Tourism | What to expect for this 17th edition of the Festival international des hortillonnages?

Nearly 60,000. This is the number of visitors who go each year to the Amiens garden and hortillonnage festival. Since its creation in 2010, it has established itself as an unmissable event for Amiens residents and tourists. For this 17^e edition, which takes place from May 22 to October 11, things were seen in a big way: 49 landscape and artistic installations, including 12 new this year.
6 landscaped gardens, 5 visual creations and a student project were selected from more than 210 international applications. According to Gilbert Filinger, director of the Arts et Jardins Hauts-de-France association, organizer of the festival: “We want to highlight a festive dimension in a world that is not always festive.»

What’s new between land and water

To discover these new works, visitors can take two routes of their choice: by electric boat on the Clermont pond and on foot on the île aux Fagots. Three of them took place there, including Sèves – à fleur d’eau by Meaghan Matthews. A dozen blown glass bubbles are arranged on the surface of the water and integrate perfectly into the natural environment. Another work may also intrigue visitors: Eyes Wide Cut by Émilie Breux.The artist worked on wood marquetry by painting eyes on sections of trees already present on the site“, explains Nathalie Vallée, production director of Arts et Jardins Hauts-de-France. A tribute to the time when collected wood was transported by water on the hortillons.

Finally, Apolline Ducrocq offers Hortillone, large columns of sculpted baskets. His inspiration comes from old photographs of the world of hortillons and the market gardening past, pride of the Picardy territory.

While exploring the Clermont pond, nine new features will be visible during the visit, including The Palace of Birds, Sea Above, Sky Below and The Garden Feeds the Compost. Works which have an environmental dimension, directly linked to living things and nature. This year, the student project Mise en abysse from Collectif A8 is also in the spotlight. Eight students studying plastic arts at the Université Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens created a installation denouncing the fragility and non-protection of the aquatic system.

Their wish: “Make visitors aware of their place in the world, where everyone must pay attention to the environment.»

Pay homage in Picardy territory

Another striking project, carried out by Openfield, a collective of Belgian artists, is part of this homage to the Samarian territory. This is Crue, a landscaped memorial which represents the historic floods that occurred in the Somme in 2001. “Our work is structured around a raised pontoon, a sensitive landmark inspired by the footbridges improvised by the victims, marking the flood level», précisent Pauline Cap and Manu Vanderveken, members of Openfield.

Beyond the festive and artistic dimension, “highlighting young creators, but also an international dimension, were our priorities for this 17^e édition» insists Gilbert Filinger.

 

The festival in a few figures

• 680,000 visitors since the creation of the festival
• 393 protected hectares, on which the festival takes place (95% of which are classified Natura 2000)
• 1 European prize in 2024
• 330 vegetable species used, planted and seeded

 

Arts et Jardins, winner of the 2026 European Heritage Prize

«It is a source of great pride for us and recognition of our work.“, rejoices Gilbert Filinger, director of the Arts et Jardins Hauts-de-France association. A few weeks ago, their Peace Gardens were awarded the 2026 European Heritage Prize, in the “Citizen Engagement and Awareness” category. Around thirty contemporary public gardens are located along the former front line of the First World War, in France and Belgium. Designed by landscapers from countries formerly at war, they still symbolize today the duty of memory and transmission. HAS”Nowadays, it is crucial to send a message of peace» says Gilbert Filinger. This year, Arts et Jardins is the only one in France to have obtained this precious sesame.