Jazz au Palais

ℹ️ Festival discontinued under this identity. Jazz au Palais, in its historical form as a jazz festival, no longer has any announced editions. The Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval continues to host a concert season every summer in June-July, but the programming is no longer jazz-oriented and the event is no longer presented as "Jazz au Palais". The 2025 editions (Kimberose, 3 Cafés Gourmands, Alain Souchon, Barbara Pravi) and 2026 editions (Zaz, Véronique Sanson, Coldplayed, Locura) confirm this evolution towards a general public program of variety and pop music.

Jazz au Palais: when jazz met outsider art

From 2004 until the mid-2010s, Jazz au Palais offered a unique setting in France for experiencing jazz music: the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, a masterpiece of outsider art built stone by stone over 33 years by Ferdinand Cheval, a rural postman who became a visionary artist. Classified as a historical monument in 1969, this fantastic palace hosted a jazz festival in its gardens every summer, creating a rare symbiosis between heritage, art, and music.

Evenings for epicureans and music lovers

The festival took place in June, over three evenings of open-air concerts in the garden of the Palais Idéal. The atmosphere was intimate and warm: a few hundred spectators enjoyed the music under the stars, in a green setting surrounded by the sculpted facades of the palace. As Ferdinand Cheval built his palace in his vegetable garden, the concerts took place right in the heart of this monumental creation.

Jazz, gastronomy, and local produce

Jazz au Palais was not limited to music: the festival also offered tastings of Crozes-Hermitage appellation wines, making each evening a complete sensory experience. Spectators were invited to savor local vintages while discovering jazz artists from around the world, in a convivial atmosphere that blended culture, gastronomy, and the Drôme way of life.

A prestigious lineup

Over its editions, Jazz au Palais welcomed renowned artists: Joe Louis Walker, Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal, Terez Montcalm, Jean-Jacques Milteau, Samson Schmitt & Timbo Mehrstein with the Gypsy Jazz Band, Captain Mercier and many others. The programming, faithful to the spirit of jazz, also opened up to other genres — French chanson, world music, soul — to attract a wide and curious audience.

A classified site, natural acoustics

The Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, located in Hauterives in the Drôme des Collines, is one of the most visited tourist sites in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with over 200,000 visitors per year. The garden offers ideal natural acoustics for open-air concerts, and the scenography relies on the sculpted facades of the palace to create a magical and unforgettable setting.

The concert season continues, without jazz

While "Jazz au Palais" is no longer announced as such, the Palais Idéal continues to host a season of prestigious concerts every summer in June-July, now oriented towards variety and French chanson. For music lovers seeking the exceptional setting of the palace, the 2026 program notably includes Zaz (June 24), Véronique Sanson (June 26), Coldplayed (June 28), and Locura (July 1) — at 9 PM in the palace garden. Tickets are available on the official website of the Palais Idéal.