Festival International de Jardins - Hortillonnages

The Festival International de Jardins: When Contemporary Art Dialogues with the Hortillonnages

The Amiens hortillonnages are a unique natural and heritage treasure in France. These approximately 300 hectares of floating gardens, crisscrossed by a network of canals called rieux, have been cultivated since the Middle Ages in the very heart of the city. It is in this exceptional landscape that the Festival International de Jardins was established in 2010, under the impetus of the association Art & Jardins | Hauts-de-France.

Each year, from May to October, the festival invites landscape designers, architects, visual artists, and visual artists from around the world to create site-specific works, in harmony with the aquatic landscape of the hortillonnages. These creations—ephemeral gardens, sculptures, Land Art installations, landscape interventions—question our relationship with nature and contemporary environmental challenges.

An Artistic Journey Between Land and Water

The festival unfolds over two complementary routes. The pedestrian route, accessible free of charge from the Île aux Fagots (43 chemin de halage, Amiens), allows visitors to discover some of the works on foot. The electric boat route, departing from the Port à Fumier in Camon, offers an autonomous navigation experience of about 2.5 hours through the canals, with about thirty gardens and installations visible from the water.

Over the editions, the festival has presented nearly 234 gardens and installations created by over 358 artists, attracting more than 680,000 visitors. In 2024, it received the prestigious European Garden Award in the 'Best European Contemporary Park and Garden' category, recognizing its international reach.

A Strong Environmental Commitment

The Festival International de Jardins does not just present works of art in a natural setting: it places ecology and sustainable development at the heart of its approach. Artists are invited to work with natural and recycled materials, to respect the fragile ecosystems of the hortillonnages, and to offer reflections on biodiversity, water management, and the preservation of wetlands.

The festival is also a place for transmission and awareness-raising, with guided tours, educational workshops, and student projects carried out in partnership with Amiens schools and universities, notably the UPJV (Université de Picardie Jules Verne) and the Lycée Édouard Branly.

The Hortillonnages: A Living Heritage

The Amiens hortillonnages are one of the last large market garden marshes in France. Once exploited by the hortillons, market gardeners who cultivated vegetables and flowers on the islands, they are now a preserved natural space in the heart of the city, classified as a remarkable natural site. The festival contributes to keeping this exceptional heritage alive and known, attracting a national and international audience.