Fête de Rueil-Malmaison

The Fête de Rueil-Malmaison: grape harvest, history, and local life

Rueil-Malmaison is a town of 80,000 inhabitants in the Hauts-de-Seine department, crossed by the Seine and rich in history, particularly linked to the Napoleonic era. Malmaison — the château of Joséphine and Napoléon Bonaparte — is its best-known symbol. But the town also boasts an ancient winemaking tradition, with the Clos de Buzenval vineyards that once produced wine appreciated in the Île-de-France region. It is this dual identity — historical and popular — that is celebrated during the town's major festival.

The Grape Harvest Festival

Organized every year in mid-October by the Confrérie des Clos de Rueil-Buzenval, the Rueil-Malmaison Grape Harvest Festival is one of the town's most popular events. From 9 a.m., over 200 exhibitors set up their stalls in the streets of the town center, offering their goods: crafts, local produce, clothing, flea market items, and gastronomy.

From 2 p.m. onwards, the festival takes on a festive dimension with musical groups performing outdoors on various stages set up throughout the town. Rides and attractions for children complete the program, creating a friendly funfair atmosphere. The grape pressing — a symbolic highlight of the festival — brings residents together each year around the ancestral gesture of the winemaker, in a spirit of sharing and transmission.

Summer Entertainment

Outside of the grape harvest, Rueil-Malmaison organizes entertainment throughout the summer in its parks and public spaces. Open-air concerts, shows for children, outdoor cinema screenings, and one-off cultural events liven up Rueil life during July and August. The town has an exceptional natural heritage — the forest of Saint-Germain, the banks of the Seine, landscaped parks — which naturally hosts these summer events.

Fête de la Musique in Rueil-Malmaison

Every June 21st, Rueil-Malmaison also celebrates the Fête de la Musique with a full day's program. Musical entertainment, workshops for children, brass band parades, food trucks, and concerts by local and regional bands liven up the streets and squares of the town, from the Place du Théâtre to the Théâtre du Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional. A musical day that complements the town's festive calendar.

Rueil-Malmaison, a town of culture and heritage

The local festival of Rueil-Malmaison takes on its full meaning in the context of a municipality that has invested in culture for decades. The town hosts the Théâtre de Rueil, one of the most important theaters in the Hauts-de-Seine, the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional, and a large-scale cultural program throughout the year. The annual festival is the moment when this institutional culture blends with popular traditions to create a unique event in the life of the city.