installations, readings, and performances mingle.
In addition to the urban trail, landscape gardens are scattered throughout the Lot region—Lot Valley, vineyard valley, Grand Quercy—offering a circuit of animated gardens to discover throughout June.
A Rich and Accessible Program
Alongside the contemporary art exhibitions presented in the gardens, the festival offers numerous cultural and educational activities:
- Installations and exhibitions by artists working at the intersection of art and ecology
- Performances, concerts, and shows in the gardens and public spaces
- Participatory workshops for all audiences, children and adults
- Guided tours of public and private gardens
- Conferences and round tables with scientists and living world specialists
- Plant and art craft markets
- Gourmet meals prepared by local producers
Recognized Commitment
Labeled a Territorial Innovation Hub by the Ministry of Culture, Cahors Juin Jardins is part of a regional dynamic that goes beyond a simple cultural event. The festival collaborates with the departmental network "Plantes & Cie" and relies on an engaged network of associations and citizens.
The Juin Jardins association, which organizes the festival, develops mediation actions, artist residencies, and educational projects throughout the year, keeping the link between art, nature, and citizenship alive well beyond the month of June.
About Fifteen Artists Invited Each Year
Each year, the festival invites about fifteen artists working in various disciplines: sculpture, installation, textile, ceramics, performance, multimedia, sound art. The works are created in connection with the gardens that host them, in an intimate dialogue between artistic creation and the vegetal, mineral, water, and light.
Juin Jardins — edition 2026
The 21st edition of Cahors Juin Jardins will take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2026 in Cahors and throughout the Lot region. Under the banner of solidarity and participation, this edition explores the theme « Making the Earth's Pulse Vibrate », a phrase borrowed from Ernst Zürcher that invites resistance to the dissonances of the contemporary world. About twenty public and private gardens open to the public, invested by artists, landscape designers, storytellers, publishers, and researchers. The activities of the landscape gardens trail in the region continue until the end of June. Free admission.
21st Edition — June 5 to 7, 2026
The Cahors Juin Jardins festival returns for its 21st edition from June 5 to 7, 2026. After an anniversary edition celebrating the festival's 20 years in 2025, this new season aims to be more introspective, attentive to ongoing changes, and resolutely focused on the essentials: supporting creation, artists, and the place of culture in our societies.
2026 Theme: « Making the Earth's Pulse Vibrate »
The theme of this edition, borrowed from forest engineer and biologist Ernst Zürcher, reminds us of the need to resist the dissonances of the contemporary world. In Cahors, exhibitions, installations, activities, performances, and concerts will be offered in about twenty exceptionally open private gardens, in public spaces linked to the city's 17 secret gardens, as well as in the neighborhood's community gardens. The theme informs the interventions of about fifteen artists in Cahors and the region, and will be the subject of artistic, scientific, and agricultural reflections, questioning life and death.
A Rich Program Accessible to All
Art, landscape, care, meditation, yoga, and philosophy intersect in a program open to all audiences and all ages. La Pouponnière, a cultural space and artistic residency, hosts about ten artists within its walls at 346 chemin de la Pouponnière, enriching the festival's itinerary. The Gustave-Sindou space also joins the garden circuit in 2026.
The Landscape Gardens Trail
The landscape gardens trail can be discovered in the Lot region during the second weekend of June and throughout the month, with activities, meetings, and discoveries centered around landscape and contemporary creation.
A Partnership with Marc Petit's Sculpture
The 2026 edition also features a partnership with an exhibition by Marc Petit at Maison Lagrive, continuing the sculptor's residency initiated during previous editions.
The detailed program, the complete list of invited artists, and the trail map will be published in spring 2026 on the official website juin-jardins.fr.
Highlights Juin Jardins 2026
- 21st edition under the banner of solidarity and participation
- 2026 Theme: « Making the Earth's Pulse Vibrate » (Ernst Zürcher)
- About twenty public and private gardens open to the public in Cahors
- About fifteen artists invited to Cahors and the Lot region
- About ten artists in residency at La Pouponnière
- Landscape gardens trail in the region on the second weekend of June
- Free admission for the entire trail and main activities
Prices Juin Jardins 2026
Practical information — Juin Jardins
Practical Information
Access
By car: Cahors is accessible via the A20 motorway (Cahors Nord or Cahors Sud exit). The city center is located in the loop of the Lot river.
By train: Cahors SNCF station is about a 6-minute walk from the city center and the main festival venues. TER lines connect Cahors to Toulouse (about 1h15) and Paris via Brive-la-Gaillarde.
By bus: Several bus lines serve the Cahors train station stop.
Prices
Free admission. Access to the gardens, exhibitions, and most activities is free and open to all. Some specific activities may be charged (workshops, gourmet meals).
Opening Weekend Hours
The private gardens tour in Cahors is open on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. On Friday evening, an inaugural walk with the artists opens the festival.
Information
- Office: Le Chai, 52 avenue André-Breton, 46000 Cahors (open Tuesday to Thursday, 10 am-12 pm and 2 pm-4 pm)
- Postal address: 103 rue Joachim Murat, 46000 Cahors
- Email: [email protected]
Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes for walking in the gardens.
- The route is largely outdoors: bring sunscreen and a hat in case of strong heat.
- A map of the garden route is available at the festival village on the Allées Fénelon.
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Where does it take place — Juin Jardins
Jardins de Cahors et du Lot
52 avenue André-Breton, 46000 Cahors