Les Estivales de Valence
A cultural and festive summer in the heart of Valence
2026
About Les Estivales
Les Estivales de Valence is the city's vibrant summer cultural and sports program. From mid-June to mid-September, nearly a hundred free or accessible events take over the city's parks, community centers, squares, and public spaces. The lineup includes open-air concerts, "Jazz sur le Gazon" in Parc Jouvet, giant mural painting, guided heritage tours, children's shows, night markets, guinguettes, sports activities, and a major food festival. It is a popular, intergenerational event that brings Valence to life all summer long.
Les Estivales — edition 2026
Les Estivales takes over Valence from June 15th to September 15th, 2026, with nearly a hundred cultural and sporting events—the vast majority of which are free—held in the city's parks, community centers, and public spaces. The season is far from over: Jazz sur le Gazon takes over at Parc Jouvet on Sundays, August 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 6:30 PM (featuring Hot Club de Boukravie, Mamao Jazz Band, and Amou'Caché, free admission). The Walls & Love mural festival will brighten the city walls from August 22nd to September 13th, the Association Forum will be held on Saturday, September 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Halle Chaban-Delmas, and the Valence en Gastronomie Festival will close the season from Thursday, September 10th to Sunday, September 13th at the Champ de Mars, with free access starting at 10 AM. The summer's musical highlight remains the Festival Sur le Champ!, which is 100% free from July 22nd to 25th at the Champ de Mars, featuring headliners Oxmo Puccino, Stephan Eicher, and Fatoumata Diawara.
Les Estivales 2026: A hundred events from June 15th to September 15th
From June 15th to September 15th, 2026, the City of Valence and its partners are rolling out Les Estivales, a cultural and sporting program they describe as "XXL": nearly a hundred events, mostly free, spread across the city's parks, community centers, and public squares. Open-air concerts, jazz, street art, guided tours, children's shows, sports, and gastronomy will follow one another non-stop for three months.
What's coming up in August 2026
The second half of August is powered by Jazz sur le Gazon: three free concerts at Parc Jouvet on Sundays, August 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 6:30 PM, organized by Jazz Action Valence in partnership with the City. Refreshments, ice cream, and food trucks will be on-site. Meanwhile, the Walls & Love mural festival will take over the city starting Saturday, August 22nd: four monumental works will be painted live, neighborhood by neighborhood, until September 13th. Heritage guided tours continue from the Maison des Têtes (Valence by night, the secrets of street names, behind-the-scenes stories, the RN7 holiday route), while the Je Dis Acoustiques acoustic sessions will enliven the Rue Briffaut and Rue du Théâtre on Thursday, August 27th, from 6 PM to 10 PM.
September 2026: The Grand Finale
The Association Forum kicks off the month on Saturday, September 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Halle Chaban-Delmas and the Stade Colette Besson on Avenue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrame (free admission). On Sunday, September 6th, a Qi Gong Yang Shen discovery session is offered at Parc Jouvet from 9 AM to 9:45 AM. The exhibition "Ce qui nous lie" is on display at the Maison du Gardien until September 13th. The highlight arrives from Thursday, September 10th to Sunday, September 13th with the Valence en Gastronomie Festival, held exclusively on the Champ de Mars, with free access from 10 AM. As a follow-up to Les Estivales, the European Heritage Days will take place on September 19th and 20th.
The heart of summer: Festival Sur le Champ!
From Wednesday, July 22nd to Friday, July 24th, 2026, the Champ de Mars will host three nights of 100% free concerts for the 10th edition of the Festival Sur le Champ!, with a view of the Château de Crussol. Three musical worlds will take the stage: urban culture on Wednesday (Oxmo Puccino), rock, chanson, and pop on Thursday (Stephan Eicher), and world music on Friday (Fatoumata Diawara). The festival continues on Saturday, July 25th at the Musée de Valence with a more intimate performance by the band Balladur, starting at 4 PM. A free "Off" program will spread through the city center from July 4th to 18th at Place des Clercs, Place Saint-Jean, and the courtyard of the École Pergaud, then at the festival bar from July 22nd to 24th.
