Teckel Fest Nantes 2026: Dachshund Meetup in Orvault on May 30
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Nantes has a date with its sausage dogs. On Saturday, May 30, 2026, the 4th edition of Teckel Fest Nantes takes over Parc Michel Baudry in Orvault for an afternoon that is 100% dachshund: a costume contest, a group walk, and a charity drive for Nantes-area shelters. Whether you're a proud dachshund owner or just curious, this free event is for you.
Parc Michel Baudry — Orvault (44)
Saturday, May 30, 2026
From 3 p.m.
4th edition
Free and open to everyone — with or without a dachshund
Drive benefiting Nantes-area shelters
📋 Contents
🌭 What is Teckel Fest Nantes?
Teckel Fest Nantes is an annual gathering for dachshunds and their owners, held every spring at Parc Michel Baudry in the town of Orvault, just minutes from downtown Nantes. 2026 marks the 4th edition, proof that the event has found its audience and built a loyal Nantes community.
The concept is simple: bring together, for one afternoon, dozens (even hundreds) of dachshunds of every variety, standard, miniature, Kaninchen, smooth-haired, long-haired, or wire-haired, for a group walk through the park, punctuated by friendly activities. No heavy podium, no competitive setup: the idea is for the dogs and their humans to have fun, swap stories, and enjoy a green setting together.
Teckel Fest comes at a good time: the breed has entered the top 10 favorite dogs in France, and its social media community is one of the most active in the French dog world. Nantes and its surrounding area are no exception, and every year the gathering draws a bigger crowd.
📍 The May 30, 2026 program
The meeting time is 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Parc Michel Baudry. The event runs all afternoon in the green setting of the park's 7 hectares (about 17 acres), in partnership with the La Belle Saison guinguette, which handles food and entertainment.
The group dachshund walk
The highlight of the afternoon: watching dozens of sausage dogs parade along the park paths, swapping tips and stories with other owners, and taking time to socialize your dachshund with fellow doxies. A relaxed pace on flat, wooded terrain, suitable for all ages and sizes.
The best costume contest
A much-anticipated activity every year: dachshunds compete for the most original outfit, from tuxedos to hot dog costumes, plus bandanas, coats, sunglasses, and capes. A moment that makes the humans smile and, incidentally, produces the best Instagram photos of the year.
The charity drive for shelters
A donation drive runs throughout the event for the benefit of Nantes-area animal shelters that help abandoned dogs and dogs waiting for adoption. Dog food, toys, blankets, accessories, financial donations: every gesture counts.
A tasty break at the guinguette
La Belle Saison, the guinguette (an open-air café) set up in the park, offers its usual menu (burgers, fries, sweet treats) and a relaxed atmosphere with a terrace, parasols, and wooden games. A chance to stretch the afternoon into a lazy Sunday-in-the-country mood, even though it's Saturday.
🤝 A charity angle for Nantes-area shelters
Teckel Fest Nantes is more than a party; it's also a charity event. Each edition is a chance to hold a donation drive for animal shelters in the Nantes area, which take in abandoned dogs and dogs waiting for adoption all year round.
This matters especially for the dachshund. The growing popularity of the sausage dog, notably through social media, inevitably has a downside: impulsive, sometimes poorly prepared adoptions that end in surrender when owners discover the breed's real quirks (fragile back, strong personality, need for exercise, intense attachment). Supporting shelters also means supporting more responsible adoption.
You can bring useful items straight to the shelters: dog food (preferably unopened and within its expiration date), clean blankets, toys in good condition, unused leashes and harnesses, natural treats. Financial donations are also possible on site. If you're a dachshund owner who regularly swaps out accessories, this is the perfect chance to give away the ones you no longer use.
🌳 The setting: Parc Michel Baudry and the La Belle Saison guinguette
The choice of Parc Michel Baudry (also called Parc de la Gobinière) is no accident. Tucked into the southeast of Orvault, a stone's throw from the Pont du Cens and so very close to Nantes, this 7-hectare park offers a rare setting for an event like this: wide open green spaces, broad paths, flat terrain, remarkable trees, and a listed château as a backdrop.
