Every year in October, the Abbaye de Fontfroide near Narbonne turns into an orchid paradise. During the ‘Festival International des Orchidées’, more than 20 exhibitors show and sell their magnificent orchids and other greenery. If you’re not in the mood to buy, then you can simply marvel at the rare varieties that are on display. With its thousands of years of history, the Cistercian abbey is the ideal place to highlight these beautiful flowers! The 2025 edition will take place from 3 to 5 October, with the theme being Japan.
Colourful Splendour
The Orchid Festival at the Abbaye de Fontfroide came to be in 2006 as the result of a meeting between orchid producer Albert Falcinelli and the abbey. After buying my 9 euros ticket online, including access to the exhibition and part of the abbey, I was curious to find out what the exhibitors had in store. Entering the courtyard and the refectory revealed the colourful splendour of producers from all over the world. Besides orchids, there were also a lot of other beautiful flowers and plants for sale. The exhibition carried on in the Lay Brothers’ Dormitory, where more producers and artists showcased their colourful merchandise.
Sweet-Smelling Fragrance
The central star of the festival is, of course, the orchid. Walking around taught me a lot about this delicate flower. Did you know that orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants, including about 28,000 individual species? Apart from blue and black, they bloom in every imaginable hue, luring bystanders with their sweet-smelling fragrance. The connection with Japan was reflected in aesthetic art forms such as calligraphy and origami. This year’s edition also offered the possibility to attend some workshops on both art forms, scattered around the beautiful cloister. Even the kids were interested as they could join a Manga storyboard workshop. Consider reserving in advance via the abbey’s website below.
Fairytale World
As the entrance ticket also grants access to part of the abbey, I proceeded through the groin-vaulted cloister into the church. And here, I entered a completely different fairytale world filled with rare orchids in a Japanese-inspired scenery. It was such a joy to walk through this lush floral poetry, and I moved from one exquisite flower to another. I couldn’t identify the rare species I saw, but they were a feast for the eyes. A tip for the next orchid festival: come as early as possible if you want to avoid the crowds and have a good choice of the flowers and plants for sale. I went on Friday, 3 October, and there were already quite a lot of visitors.