Recurring seasonal events
The nocturnal artisan and creator markets are held every Tuesday from June 16th to August 11th, from 6 PM to 11 PM at Place des Clercs, and exceptionally at the Champ de Mars from Wednesday, July 22nd to Friday, July 24th during the festival. The guinguettes on Rue Bouffier will host events on Tuesdays in July, until the 28th. On the sports front, the French round of the UCI Pump Track World Championships qualifiers took place on the Valence pump track on Saturday, August 1st, bringing together the elite of men's and women's riders.
Venues
Parc Jouvet, a seven-hectare garden overlooking the Rhône, hosts Jazz sur le Gazon, children's shows, and wellness sessions. The Champ de Mars, a vast esplanade in the heart of the city, is the stage for the Festival Sur le Champ! and the Valence en Gastronomie Festival. The Maison des Têtes serves as the starting point for guided tours, the Centre du Patrimoine Arménien and the Musée de Valence round out the circuit, and the old town squares (Clercs, Saint-Jean, Place de la Paix) host markets and street concerts.
Highlights Les Estivales 2026
- Nearly a hundred cultural and sporting events from June 15th to September 15th, 2026, the vast majority free
- Jazz sur le Gazon at Parc Jouvet: three free concerts at 6:30 PM on Sundays, August 16th (Hot Club de Boukravie), August 23rd (Mamao Jazz Band), and August 30th (Amou'Caché) — refreshments, ice cream, and food trucks on-site
- Walls & Love, mural festival, from August 22nd to September 13th: four monumental works by Rémi Tournier, SOBEKCIS, TAQUEN, and SEMA LAO, painted in public in the neighborhoods
- Association Forum on Saturday, September 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM, Halle Chaban-Delmas and Stade Colette Besson, free admission
- Valence en Gastronomie Festival from September 10th to 13th at the Champ de Mars, free access from 10 AM, featuring The Night of the Stars, Chefs' Brunch, and the free Saturday Nocturne from 7 PM
- Festival Sur le Champ!, 10th edition: three 100% free nights from July 22nd to 24th at the Champ de Mars with Oxmo Puccino, Stephan Eicher, and Fatoumata Diawara, followed by Balladur at the Musée de Valence on July 25th at 4 PM
- Nocturnal artisan and creator markets every Tuesday from June 16th to August 11th, from 6 PM to 11 PM, Place des Clercs
- Free guided tours all summer departing from the Maison des Têtes: Valence by night, secrets of street names, the RN7 holiday route, the canals of Châteauvert
- European Heritage Days on September 19th and 20th, following Les Estivales
Programme Les Estivales 2026
Jazz sur le Gazon — Sundays, August 16th, 23rd, and 30th, 2026, Parc Jouvet
Three free concerts at 6:30 PM at Parc Jouvet (Avenue de la Comète), presented by Jazz Action Valence and the City of Valence. Refreshments, ice cream, and food trucks on-site.
- Sunday, August 16th — 6:30 PM — Hot Club de Boukravie · Parc Jouvet (New Orleans swing and traditional Romanian music)
- Sunday, August 23rd — 6:30 PM — Mamao Jazz Band · Parc Jouvet (New Orleans jazz swing, featuring the voice of Léon Le Nair)
- Sunday, August 30th — 6:30 PM — Amou'Caché · Parc Jouvet (Caribbean jazz-blues, Afro-blues vocals, and melodies inspired by Chet Baker)
Walls & Love — August 22nd to September 13th, 2026, throughout the neighborhoods
The 4th edition of the mural festival organized by the TBM association and the Sorry Graffiti collective, with the support of the City of Valence. Artists paint in public, and you can meet them while they work.
