Village de l'Oiseau, Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône
France

Dates: Wednesday 13 — Sunday 17 May 2026
Hours: Various times (Full program)
Location: Multiple venues across The Camargue

Event Website

13–17 May 2026 | Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, Arles, Saintes-Maries-de-la Mer and the Camargue gardoise

The Camargue is a territory shaped by water, wind, and the living world - a mosaic of salt marshes, lagoons, rice paddies, and sansouires where the Rhône finally meets the Mediterranean. Each May, the Parc naturel régional de Camargue opens this landscape to visitors through the Festival de la Camargue et du Delta du Rhône, now in its 18th edition.

Over five days, more than a hundred guided outings unfold across the delta - on foot, on horseback, by canoe, by bicycle and by boat. Naturalists lead dawn walks to photograph pink flamingos lifting off the étangs, ornithologists decode the calls of herons and bee-eaters, and scientists from the Parc share fieldwork on Mediterranean pollution, coastal erosion, and the return of the otter to Camargue waterways.

Golden Sun on pink sky behind flying flamingos. Text reads in French language: 18th Festival of The Camargue and Rhône Delta with further details.

This year's godfather is photographer Hans Silvester, whose work has documented the relationship between people and the Camargue landscape for over six decades. A retrospective of his photography anchors the cultural programme, alongside documentary screenings, conferences, and exhibitions at the Village de l'Oiseau in the gardens of La Tour in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. The 2026 edition also spotlights the newly signed cooperation between the Camargue Biosphere Reserve and Cuba's Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve.

What to expect

Activities are spread across the wider delta, from Port-Saint-Louis eastward to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and into the Camargue gardoise.

Five Unmissable Experiences at the 2026 Festival

The park opens exceptionally at daybreak for a four-hour photography workshop with professionals Thierry Vezon and Gérard Verdier — flamingos arriving, herons departing, and the particular light of early morning over the étangs. €70; advance booking essential.

A three-hour walk through 473 hectares of former private hunting ground, bought by the Conservatoire du littoral in 2012 and now managed by the Office français de la biodiversité. One of the festival's most quietly privileged accesses. €5.

Out to sea with scientists from the Parc naturel régional de Camargue and the ADDEC, covering Mediterranean pollution, coastal erosion, the fishing fleet, and the seahorses, seagrass meadows and marine turtles of the gulf. €22 adult, €14 under 15.

After the day visitors leave, the shyer species return — mammals emerging, birds settling into their roosts. A 2h30 walk closing with a tasting of Camargue organic produce. €18 adult, €8 for 4–12s.

The closing Journée Traditions: a picnic prepared by the chefs of the Conservatoire des Cuisines de Camargue using AOP and IGP produce of the delta — rice, salt, tellines, bull, fleur de sel. The one lunch in the calendar when the delta feeds itself back to its visitors.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Main hub: Village de l'Oiseau, Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône (13230)
Other venues: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Arles, Camargue gardoise
Access: Village de l'Oiseau and conferences — free entry. Nature outings — advance booking required.
Reservations: festival-camargue.com | email | +33 6 79 71 44 23

Getting there from La Flânerie: Approximately 1h30 by car. Via A9 south to Nîmes, then A54 toward Arles; for Port-Saint-Louis continue on the D35 east of Arles (~50 km). For Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, D570 south from Arles. The Camargue gardoise outings (Aigues-Mortes area) are the closest venues, around 1 hour away.

Where to stay nearby

Most festival-goers cluster around Arles or the Saintes. Staying at La Flânerie in Euzet-les-Bains offers a different proposition: a base in the Gard from which the Camargue becomes one of several threads to pull, alongside Uzès, the Pont du Gard, and the Cévennes foothills. Mornings in the delta, evenings back in garrigue country.