Lily of the Valley Festival
Grand traditional festival and flower parade of Rambouillet
About Lily of the Valley Festival
The Lily of the Valley Festival: over a century of Rambouillet tradition
Since 1906, the Lily of the Valley Festival has marked the spring in Rambouillet. Created on the initiative of mayor Marie Roux, this popular festival has its roots in an old spring festival that already animated the town in 1880. Over the decades, it has been structured around strong traditions that continue today: the flower parade, the election of the Lily of the Valley Queen, and the fireworks display in the Château park.
The Lily of the Valley Queen, ambassador of the town
Since 1911 and the crowning of the first Queen, Fernande Deschamps, a young woman from Rambouillet has been elected each year to represent the town and its youth for one year. The election takes place during the Nuit du Muguet, a gala evening organized in January, where the public votes to choose the new sovereign and her court. This ritual is one of the festival's guiding threads, connecting generations of Rambouillet residents through a living and participatory tradition.
The flower parade: a spectacle of colors in the streets
On Sunday afternoon, the parade of flower-adorned floats is the highlight of the festival. About ten floats, decorated by associations, businesses, and neighborhoods of the town, travel through the streets of the center, from Place Félix-Faure to the Château park. Each year, a unifying theme inspires the creations: in 2025, "Discovering World Festivals" gave rise to floats evoking the Rio Carnival, the Indian Festival of Colors, the Chinese Lantern Festival, and Saint Patrick's Day. A jury awards prizes for the most beautiful creations.
A weekend of festivities for everyone
The Fête du Muguet unfolds over two days, the third weekend of May. Saturday features a fashion show by local retailers on the pedestrianized Rue du Général-de-Gaulle, followed by a pyrosymphonic show in the park of the Château de Rambouillet. Sunday begins with a musical prelude, a hunting ceremony, and a traditional mass at the Saint-Lubin church, before the grand flower parade in the afternoon. A funfair animates the town center throughout the weekend.
Lily of the Valley Festival — edition 2026
Lily of the Valley Festival 2026 — 97th edition, May 9 and 10
The 97th Lily of the Valley Festival of Rambouillet took place on May 9 and 10, 2026, centered around the theme 'Board games and video games'. The funfair opened on Friday, May 8, to liven up the city center throughout the weekend.
Émilie Jacquet, 101st Lily of the Valley Queen
On Saturday, May 9, at 10 PM, at the Rondeau site in the Château park, Émilie Jacquet, 18, was crowned 101st Lily of the Valley Queen in the presence of her two dauphines, Sacha Turlure and Sarah Bouziat. The reception of the sovereign was marked by the Saint-Hubert tradition: horses, pack, piqueurs, and horn players. The coronation was immediately followed, at 10:20 PM, by a pyrosymphonic show whose visual and musical scenario illustrated the edition's theme.
A weekend of traditions
On Saturday, May 9, at 3:30 PM, the fashion show of Rambouillet merchants enlivened the Jardin du Roi de Rome. On Sunday, May 10, the day began at 10:30 AM at Place Félix-Faure with the musical prelude by the Société Musicale de Rambouillet and the official reception of the Queen, followed at 11 AM by the traditional Saint-Hubert mass at the Église Saint-Lubin. A musical aperitif was held at 12:30 PM at the Palais du Roi de Rome.
The flower parade, highlight of the edition
On Sunday at 2:30 PM, the flower parade set off from Rue Sadi-Carnot, with more than a dozen floats decorated by local associations, showcasing the theme of games and the colors of lily of the valley. A capoeira demonstration by the Capoeira Senzala association animated Place Félix-Faure at 3 PM. The announcement of the float competition results concluded the afternoon at 5:30 PM.
Funfair
The funfair enlivened the city center from Friday, May 8, to Sunday, May 10, located on Rue Leclerc and Lenôtre, Rondeau parking, and Places Félix-Faure, Marie-Roux, and Libération.
Programme Lily of the Valley Festival 2026
Friday, May 8, 2026
- 2 PM — midnight · Funfair — Rue Leclerc and Lenôtre, Rondeau parking, Places Félix-Faure, Marie-Roux, and Libération
Saturday, May 9, 2026
- 2 PM — 2 AM · Funfair and pedestrianization of Rue de Gaulle — city center
- 3:30 PM · Rambouillet merchants' fashion show — Jardin du Roi de Rome
- 10:00 PM · Coronation of Émilie Jacquet, 101st Lily of the Valley Queen, and her dauphines Sacha Turlure and Sarah Bouziat — Château Park, Rondeau site
- 10:20 PM · Pyrosymphonic show on the theme of board games and video games — Château Park, Rondeau site
Sunday, May 10, 2026
- 10:30 AM · Musical prelude by the Société Musicale de Rambouillet and official reception of the Queen and her dauphines (horses, pack, piqueurs, horn players) — Place Félix-Faure
- 11:00 AM · Traditional Saint-Hubert Mass — Église Saint-Lubin
- 12:30 PM · Musical aperitif — Palais du Roi de Rome
- 2:00 PM — midnight · Funfair — city center
- 2:30 PM · Departure of the flower parade (more than a dozen floats) — Rue Sadi-Carnot
- 3:00 PM · Capoeira demonstration by the Capoeira Senzala association — Place Félix-Faure
- 5:30 PM · Announcement of the float competition results
Highlights Lily of the Valley Festival 2026
2026 Edition — what to remember
- Dates: May 9 and 10, 2026 (97th edition), funfair from May 8 to 10
- Theme: 'Board games and video games'
- 101st Lily of the Valley Queen: Émilie Jacquet, 18, with her dauphines Sacha Turlure and Sarah Bouziat
- Coronation Saturday 10 PM at the Château park, followed by the pyrosymphonic show at 10:20 PM
- Flower parade Sunday 2:30 PM with more than a dozen floats departing from Rue Sadi-Carnot
- Free admission for all festivities (funfair attractions are paid)
Prices Lily of the Valley Festival 2026
Practical information — Lily of the Valley Festival
Practical Information
Location
Rambouillet town center and the park of the Château de Rambouillet, 78120 Rambouillet.
Access
Train: Rambouillet station (Transilien line N, from Paris-Montparnasse in 35 minutes).
Car: A10 exit Rambouillet, N10. Parking in the town center.
Prices
Free - The entire festival is free to access (flower parade, entertainment, fireworks display). Funfair is paid.
Contact
Rambouillet Town Hall: 01 75 03 40 00. Website: rambouillet.fr
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Where does it take place — Lily of the Valley Festival
Centre-ville et Château de Rambouillet
2 place de la Libération, 78120 Rambouillet