- Saturday, August 22nd, from 10 AM — Launch at Boulevard d'Alsace
- August 22nd to 27th — Rémi Tournier · monumental mural, 151 Rue Faventines
- August 28th to September 3rd — SOBEKCIS (Serbian duo) · monumental mural, 1 Rue Juiverie
- Saturday, August 29th — 6:30 PM — Official inauguration, Montalivet statue
- September 4th to 9th — TAQUEN (Spain) · monumental mural, 11-13 Rue Barthélémy Roux
- September 9th to 13th — SEMA LAO · monumental mural, 1-2 Rue Victor Jacquet
- Boulevard d'Alsace, ephemeral wall — DANAY & LOTUS (August 22nd), WOBE JOHNSON & KRISTOFF (August 29th), RAFFU & WOSE (September 5th), KOMA (September 12th)
- September 11th to 13th — JAM collective at the Basse Ville parking lot with HETA, Mr S, LE MÔME, YNOT, CHIPO, SPIRE, ALONE, and JEN MILLER
- Saturday, September 12th — 7 PM — Closing party, food truck and bar on-site
Tours and events for late August 2026
- Tuesday, August 18th — Summer Games · Latour-Maubourg Library
- Wednesday, August 19th — 10 AM to 11:30 AM — Before/After, Valence in pictures · Maison des Têtes (free)
- Thursday, August 20th — 6 PM to 7:30 PM — The canals of Châteauvert · departure from Place de la Paix (free)
- Friday, August 21st — 10 AM to 11:30 AM — The RN7, the holiday route · Maison des Têtes (free)
- Saturday, August 22nd — 3 PM — Modern Times, Palawan · Centre du Patrimoine Arménien
- Saturday, August 22nd — 6 PM to 7:30 PM — Parc Jouvet · Parc Jouvet viewpoint (free)
- August 24th to September 13th — "Ce qui nous lie" exhibition · Maison du Gardien
- Thursday, August 27th — 10 AM to 11:30 AM — Behind the scenes · Maison des Têtes (free)
- Thursday, August 27th — 6 PM to 10 PM — Je Dis Acoustiques · Rue Briffaut and Rue du Théâtre (free)
- Friday, August 28th — 10 AM to 11:30 AM — Secrets of street names · Maison des Têtes (free)
- Saturday, August 29th — 3 PM — Modern Times, Palawan · Centre du Patrimoine Arménien
- Saturday, August 29th — 9 PM to 10:30 PM — Valence by night · departure from Maison des Têtes (free)
September 2026 — Closing of Les Estivales
- Saturday, September 5th — 10 AM to 6 PM — Association Forum · Halle Chaban-Delmas and Stade Colette Besson, Avenue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrame (free admission)
- Sunday, September 6th — 9 AM to 9:45 AM — Qi Gong Yang Shen discovery · Parc Jouvet
- Thursday, September 10th to Sunday, September 13th, from 10 AM — Valence en Gastronomie Festival · Champ de Mars (free access)
- Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th — European Heritage Days, following Les Estivales
Valence en Gastronomie Festival — September 10th to 13th, 2026, Champ de Mars
Four days of tastings, culinary shows, and meetings, centered on the theme of transmission. The site is free to enter from 10 AM; only certain activities require payment and booking.
- Thursday, September 10th and Friday, September 11th — The Night of the Stars: ten gourmet establishments from the Drôme and Ardèche regions, Michelin-starred chefs and rising stars, each creation paired with a great Côtes du Rhône wine (by reservation, capacity increased to 1,320 guests per evening)
- Friday, September 11th, Saturday, September 12th, and Sunday, September 13th — Chefs' Brunch, a sweet and savory gourmet stroll (by reservation)
- Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th — Pagodas at Goûtatou: tastings paid for with the festival currency, the "Goûtatou," available for pre-order
- Saturday, September 12th — Chefs' Lab (filmed demonstrations), Talent Stage, Gastronomic Film Festival (by reservation), and Twin Cities Market
- Saturday, September 12th — from 7 PM — Festival Nocturne, free admission
- Sunday, September 13th — Little Chefs' Lab hosted by the Cité du Chocolat Valrhona (by reservation), The Great Workshop of the Valence Swiss, waiter race in the city center, and The Closing at Café Victor Hugo
Festival Sur le Champ! — July 22nd to 25th, 2026, Champ de Mars
10th edition, three nights of 100% free concerts at the Champ de Mars, starting at 8 PM, followed by a closing event at the Musée de Valence. Program unveiled on May 5th, 2026, by the City of Valence.