For four years the park has been brought to life by the La Belle Saison guinguette, a longtime partner of Teckel Fest. Street food, an outdoor terrace, and regular events (comics festival, flea markets, kids' weekends, designer markets, a Tanabata event, Parenthèse Verte): the guinguette seats an average of 350 to 400 people a day in season. Teckel Fest is now one of its highlights.
| Practical info | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Date | Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 3 p.m. |
| 📍 Location | Parc Michel Baudry / Parc de la Gobinière, 37 avenue de la Ferrière, 44700 Orvault, France |
| 🎟️ Admission | Free, open to everyone (with or without a dachshund) |
| 🚇 Transportation | Tram line 3, bus, car (limited parking) |
| 🍔 Food | La Belle Saison guinguette on site |
| 🤝 Charity | Donation drive for Nantes-area shelters |
🌍 A nationwide wave: from the Paris Sausage Walk to Teckel Fest
Teckel Fest Nantes didn't come out of nowhere. It's part of a groundswell across France and Europe of dachshund gatherings, inspired by the famous British "Sausage Walks."
The French forerunner is the Paris Sausage Walk, which brought together more than 2,000 dachshunds in November 2025 along the banks of the Seine to support the association Teckels Sans Doux Foyer. Since then the movement has spread: Lille held its 3rd Marche des Teckels Lillois in April 2026, Concarneau hosted a gathering at the Château de Kériolet the same weekend, Lyon is preparing the Hot Gone at Parc de la Tête d'Or for June 14, 2026, and Nantes confirms its role as a regional pioneer with this Teckel Fest, already in its 4th edition.
Why this wave of dachshund gatherings?
- A fast-growing breed: registrations in France rose 9% between 2020 and 2024, and the breed has entered the top 10 favorite dogs in the country.
- A strong sense of belonging: the dachshund community is one of the most active on Instagram and TikTok in France.
- An inclusive format: free walks, no competition, open to puppies, seniors, and first-time owners.
- A built-in charity angle: shelters, breed-specific rescue groups, donation drives; every event supports a cause.
- The dachshund's highly photogenic side, which turns every walk into a visual festival shared on social media.
🎒 Getting there and preparing your dachshund
To enjoy the afternoon fully with your dachshund, here are a few practical points to plan ahead.
- Favor public transportation. Tram line 3 serves the park, and several bus lines stop there. Car parking around the park is limited and will fill up fast on a spring Saturday afternoon.
- Equip your dachshund with a harness, not a collar. A harness spreads the pull across the chest and protects the trachea and back, and is far better suited to a long walk in a crowd.
- Bring water and a collapsible bowl. In late May, temperatures in Nantes can climb quickly. Smooth-haired dachshunds and overweight dachshunds are particularly sensitive to heat.
- Check identification. With dozens of excited dogs in one place, escapes (though rare) are much easier to handle with an up-to-date microchip and a legible ID tag.
- Prefer a short leash (3 to 5 ft / 1 to 1.5 m). In a crowd it's safer: you keep control if another dog reacts badly, and you avoid tangled leashes.
- Honestly assess your dachshund's temperament. Some love crowds and social stimulation. Others become stressed, reactive, or flight risks in this kind of setting. Know your dog before you bring them.
For a one- or two-hour walk in a lively crowd, the ideal is an H-style or Y-style harness, fitted precisely to your dachshund's build, that doesn't restrict shoulder movement and spreads the pull well. Avoid thin harnesses that dig in under the armpits and "no-pull" models that squeeze the front legs. If you're looking to gear up your dachshund for this kind of outing, our accessory selection and our harnesses designed for the dachshund's build are made for exactly these outings.
❓ Frequently asked questions about Teckel Fest Nantes 2026
Teckel Fest Nantes 2026 is three simple things at once: a big dose of collective cuteness, a concrete boost for Nantes-area animal shelters, and confirmation that the French dachshund community has definitely hit its stride. A 4th edition at Parc Michel Baudry, with a guinguette that knows how to host, in a green setting a stone's throw from Nantes: hard to dream of better for a late-May Saturday. See you on May 30 at 3 p.m., and in the meantime, find all our tips for preparing your sausage dog for crowded outings, including our complete guide to the dachshund's personality and our selection of accessories for safe outings.
Health & wellness tips – Teckel Paris