Impressionist Light Festival 2026: A Dream Monet at Chatou (78)

Off to the Yvelines (78) and the Île des Impressionnistes in Chatou, where the Festival Lumières Impressionnistes unveils its 6th edition from September 10 to 12, 2026. This year—marking the centenary of Claude Monet’s death—the event casts the theme "Monet, jardin rêvé" and turns the Hameau Fournaise site into a living painting, free and open to all.

We know this stretch along the Seine well, this little island nub where the Impressionists used to set up their easels between two boat races. Over three evenings (with a preview on Thursday the 10th), Monet’s beloved nature comes alive after dark, as Water Lilies are projected, lights bloom like poppies, and the dreamt‑of Japanese bridge rises in the night.

What to see at the 2026 Impressionist Light Festival?

The throughline of this edition is nature as Monet endlessly painted it: the banks of the Seine, poppy fields, water lilies and gardens. The grand sound-and-light show "Monet, From Landscape to Landscape", by Artcom Diffusion, outfits the façades of the Hameau Fournaise with immersive projections, a nod to Giverny.

In the realm of live arts, the choreographic work “Variations for a Dreamed Garden,” conceived by Priscilla Noël and performed by Dhyana Dance Lab alongside the young SANOS ballet (with the Conservatoire de Chatou), brings dance and painting into dialogue. The program also features the Luminescences company’s luminous promenades, a dancing floral fairy-tale, and an unexpectedly inventive showcase of vegetal hairstyles.

Our favorite element is the setting itself. It’s on the terrace at the Maison Fournaise that Renoir painted "Le Déjeuner des canotiers", a work now housed at The Phillips Collection in Washington. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting backdrop to celebrate Monet’s centennial and the golden age of Impressionism by the water.

• To be read
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Impressionist Light Festival Program – Monet, the Dreamed Garden

Preview Night – Thursday, September 10, 2026

• Immersive experience tour "Renoir the Impressionist: The Immersion" at the Musée Fournaise, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sound and light show "Monet, From Landscape to Landscape" (Artcom Diffusion), at 9 p.m.

Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026

• Sound and light show "Monet, From Landscape to Landscape" (Artcom Diffusion), at 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM
• Contemporary dance piece "Variations for a Dreamed-Of Garden" (Priscilla Noël, Dhyana Dance Lab Company and SANOS Youth Ballet, with the Chatou Conservatory), at 8:30 PM and 10:15 PM
• Luminescent strolls by the Luminescences company, starting at 7:30 PM
• Floral fantasy, a danced interlude by the Luminescence Company, at 9:45 PM
• "The Flower Mender", a performance of botanical hairstyles by the Mysterious Hairstyles Company, from 7:30 PM
• Exhibitions from 7:30 PM: "Renoir the Impressionist: The Immersive Experience" at the Fournaise Museum, a collection of period boats lit with lanterns along the Fournaise quay (Sequana Association), and the ephemeral floral greenhouse under the Pergola
• The Little Market of Lights from 7:30 PM: artisanal market, food trucks and a beer bar

How to get to the Chatou Impressionist Lights Festival?

The site is easy to reach from Paris. The Chatou-Croissy station, on the RER A, gets you to the Île des Impressionnistes in just a short walk. Cyclists can also reach Le Hameau along the Seine, from Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Rueil-Malmaison.

Admission is free and open to all, making it a perfect back-to-school outing for families or friends. The festival benefits from the support of the Île-de-France Region. To plan your visit and check the latest details, everything is laid out on the Musée Fournaise site and on the City of Chatou site. To make sure you don’t miss a thing, also explore our picks of sound-and-light shows to see in Île-de-France.

Our take on the Impressionist Light Festival

Who is this evening for? For anyone who loves wandering as night falls, for families seeking a gentle, free outing, and for Monet enthusiasts eager to see his work come to life in three dimensions. A tip: Thursday the 10th, with the preview, is more intimate, while Friday and Saturday offer the full program, including dance and ambulations.

Want to extend your Impressionist journey? We’re also taking you to the Claude Monet Impressionist House in Argenteuil (95) and to our selection of the top 20 impressionist museums and walks to discover in Paris and Île-de-France.