- Wednesday, July 22nd — 8 PM — Jey Khemeya · Champ de Mars (RnB / soul)
- Wednesday, July 22nd — 9 PM — Oxmo Puccino · Champ de Mars (French rap)
- Wednesday, July 22nd — 11:15 PM — Maxime Dangles & Tommy Rizzitelli + guest · Champ de Mars (electro set)
- Thursday, July 23rd — 8 PM — Not Scientists · Champ de Mars (punk-rock)
- Thursday, July 23rd — 9 PM — Puggy · Champ de Mars (Belgian pop)
- Thursday, July 23rd — 10:30 PM — Stephan Eicher · Champ de Mars (chanson, headliner)
- Friday, July 24th — 8 PM — Maïa · Champ de Mars (French chanson)
- Friday, July 24th — 9 PM — Dafné Kritharas · Champ de Mars (Greek and Mediterranean music)
- Friday, July 24th — 10:30 PM — Fatoumata Diawara · Champ de Mars (wassoulou / world, headliner)
- Saturday, July 25th — from 4 PM — Balladur · Musée de Valence (electronic performance in an intimate setting)
- Festival Off — free concerts from July 4th to 18th at Place des Clercs (4th and 7th), Place Saint-Jean (8th), and the courtyard of École Pergaud (10th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 18th), then DJ sets at the festival bar from July 22nd to 24th starting at 7 PM
Recurring seasonal events
- Every Tuesday from June 16th to August 11th — 6 PM to 11 PM — Nocturnal artisan and creator markets · Place des Clercs (free), and from Wednesday, July 22nd to Friday, July 24th at the Champ de Mars
- Tuesdays in July, until the 28th — Guinguettes on Rue Bouffier (free)
- July 9th and 30th, August 6th and 27th — 6 PM to 10 PM — Je Dis Acoustiques · Rue Briffaut and Rue du Théâtre (free)
- Sunday, June 21st — Fête de la Musique, five main stages spread across Valence (free)
- Saturday, August 1st — French round of the UCI Pump Track World Championships qualifiers · Valence pump track, elite women and men
Prices Les Estivales 2026
Jazz sur le Gazon (Parc Jouvet, Sundays, August 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 6:30 PM): free admission. Refreshments, ice cream, and food trucks on-site.
Festival Sur le Champ! (Champ de Mars, July 22nd to 24th): 100% free, no ticketing.
Walls & Love (August 22nd to September 13th): free, murals can be discovered freely in the street.
Nocturnal artisan and creator markets, guinguettes, Je Dis Acoustiques, Fête de la Musique, heritage guided tours: free.
Association Forum (Saturday, September 5th, 10 AM-6 PM, Halle Chaban-Delmas): free admission.
Valence en Gastronomie Festival (Champ de Mars, September 10th to 13th, from 10 AM): free site access. Some activities are paid and require booking — The Night of the Stars, Chefs' Brunch, Little Chefs' Lab, Gastronomic Film Festival. Tastings at the Pagodas are paid for with the festival currency, the "Goûtatou," available for pre-order. Ticketing and reservations at valenceengastronomiefestival.fr.
Practical information — Les Estivales
Practical Information
Access
- Multiple locations: Events take place across various sites in Valence—Champ de Mars, Parc Jouvet (Avenue de la Comète), Maison des Têtes, Mail Gérard Philippe, Place des Clercs, Place Saint-Jean, Place de la Paix, Centre du patrimoine arménien, Musée de Valence, Médiathèque Latour-Maubourg, Halle Chaban-Delmas, and Stade Colette Besson (Avenue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrame).
- By car: Valence is accessible via the A7 motorway. Free and paid parking is available in the city center.
- By train: Valence-Ville station is in the city center. The Valence Rhône-Alpes Sud TGV station is 15 minutes away by shuttle.
- By bus: The Citéa network offers numerous stops in the city center.
Prices
The vast majority of Les Estivales events are free and open to the public: Festival Sur le Champ!, Jazz sur le Gazon, Walls & Love murals, night markets, heritage tours, Fête de la Musique, guinguettes, outdoor cinema and shows, and the Forum des associations. Only certain activities at the Valence en Gastronomie Festival require payment and booking (La Nuit des Étoilés, Le Brunch des Chefs, Le Labo des P'tits Chefs, the Gastronomic Film Festival)—access to the festival site itself remains free.
