Jazz au Palais

Jazz au Palais: When Jazz Meets Art Brut

Since 2004, the Jazz au Palais festival has offered a unique setting in France to experience jazz music: the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, a masterpiece of art brut built stone by stone over 33 years by Ferdinand Cheval, a rural postman who became a visionary artist. Classified as a historic monument in 1969, this fantastic palace hosts 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 takes place in June, with several open-air concert evenings in the gardens of the Palais Idéal. The atmosphere is intimate and warm: a few hundred spectators enjoy the music under the stars, in a green setting surrounded by the sculpted facades of the palace. Ferdinand Cheval built his palace in his vegetable garden, so the concerts take place in the very heart of this monumental creation.

Jazz, Gastronomy, and Terroir

Jazz au Palais is not limited to music: the festival also offers wine tastings from the Crozes-Hermitage appellation, making each evening a complete sensory experience. Spectators are invited to savor local wines while discovering jazz artists from around the world, in a friendly atmosphere that blends culture, gastronomy, and the Drôme art de vivre.

A Prestigious Program

Over the years, Jazz au Palais has hosted renowned artists: Joe Louis Walker, Ballake Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Terez Montcalm, and many others. The program, true to the spirit of jazz, also opens up to other genres—French chanson, world music, soul—to appeal to a wide and curious audience. Recent editions have featured artists such as Kimberose, Alain Souchon, Barbara Pravi, and Trois Cafés Gourmands.

A Listed 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 uses the sculpted facades of the palace to create a magical and unforgettable setting.

Jazz au Palais is a human-sized festival that combines musical excellence, an exceptional heritage setting, and art de vivre, making each evening a unique moment of grace.