Festival des Jardins Métissés
Artistic and ephemeral gardens in the heart of Parc de Wesserling
About Jardins Métissés
Since 2003, the Festival des Jardins Métissés annually transforms Wesserling Park in Husseren-Wesserling into a setting of vegetal and artistic creativity. From June to November, ephemeral gardens designed by landscape architects, visual artists, photographers, and students from around the world take over this park, classified as a Historic Monument in the heart of the Thur valley. A sensory journey, playful installations, and photographic exhibitions offer visitors a unique experience blending nature, contemporary art, and industrial textile heritage.
The Festival des Jardins Métissés: where art dialogues with nature
Nestled in the upper Thur valley, at the foot of the Vosges mountains, Wesserling Park is the largest park classified as a Historic Monument in Alsace. Every year, from June to November, it hosts the Festival des Jardins Métissés, a unique event that combines contemporary landscape creation, art, and industrial textile heritage in an enchanting setting. More than 80,000 visitors come each year to discover these ephemeral creations.
Breathtaking ephemeral gardens
The principle of the festival is as simple as it is poetic: each edition invites teams of landscape architects, visual artists, photographers, architects, and students to design ephemeral gardens around a theme renewed each year. The creations, which are artistic, playful, and sensory, flourish in the different areas of the park — remarkable vegetable gardens, Mediterranean terraces, French-style gardens, and romantic undergrowth — to create a surprising and immersive journey.
Over the editions, themes have drawn from the imagination of tales, travels, mythologies, and popular culture (in 2025, « Les Jardins du Chat Botté »), inviting visitors to rediscover the garden as a space for dreaming, playing, and contemplation.
A park steeped in history
Wesserling Park is inseparable from the textile history of the Thur valley. A former domain of textile industrialists, it preserves remarkable industrial buildings, including the Grande Chaufferie (Great Boiler House) converted into an exhibition space, as well as the Textile Museum which traces two centuries of production of indiennes and printed fabrics. The festival is part of this dynamic of cultural reconversion, transforming a heritage site into a vibrant place of contemporary creation.
A rich program throughout the season
Beyond the ephemeral gardens, the festival punctuates the season with festive and cultural events: Musik au Parc in June, Industrial Heritage Festival, 19th Century Festival, Nocturnal Enchantments in the illuminated gardens in July-August, European Heritage Days in September, and Autumn Festival in October for the closing. These events allow visitors to experience the park from different angles, by day and by night, in an atmosphere that is sometimes contemplative, sometimes festive.
A family-friendly and accessible event
The Festival des Jardins Métissés is designed for all audiences. The routes are accessible to families with strollers, and many activities are designed for children: nature games, creative workshops, treasure hunts, and a barefoot path. The park also has picnic areas and a catering space, inviting visitors to extend their visit for an entire day in the green.
Jardins Métissés — edition 2026
The 24th edition of the Festival des Jardins Métissés takes place from June 7 to November 1, 2026, at Wesserling Park, on the theme « Ulysses and the Odyssey ». For five months, landscape designers, visual artists, and photographers invite visitors to delve into Homer's mythological and poetic universe, populated by legendary tales, sea monsters, capricious gods, and fabulous journeys. A rich program of activities punctuates the season, from the summer Nighttime Enchantments to the October Autumn Festival.
2026 Edition: « Ulysses and the Odyssey »
For its 24th edition, the Festival des Jardins Métissés invites its visitors to embark on a poetic journey into the universe of Homer's Odyssey. Visual artists, landscape designers, and photographers have given free rein to their imagination to transport the public into the mythological and poetic universe of the famous ancient poem: legendary tales, sea monsters, capricious gods, and fabulous journeys populate the ephemeral gardens of the park. Through landscape installations, plastic artworks, and photographic exhibitions, a true sensory adventure unfolds in the different spaces of Wesserling Park.
Five Months of Discoveries and Surprises
From June 7 to November 1, 2026, the ephemeral gardens unfold in the different spaces of the park — remarkable vegetable gardens, Mediterranean terraces, French gardens, and romantic undergrowth. Several visit modes are offered: guided tours, a barefoot path and sensory trail, a discovery trail for children, and musical entertainment. In 2026, a new ecomuseum trail of approximately one kilometer is inaugurated with theatrical visits through seven emblematic locations (castle, gardens, farm, Grande Chaufferie, laboratory, turbine room).
A Festival for the Whole Family
The Festival des Jardins Métissés is for all audiences, from the youngest to the oldest. Activities adapted to each age, creative workshops, nature games, and treasure hunts allow families to share moments of relaxation and curiosity in a green setting. The park welcomes over 80,000 visitors each year.
Programme Jardins Métissés 2026
Highlights of the 2026 Edition
- Saturday, June 7, 2026 — Opening of the Festival des Jardins Métissés and unveiling of creations on the theme « Ulysses and the Odyssey »
- Friday, June 19, 2026 — Musik au Parc: musical evening and cocktails in the heart of the park
- Sunday, July 5, 2026 — Industrial Heritage Festival
- Fridays, July 10, 17, and 24, 2026 — Cocktail Evenings in the gardens
- Sunday, July 19, 2026 — 19th Century Festival
- From July 30 to August 30, 2026 — Nighttime Enchantments in the garden: illuminated night trails with sound and light, puzzles to solve, fire shows, on-site catering
- Sunday, September 20, 2026 — European Heritage Day
- Sunday, October 18, 2026 — Autumn Festival
- Sunday, November 1, 2026 — Last day of the festival
The detailed garden program (names of selected teams and descriptions of creations) will be unveiled by the organizer throughout the season. Consult the official website for updates.
Highlights Jardins Métissés 2026
- 2026 Theme « Ulysses and the Odyssey » — mythological journey in the heart of the gardens
- 5 months of festival, from June 7 to November 1, 2026
- Nighttime Enchantments from July 30 to August 30: illuminated gardens, sound and light, puzzles
- New in 2026: theatrical ecomuseum trail of approximately 1 km through 7 emblematic locations
- Over 80,000 visitors expected in the largest park classified as a Historic Monument in Alsace
Prices Jardins Métissés 2026
Practical information — Jardins Métissés
Practical Information
Access and transport
By car: Wesserling Park is located in Husseren-Wesserling, 30 km west of Mulhouse via the D466 (Thur valley). Free parking on site.
By train: Husseren-Wesserling station (Mulhouse-Kruth line), approximately 800 meters walk from the park. Trains approximately every hour from Mulhouse (30 min journey).
2026 Prices (high season, May 1st - November 1st)
- Adult: 14 € on site / 13 € online
- Child (4-17 years): 9 € on site / 8 € online
- Child (-4 years): free
- Family Pass (2 adults + 2 children, on site only): 38 €
The entrance ticket gives access to three sites: the Castle, the Gardens, and the Grande Chaufferie. Specific prices for certain events (Nocturnal Enchantments in particular).
On-site services
Catering area, picnic areas, shop, toilets. Dogs accepted on leash in the gardens. The park is largely accessible to people with reduced mobility and strollers. Payments accepted: cash, credit cards, cheques, and holiday vouchers.
New for 2026
A new ecomuseum trail of about one kilometer is being introduced, with theatrical tours through seven emblematic locations (castle, gardens, farm, Grande Chaufferie, laboratory, turbine room, etc.).
Contact
Wesserling Park, rue du Parc, 68470 Husseren-Wesserling. Tel.: 03 89 38 28 08. E-mail: [email protected]
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Where does it take place — Jardins Métissés
Parc de Wesserling - Écomusée textile
Rue du Parc, 68470 Husseren-Wesserling