Alain Marie's great animated Provençal nativity scene in Sorgues
Christmas 2026: practical information
For Christmas 2026, the nativity scene announced in Sorgues is Marius Lancelin's, in the multipurpose room at the administrative centre, 80 Route d’Entraigues. It is displayed from 23 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. Free admission.
The Vaucluse Tourisme listing gives daily opening hours of 08:00–17:30. For weekend or public holiday visits, check with the town council on 04 90 39 71 00.
Source: Vaucluse Tourisme — Marius Lancelin's Provençal nativity scene. The following report and photographs from 2019 feature Alain Marie's display.
Information checked on 30 October 2026. The photographs and report below show previous editions.
Report: Alain Marie's nativity scene at Christmas 2019
Since 2002, Alain Marie and his wife have presented Sorgues' great animated nativity scene, known far beyond the town and attracting thousands of visitors — more than 6,000 in 2018. Across 55 m², 200 clothed santons of 30, 24 and 17 cm depict old Provence and largely vanished trades. One is the “torpilleur des rues”, a street-cleaning character added in 2019 and unlikely to be seen elsewhere. Many of Alain Marie's santons were gifts. He makes the scenery himself: the farm, workshops, houses, Sorgues town hall and church.
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque also appear in the display. They stayed in Sorgues in 1912: Picasso and his then partner Eva Gouel, together with Braque and his wife, spent the summer at Villa Bel Air, a Japanese-inspired house on the Route d’Entraigues. The two painters were developing Cubism at this time. During the stay, Braque invented and produced his first papier collé. Seriously wounded in the First World War, he returned to Sorgues to recover in 1915 and 1916.
During my visit in 2019, Alain Marie and his wife welcomed visitors to share the magic. He was already preparing the Christmas 2020 display, whose main theme was to be the Camargue.
Photographs of Sorgues' Christmas nativity scene (2019): slideshow
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
The great animated Christmas nativity scene in Sorgues
Getting to Sorgues
The Sorgues nativity scene is displayed at the administrative centre.