Fête de Soisy-sur-Seine

The Soisy-sur-Seine Garden Festival: a nature event in Essonne

Soisy-sur-Seine is a commune in Essonne (91450) with approximately 7,500 inhabitants, located about forty kilometers south of Paris in the Grand Paris Sud agglomeration, near Corbeil-Essonnes and Évry-Courcouronnes. Bordered by the Seine and crossed by the Sénart forest, the village boasts a rich landscape heritage, of which Parc du Grand Veneur is the jewel: 12 wooded hectares surrounding a romantic late 18th-century château, which serves as the setting each spring for the Garden Festival.

A spring event organized by the town

The Garden Festival is organized annually in May by the town of Soisy-sur-Seine, in partnership with several local associations specializing in gardening and the environment (among which Les Jardiniers d'Étiolles et des alentours, present with a games stand and a plant swap stand). The event is part of the municipal policy for promoting nature and green spaces, centered around a key theme (sustainable gardening in 2026), to foster dialogue between plant professionals, environmental associations, and residents.

Horticultural market, workshops, and free entertainment

For two days, the park transforms into a large open-air market. Exhibitors — nurserymen, horticulturists, artisans, producers, and creators — offer plants, flowers, artisanal creations, decorative objects, wellness products, and gastronomic specialties for sale. In parallel, partner associations animate a plant swap area, a seed library, and a program of participatory workshops: workshops for children, flower repotting, shredding demonstrations, kokedama and macramé workshops, a reading corner, and fun activities. Admission is free all weekend and light refreshments are available on site.

Other highlights of local festive life

Soisy-sur-Seine also enlivens its calendar with other recurring events: the Fête de la Musique around June 21st, the July 13th festivities with fireworks on the eve of the National Holiday, as well as a regular cultural program at the Grand Veneur hall (theater, concerts, conservatory, game festival). The Garden Festival nevertheless remains the most emblematic event of the Soisy spring.