The Nuits des Forêts 2026 are back in the Yvelines (78), with Rambouillet as a hive of activity, ready to help you go green this June. From June 5 to 21, 2026, the festival invites you to explore nearby woodlands through hundreds of experiences and bucolic activities, most of them free. Educational walks, evening excursions, and forest-based art installations await, for families as well as curious solo explorers.
We were there, and we can tell you the forests around Rambouillet have something special in June: light filters through the oaks, birds bustle about, and the air smells of resin. This year, the Nuits des Forêts will explore the 2026 edition’s theme: "Listening to the Living," an invitation to prick up our ears to everything the forest has to tell, well beyond the simple hush of the undergrowth.
The program on the Rambouillet Territoires side features two standout options you shouldn’t miss. On 13 juin 2026, head to Sonchamp for a balade de 14 h à 16 h intitulée "Sur la piste de la faune sauvage". The idea: learn to read the signs left by forest wildlife, from a hazelnut nibbled away, to a footprint in the earth, to a birdsong recognizable from a mile away. The meeting point is the parking Forêt de Chevreuse (coordinates: 48°43'57.8"N 2°00'20.6"E, 78470 Sonchamp), suitable for ages 6 and up, and registration is via Île-de-France Nature. It’s free, and honestly, it’s the kind of outing that makes you want to come back.
Since June 19, 2026, the departmental forest of Pinceloup in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines opens its doors at dusk. From 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Solen Boivin will guide walkers through landscapes of pines, broom, oaks and trembling aspens to listen as nocturnal wildlife awakens. The site’s ponds and small lakes host a remarkable amphibian fauna, whose croaks alone make for a true sonic spectacle. Free reservations are available on Rambouillet Tourism’s online ticketing, for ages 6 and up. The starting point is along Route de Sonchamps, 78120 Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.
On June 6, 2026, the collective L'Art au Quotidien, in partnership with Le Lieu, an Yvelines-based center for artistic creation, invites you to an immersive walking parcours in Bourdonné (78113), starting at 6:45 p.m. (parcours departs at 7:30 p.m., at 8 chemin de l'Orée). The site-specific creation "Elle était mille fois" blends text, visual installations, sound, light, and theatre, taking its cue from the text of Sylvie Germain, Variations sibériennes – Le monde sans vous (Albin Michel). A choir of women's voices traverses the forest to pose a question as intimate as it is universal: our link to the mother earth, to our own mothers, and to what we make of it. This Lieu event is supported by the DRAC Île-de-France and the regional natural park de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse. Access is free, withreservations by email at armelle.lelieu@gmail.com.
conceived during the lockdown of 2020, this project was born first and foremost out of an urgent concern for the health of France's forests in the face of climate change, but also out of a desire to build a shared conversation around their challenges. In that sense, the Rambouillet events align perfectly with the festival’s spirit: no flashy spectacle, just a genuine connection with the living world, guided by enthusiasts who know their forest inside and out.
The Yvelines department is offering a total of eight exclusive outings across its sensitive natural spaces throughout the festival. This program targets both families with children (walks suitable from age 6) and adults seeking an original, screen-free escape. All events are free and reachable by car from Paris in under an hour. Be sure to register in advance, as space is limited.
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Dates and Opening Time
From June 6, 2026 to June 19, 2026
Location
Espace Rambouillet
Espace Rambouillet
78120 Clairefontaine en Yveline
Prices
Free
Recommended age
For all
Official website
nuitsdesforets.com
Booking
nuitsdesforets.com
