Chaumont-sur-Loire Festival Blends Art and Nature

The 2026 edition of the Chaumont-sur-Loire art and nature festival presents site-specific installations by contemporary artists in the historic château and its gardens. The event, held annually since 2008, features works that engage with the natural landscape, including pieces by artists such as Patrick Dougherty, who constructs large-scale willow sculptures, and Pascale Marthine Tayou, known for his colorful, mixed-media interventions. The festival also includes a competition for garden design, with this year's theme focusing on biodiversity. Curated by Chantal Colleu-Dumond, the exhibition runs from April to November 2026, attracting over 300,000 visitors annually. The festival emphasizes ecological awareness and the dialogue between art and environment, with many works created using sustainable materials.