Festival Lumières Impressionnistes 2026: we spotted Monet in Chatou (78)

We were on site Thursday evening for the premiere of the Festival Lumières Impressionnistes 2026, in the Yvelines (78). On the Île des Impressionnistes in Chatou, and here’s everything you need to know. This 6th edition pays tribute to Claude Monet with the theme "Monet, garden dreamed", running until Saturday, September 12, 2026.

To mark the painter’s centenary, the Hameau Fournaise becomes a living canvas, free and open to all. There are two evenings left to enjoy it this weekend, Friday and Saturday, with the full program this time: dance, illuminated strolls, exhibitions, and a small night market.

The Monet-themed video-mapping spectacle:

We know this stretch along the Seine well, this little island nub where the Impressionists used to set up their easels between spellbinding canoe trips. When night falls, the place takes on a new look. The facades light up, the Seine reflects the colors, and it feels a bit like strolling through a painting whose paint hasn’t dried yet.

What to see at the 2026 Impressionist Light Festival?

The heart of the evening is the sound-and-light show Monet, From Landscape to Landscape, brought to life by Artcom Diffusion. Projected on the façades of the Hameau Fournaise, it unfolds in several acts that carry us through Monet’s story, from the banks of the Seine to fields of poppies. It’s magical and immersive, and you find yourself looking up, as if paging through a giant picture book that several of you are leafing through together.

Our pick goes to the works devoted to Giverny’s garden, with its water lilies that seem to float on the walls, and to the piece that captures the artist’s passion for Japan. A cleverly placed wink: Monet collected the Japanese prints by Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro, which still hang on the walls of his Giverny home. The footbridge crossing his basin also echoes the bridges seen in those engravings.

Friday and Saturday, the festival expands its program with a live arts segment. The choreographic work "Variations for a Dreamed Garden", conceived by Priscilla Noël and presented by the Dhyana Dance Lab Company and the young SANOS ballet (in collaboration with the Conservatoire de Chatou), brings dance and painting into dialogue. We also encounter the luminous wanderings of the Luminescences company, a florally danced fairytale, and an unexpectedly striking performance of plant-based hairstyles.

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The setting does the rest. It is on the terrace of the Maison Fournaise that Renoir painted "Le Déjeuner des canotiers", a canvas now housed at The Phillips Collection in Washington. Hard to imagine a more fitting backdrop to mark Monet's centenary and the golden age of Impressionism by the water.

Impressionist Lights Festival Schedule This Weekend

Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026

• Sound and light show "Monet, De paysages en paysages" (Artcom Diffusion), at 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM
• Contemporary dance performance "Variations pour un jardin rêvé" (Priscilla Noël, Compagnie Dhyana Dance Lab and the SANOS young ballet, with the Conservatoire de Chatou), at 7:30 PM and 10:15 PM
• Luminous promenades by Luminescences, starting from 7:30 PM
• Floral fantasy, dance interlude by the Compagnie Luminescence, at 9:45 PM
• "The Flower Mender", vegetal hairstyles performance by the Compagnie Mystérieuses Coiffures, starting at 7:30 PM
• Exhibitions from 7:30 PM: "Renoir impressionist, the immersive experience" at the Musée Fournaise, a collection of era-specific boats lit with lanterns along the Fournaise quay (Sequana association) and an ephemeral floral greenhouse under the Pergola
• The Little Market of Lights from 7:30 PM: artisanal market, food trucks and a craft 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 will have you at the Île des Impressionnistes in just a few minutes on foot. Cyclists can also reach the Hamlet along the banks of the Seine from Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Rueil-Malmaison.

Admission is free and open to everyone, with activities kicking off at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday. The festival is supported by the Île-de-France Region. For the latest details before you go, everything you need is listed on the Musée Fournaise site and on the City of Chatou site.

A tip from our evening: remember to bring a jacket. After dark along the Seine, temperatures drop quickly once the sun goes down, and the final screening starts at 11 p.m. To round out your weekend, also check out our 10 outings in the Yvelines for the weekend of September 12-13, our family-friendly ideas for this weekend, and 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 families seeking a gentle outing, for couples who enjoy strolling as dusk falls, and for Monet lovers eager to see his landscapes come alive with shape and light. The projections speak to both children and adults, and since it's free, you’d be hard pressed to miss it.

A quick tip for this weekend: arrive right at opening. You’ll have time to stroll through the Market of Lights and grab a bite from the food trucks before the first screening at 9 p.m., without rushing from one show to another. The evening is outdoors, so it’s wise to check the forecast before you hop on the RER. And if you love freebies, our list of 15 sorties gratuites de septembre 2026 will spark more ideas.

Want to extend your Impressionist journey? We’ll also take you to the Claude Monet Impressionist House in Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise) and to our top 20 museums and Impressionist walks to discover in Paris and Île-de-France.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.