Ainay celebrates the family, exhibitions, a festival, a show, a concert... Don't miss a single event at Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil! The team has put together a unique program for you. So, with family or friends, don't hesitate to join the ranks of those taking part in these friendly, colorful events.

Mark your calendars, your first appointment is on this page!

Exhibitions

  • From Friday April1 to Sunday October 2: exhibition by internationally-renowned visual artist Daniel Hourdé. His sculptures will be displayed in the gardens of Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.

  • From Friday April1 to Sunday June 12: photo exhibition: "La Capitainerie avant - après" (The Harbour Master's Office before and after) or the magnificent transformations of the works. Inspiring!

  • Wednesday, July 4 to Sunday, October 2: exhibition of the Trésors de ferveurs association's collection "Trésors de Ferveur - Grottes, Jardins clos et Reliquaires, merveilles de Papier" (Treasures of Fervor - Caves, Walled Gardens and Reliquaries, Wonders of Paper): relics of saints are presented and enhanced by decorations featuring altarpieces, cornucopias, bouquets in vases and baskets, wreaths, garlands of flowers... these motifs are created using strips of colored and gilded paper. A must-see!

Events

During the 2022 season, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil will join in the "Garden of France" theme celebrated this year by the Centre Val de Loire Region's "Les Nouvelles Renaissances", thanks to the diversity of its gardens: historical, botanical, nurturing, cultural and artistic.

  • Sunday, May 29: Ainay celebrates the family*.
    The Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil celebrates the family with a special program for all to explore together: treasure hunt, circus and ancient games workshops, magical theatrical storytelling, donkey rides around the château. Parents, children and grandparents are invited to join in the picnic and continue their afternoon of family fun and discovery.
    Picnic in the park*

  • Friday June 3, Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5: 19th "Rendez-vous aux jardins". Theme: "Gardens in the face of climate change" to protect the biodiversity of species, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil supports a policy of protecting bees, insects and birds by creating an environment in the gardens that is conducive to their development.
    Saturday, 4pm: Guided tour of the gardens
    Sunday*: In collaboration with the CPIE Brenne Berry, insect house-building workshops and garden walks are available for families. Themes such as ornithology and biodiversity will be addressed to raise awareness of nature conservation and the important role played by birds and insects in our gardens. Discovery walks and nature games are also on the program.
    Saturday and Sunday: Poetry and music will enhance your picnic and your stroll through the park and gardens, thanks to Michel Auvent, "le jardinier du bonheur", poet, storyteller and writer, and Laurent Galli , accompanied by his musical instrument, the santour.
    Picnic in the park*

  • Wednesday June 15 to Sunday June 19: Festival international de peinture en plein air. The Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil opens its doors to a group of "plein air painters" who, in the tradition of the Impressionists, paint nature as they see it. Exhibition of the artists' paintings.

  • Saturday July 9 and Sunday July 10: 15th Salon des Curiosités. The Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil brings together some thirty antique dealers whose stands occupy the Salle des Archers, the Salle des Équipages, the Sellerie and the château courtyard. For a weekend, "Le Carcassonne du Berry" opens its doors to antique hunters and curiosity seekers.

  • Friday August 19 to Sunday August 21: 1st Rencontres musicales du Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil. Three days of concerts with David Molard Soriano, assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France and co-founder and artistic & musical director of the Orchestre des Jeunes d'Île-de-France.
    Friday August 19, 7 p.m.: concert. Carte blanche for French pianist Nathanaël Gouin in the Salle des Archers,
    Saturday August 20, 7 p.m.: concerts in the gardens and church of the village of Ainay-le-Vieil,
    Sunday August 21, 7 p.m.: symphonic concert in the Salle des Archers.

  • Sunday September 18* : Heritage Days on the theme of "Sustainable Heritage".
    3pm: lecture by Richard Duplat, chief architect of the Monuments Historiques, on the restoration of the château, with particular emphasis on the Renaissance logis.
    5pm: Lecture by Annie Badower and Pierre-Alain Rogues on "La Forêt de Tronçais, ses chênes, ses légendes, ses fonts et ses forges".
    Picnic in the park*.

  • Saturday, September 24: Colloquium on Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Minister of Louis XIV, who played a key role in the development of France: finance, industry, trade, navy, public works, agriculture, arts, culture, while also being a great collector himself at his Château de Sceaux.
  • Sunday, October 2: château closes

 

* For sanitary reasons, we ask visitors to bring their own cutlery and plates.