In Gérardmer, spring does not announce itself with rain or sunshine. It announces itself with daffodils. From 17 to 19 April 2026, the Place du Vieux Gérardmer transforms into an open-air artistic garden for the third edition of "Jonquilles en Fête" — a more intimate event than the great Fête des Jonquilles, but just as charged with the soul of this town that, since 1935, has chosen a flower as its symbol.
Event · Gérardmer · Vosges
Jonquilles en Fête · 3rd edition · 17, 18 and 19 April 2026 · Place du Vieux Gérardmer · Free admission · Next Fête des Jonquilles: April 2028.
There are cities that chose a colour. Gérardmer chose a flower. The daffodil — frank yellow, stubborn, incapable of growing silently — returns each spring to the Vosges meadows as if it never doubted it was expected. And since 1935, the inhabitants of the Pearl of the Vosges have dedicated a festival to it. Not an ordinary one: a world-renowned flower parade, with floats covered in hundreds of thousands of fresh daffodils, queens, brass bands, and crowds that come from across the globe.
This year, no parade. But no void either. Jonquilles en Fête, third edition, keeps the flame burning from 17 to 19 April 2026. And for those who know how to look, this more intimate gathering may say something truer about Gérardmer's soul than the grand parade.
The difference between the two events — and why it matters
The Fête des Jonquilles is a spectacle. Grand, organised with watchmaker's precision, capable of mobilising 350,000 daffodils for a single parade. The 52nd edition has been postponed to April 2028 — not for lack of enthusiasm, but out of pragmatism: the 2027 presidential election calendar would have made organising an event of this scale safely impossible. A responsible choice, confirmed by the Société des Fêtes and its president Jérôme Hirth.
Jonquilles en Fête is a neighbourhood festival that takes itself seriously. An event designed to keep the floral tradition alive between grand editions — with its own codes, its own rhythm, its own identity. This is not a consolation prize. It is an event in its own right, now in its third edition.
The fixed subjects: floral art at its most precise
At the heart of Jonquilles en Fête are the fixed subjects. These are the showpieces of the exhibition-competition — hand-shaped metal structures, skeletons of wire and mesh, that volunteer constructors then dress with thousands of fresh daffodils, flower by flower, with a precision bordering on goldsmithing.
The difference between a fixed subject and a parade float is immobility. The float passes before you at a speed that photography cannot capture. The fixed subject waits for you. It gives you time to understand how each daffodil was positioned, how colour flows from one plane to another, how a simple idea — a silhouette, an animal, a Vosges landscape — becomes something moving when built with flowers. And if you wish, you can participate in the "piquage": take a daffodil, find its place, insert it into the mesh. The simplest gesture in the world, and it brings you close to something made by other hands, for you.
The programme, day by day
Friday 17 April — 11am to 10pm. Official inauguration at 11:30am. The afternoon belongs to Fanfare La Renaissante d'Anould (3–7pm). In the evening: "Entre Deux", Céline Dion tribute concert, 7:30–9:30pm.
Saturday 18 April — 10:30am to 10:30pm. The most packed day. The brass band deambulates in the morning. In the afternoon, Parc Garnier hosts Jonqui's treasure hunt — for children aged 4 to 10, booked in advance at €5, with missions at 9:30am, 10:30am, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. The evening: DJ set and fireworks display.
Sunday 19 April — 11am to 6:30pm. Gérardmer Harmonie opens the morning (11am–noon). The group Ceci/Cela performs (2:30–5:30pm). At 4pm: the prize-giving ceremony for the constructors on stage. The jury has deliberated, the fixed subjects have had their moment, and those who gave weeks of volunteer work to their floral structures receive their city's recognition.
Throughout the three days: an artisan village with local producers (charcuterie, cheese, Alsace wines, champagne, gingerbread, candles, local spirits), children's face-painting workshops, and on-site catering.
Gérardmer in spring: what the lake says when you know how to listen
It would be a shame to spend three days in Gérardmer and see only the square. The lake — the largest natural lake in the Vosges, in a setting of forests that descend to the water's edge — is ten minutes' walk from the centre. In spring, the raking evening light on the water has something almost Scandinavian. The walks around the lake, towards the Bas-Rupts or Xonrupt-Longemer, cross meadows where wild daffodils still flower in protected areas. This is not a backdrop — it is the landscape that gave this event its reason for being.
For those who wish to extend the weekend in the finest conditions, Adopte une Conciergerie can organise the entire stay: accommodation in a character chalet or property in the area, transfers from Strasbourg or Colmar, reservations in the finest Vosges gastronomic addresses, and if desired, a privatised experience in a valley artisan's workshop to extend the spirit of the festival beyond the three days.
🌼 For fans of the grand parade: the next Fête des Jonquilles — the one with the floats, the crowds and the international brass bands — will take place in April 2028. Two years to anticipate. And two years is exactly the time needed to secure the best places.
Programme verified · Sources: Société des Fêtes de Gérardmer · Mairie de Gérardmer · 100% Vosges · Lorraine Magazine · JDS.fr
