My favourites in Alsace
When choosing a festival in Alsace, the location is just as important as the lineup. Here, you can listen to live music in a valley surrounded by forests, at the foot of a castle, in the heart of the vineyards, or in villages perfect for a pre-concert stroll. More than just an outing, these festivals are true summer interludes. What I love is when the setting isn't just a backdrop, but truly part of the show.
© Julie Costet - ADTThe dancing hill: Décibulles in the Villé Valley
Le Chena, above the town of Neuve-Église, boasts a natural amphitheatre shaped into the hillside long before the festival was imagined. Décibulles settled here in 2003 and never left — and it's easy to see why. The Villé Valley stretches out below and the Vosges Mountains rise on the horizon, creating unforgettable sunsets to the sounds of rock or ska.
What I especially love is the spirit. Here, 178 members and 1,600 volunteers give their all for this three-day festival. The campsite is free, the craft beers come from near and far, and the friendly atmosphere is as present as the music.
📅 10, 11 and 12 July 2026 - Le Chena, Neuve-Église (Vallée de Villé)
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©Gnik-Au grès du jazzJazz under the ramparts: Au Grès du Jazz in La Petite-Pierre
La Petite-Pierre is a medieval village perched on a pink sandstone (= grès) spur in the heart of the Vosges du Nord Regional Nature Park (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). For nine days in August, Au Grès du Jazz brings jazz and world music to life in dreamy settings like the Castle Square, the Poet’s Garden and the Pagans” Garden.
What I especially love is wandering from stage to stage to the free concerts: in the Pagans’ Garden, at the Relais des Arts, in a forest clearing, or in the heart of the village. There’s plenty to enjoy without a ticket. Stroll through the town, stumble upon unique artists, and pause to listen in a different way. This year, the festival travels from Havana to Tunis, from Seville to the Vosges, featuring Roberto Fonseca, Dhafer Youssef, Sona Jobarteh, and more.
📅 8 to 16 August 2026 - La Petite-Pierre, Vosges du Nord Regional Nature Park
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©Paulo VianaBeneath the castle walls: Les Alpagas Bleus in Saverne
The Château des Rohan in Saverne, known as the Versailles of Alsace, boasts a pink Vosges sandstone façade, formal gardens, and shaded alleys. Every summer since 2023, the festival Les Alpagas Bleus sets up its main stage in front of this monumental backdrop, for evenings where heritage and French music meet under the stars.
The lights playing across the castle at nightfall make for an unreal experience. Soprano, Stephan Eicher, Matmatah & The Fuzzy Brass Four, and more. My tip: get there early to stroll through the park before the crowds and watch the evening light slide across the pink stone of the castle.
📅 16, 17 and 18 July 2026 - Parc du Château des Rohan, Saverne
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©Office de Tourisme de l'Alsace VerteOpera in the forges: La Voix des Forges in Jaegerthal
The Jaegerthal ironworks are a striking contradiction: industrial stone heritage that now hosts opera. La Voix des Forges embraces this paradox as its identity: poetic, subversive and bucolic. The festival reimagines opera in these former ironworks turned theatre, at the foot of a valley of the Northern Vosges.
What I love about this festival is its spirit: resolutely lyrical-industrial, a little rock ‘n’ roll, and open to everyone. This year's 8th edition features Verdi’s Rigoletto and Brecht & Weill’s The Threepenny Opera — two works that resonate differently when performed between the walls of a forge, deep in a valley of the Northern Vosges.
My tip: arrive before the performance to truly get a feel for the setting. When the voices rise in this industrial and rustic space, it's a rare experience.
📅 3 to 12 July 2026 - Forges de Jaegerthal, Vosges du Nord
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