Program
The full program for Les Estivales is published on the official City of Valence website (valence.fr, under "Les grands événements") and distributed at tourist offices starting in June. For Festival Sur le Champ!: valence.fr — contact +33 4 75 44 90 40. For Jazz sur le Gazon: Jazz Action Valence, 32 Avenue Georges Clemenceau, 26000 Valence — 04 75 41 89 60 — [email protected] — jazzactionvalence.com. For the gastronomic festival ticketing: valenceengastronomiefestival.fr.
General Contact
Mairie de Valence — 04 75 79 20 00 — valence.fr. Valence-Romans Tourisme office: valence-romans-tourisme.com.
Les Estivales de Valence: A Massive Summer of Culture and Festivities
Every year, from mid-June to mid-September, the City of Valence and its partners host an exceptional cultural and sports program known as Les Estivales. Nearly a hundred free or highly accessible events fill the city's public spaces, offering locals and visitors a summer packed with discovery.
A Varied and Accessible Program
Les Estivales de Valence features a wide range of activities reflecting the city's cultural diversity:
- Open-air concerts: Free musical evenings held in various locations, from the Champ de Mars to Parc Jouvet, complemented by the "Je Dis Acoustiques" street music sessions.
- Jazz sur le Gazon: Organized by Jazz Action Valence in partnership with the city, these Sunday evening sessions in August feature live jazz at 6:30 PM on the lawns of Parc Jouvet, in a beautiful setting by the Rhône. Free entry, with refreshments, ice cream, and food trucks on-site.
- Walls & Love: A monumental mural festival supported by the TBM association and the Sorry Graffiti collective, featuring French and international artists painting live across different neighborhoods from late August to mid-September.
- Guided heritage tours: Starting from the Maison des Têtes, the Centre du patrimoine arménien, or local parks, these free walks tell the story of Valence—from "Valence by night" and the secrets behind street names to the Châteauvert canals and the RN7 holiday route.
- Children's shows: Performances dedicated to younger audiences are held in Parc Jouvet throughout July.
- Night markets for artisans and creators: Every Tuesday from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM at Place des Clercs, from mid-June to mid-August.
- Sports and social activities: Pétanque tournaments, pump track cycling competitions, wellness sessions in Parc Jouvet, guinguettes, and dance parties highlight the Valence summer.
Iconic Valence Locations
Les Estivales takes place in the city's most beautiful public spaces. Parc Jouvet, a magnificent 7-hectare garden overlooking the Rhône, hosts Jazz sur le Gazon and children's shows. The Champ de Mars, a vast esplanade in the heart of the city with views of the Château de Crussol, serves as the stage for major concerts, the food festival, and the "La Valentinoise" pétanque tournament. The Maison des Têtes serves as the starting point for guided tours, while the boulevards, the mail Gérard Philippe, the Musée de Valence, and the old town squares (Clercs, Saint-Jean, Place de la Paix) come alive throughout the summer.
An Intergenerational Program
Les Estivales is designed for everyone. Families enjoy children's shows and outdoor activities, music lovers savor the concerts and jazz, street art enthusiasts watch the murals take shape, sports fans join the tournaments, and foodies gather at the guinguettes and culinary events. This unifying program contributes to the quality of life and the appeal of Valence during the summer season.
A Highlight: The Festival Sur le Champ!
The centerpiece of Les Estivales, the Festival Sur le Champ! offers 100% free concert evenings in July at the Champ de Mars. This full-scale festival, featuring national and international headliners, attracts over 40,000 spectators and is the highlight of the Valence summer. It is extended by a free "Off" program that spreads throughout the city center in the two weeks leading up to it.
A Gourmet Finale
The season concludes in September with the Valence en Gastronomie Festival, a major culinary event for the Drôme and Ardèche regions held on the Champ de Mars. It features free site access, tastings, culinary shows, chef-led brunches, and evening dining events by reservation. Around 50,000 visitors are expected each year.
Where does it take place — Les Estivales
Les Estivales in brief
Other festivals near Valence
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