Christmas 2026: practical information
Jean-Félix Perdiguier's website announces the Christmas 2026 nativity scene, with visits 14:30–17:30 on Saturdays and Sundays in December and January, and daily from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.
The announcement on the Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon nativity scene website, found in search results, now gives an opening ceremony on Sunday 29 November 2026 at 11:30. Reconfirm this date with the organiser before travelling.
The Crèche blanche schedule remains unconfirmed: the announcement still lists both a Saturday and a Sunday as 31 January 2027.
Last information search: 30 October 2026. The programme could not be checked again directly on the organiser's website. The photographs and report below show previous editions.
The Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon nativity scene is one of the finest in Provence, a truly magical Provençal spectacle. Jean-Félix Perdiguier creates this animated nativity scene each year in the little village church with great skill and enthusiasm.
The characters go about their work around the Nativity in a Provençal landscape: a woman picks olives from a ladder, a woodcutter saws timber, a fisherman gets a bite, a blacksmith hammers on his anvil, and a laundress washes clothes. Meanwhile, the idler enjoys a nap beneath a tree. The little community is busy all day until night falls, bringing a quiet moment to reflect on the mystery of Christmas around the Nativity.
Each year, Jean-Félix Perdiguier devises new moving scenes, adds scenery and rearranges the figures. Assembly is a major undertaking: six volunteers start work in early November. The splendid santons are 30 to 80 cm tall, some dating from the 19th century. It delights children and adults alike. After a TF1 news report in 2018, more than 8,000 people came to see the display.
Photographs of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon's nativity scene (2019): slideshow
Animated Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon
Animated Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon
Animated Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon
Animated Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon
Animated Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon
Video of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon's nativity scene (2019)
Practical information
Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon lies just under ten kilometres from Avignon towards Pernes-les-Fontaines. The hillside village has splendid views over the Comtat Venaissin plain, the Dentelles de Montmirail, Mont Ventoux, the Monts de Vaucluse and the Luberon. For opening dates and accessibility, see Jean-Félix Perdiguier's comprehensive website: saintsaturninlesavignon.com.