When you don't live nearby, some towns in Île-de-France remain totally unfamiliar to us. Everyone knows Fontainebleau, Créteil, or Montmorency, but have you ever visited Voisins-le-Bretonneux, in the Yvelines? If the answer is no, then you should head there on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
This municipality in the Yvelines department hosts a number of monuments and historical curiosities. It also houses the Decauville Space, a cultural venue that will welcome us on May 23 for an evening packed with surprises and art.
Indeed, that’s where the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines City Museum invites us to celebrate the Night of Museums. This major event unfolds each year as the days lengthen: museums, monuments, cultural centers and other foundations throw open their doors in the evening, to the delight of art lovers.
It's usually a chance to rediscover the artistic collections of the museums around us, and to have fun with the special activities. Performances and theatre, concerts, games, themed visits: this Nuit des Musées never fails to surprise us... And on that note, what can you do during this quirky night at the Decauville space?
Travel back to the heyday of leisure expansion, the spread of paid holidays, and the craze for family getaways—picnics in the countryside, seaside trips, or vacations in the mountains!
### Memories and discovery
Through the era’s design and architectural objects, the exhibition traces a major social, cultural, and aesthetic transformation in France: the advent of free time and the popularization of holidays.
Whether you’re diving back into childhood memories or discovering a very different era for younger visitors, you won’t view your beach bucket the same way again…
### Collectibles and family photographs
Built on the rich design collections of the Musée de la Ville de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and drawing on its substantial documentary and photographic holdings, this exhibition blends nostalgic objects with a spotlight on evolving lifestyles and a reflection on the proactive development of mass tourism for everyone’s vacations.
From the vacation routes to leisure-oriented urban planning, and through the growth of a material culture tied to mobility, the journey will take you from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to La Grande Motte!
Exhibition from Saturday, April 11 to Saturday, July 25 inclusive. From Tuesday to Saturday, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and Sundays April 12, May 10, June 21, and July 5. Renseignements: 01 39 44 38 90 or _museedelaville.sqy.fr_
Youth pamphlet available on request
### On the road to the holidays
With a large game board as your set, film a one-take road-trip sequence in a 1970s car!
Using this low-tech setup, adapted for the exhibition theme "The Time of Holidays, 1956-1982", you'll craft your own holiday departure film.
### A work by video-artist Amandine Lecuyer
Amandine Lecuyer is an artist and visual artist, a builder of objects and maker of moving images. She creates "film-shows"—performances that sit at the crossroads of cinema, performing arts, and object theater.
In the Courtyard of the Decauville Space (indoor alternative available in case of rain).
Craft a mini holiday scene by the sea or in the mountains using a paper-cut diorama. Add the must-have vacation touches and take your creation with you!
In the Courtyard of the Decauville Space (an indoor option is available in case of rain)
A guided tour of the exhibition.
Merging drawing and music, this performance, at once intimate, sometimes explosive and whimsical, and often gentle, tackles the idea of tourism through the slow lens: a duo of cyclists—a musician (guitar and other bicycle-related sound objects) and a visual artist—take you on an alternative route, where you travel far by going near... a cheeky nod to low-cost flights and mass tourism.
In the Courtyard of the Decauville Space (indoor fallback in case of rain) – Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Lison De Ridder, drawing and cycling - Cyrille Lacheray, music and cycling - Romain Ozenne, Jeanne Gogny, external perspectives - Marc Hamandjian, reflection and tinkering. A show presented by the company Les Vibrants Défricheurs.
Join the grand bingo draw of vacation-themed objects on display in the exhibition The Time of the Holidays!
Grab your card before the draw and you could win small beach items or museum goodies!
In the Courtyard of the Decauville Space (indoor option available in case of rain)
Create your own postcard that blends embroidery with DIY coloring.
In the Courtyard of the Decauville space (indoor option in case of rain)
Join a team-based game that blends quizzes, a blind test and karaoke, all centered on vacation-themed songs, of course! Be the quickest on the buzzer and follow the lyrics on the big screen, or huddle your team to name that tune… but yes! Remember…
Whether you’re into Holidays by Madonna or Une belle Histoire by Michel Fugain, this evening is tailor-made for you!
In the Courtyard of the Decauville Space (indoor fallback in case of rain)
For more games, performances and art during this Night of Museums event, check out the Yvelines program.
Night of Museums 2026 in Yvelines (78): Your guide to evening cultural outings across the department
The Night of Museums is making a return on Saturday, May 23, 2026, inviting both young and old residents of Île-de-France to explore the most beautiful museums and historic sites in the Yvelines with special tours, activities, and surprises! Here’s a sneak peek at what awaits you in the department of 78 for this extraordinary evening. [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
On May 23, 2026
Location
Decauville Space
5 Place de la Division Leclerc
78960 Voisins le Bretonneux
Official website
nuitdesmusees.culture.gouv.fr
Night of Museums 2026 in Yvelines (78): Your guide to evening cultural outings across the department
