Lake Annecy photos: the Annecy Lac Photo festival, its 2027 competition and where to see the images
The 4th Annecy Lac Photo festival takes place from 19 to 28 March 2027, and its competition is open until 1 November 2026 at midnight. The festival calendar, the competition rules, and what is known about where to photograph the lake.
"Lake Annecy photo" covers two searches: finding beautiful images of the lake, and the Annecy Lac Photo festival, also known as ALP'. The festival has a precise calendar; the images depend mostly on the light.
The 4th edition of the festival will take place from 19 to 28 March 2027 in Annecy. Its times, venue and programme have not been published yet; the competition, however, is already open.
How do you enter the 2027 photo competition?
The theme is Éloge de la lenteur, or “In Praise of Slowness”. You need to submit a coherent series of 8 photographs, with free registration, before 1 November 2026 at midnight.
The theme does not require the lake as a subject. The festival is devoted to auteur photography, and the previous edition had a general theme, with no direct link to the Annecy landscape.
Applications go through the festival website; this is not a ticket purchase.
What was the 2025 edition like?
The third edition took place from 14 to 23 March 2025, 10am to 7pm, at the Bonlieu centre, with free entry. Its theme: “Le bruit du monde” (the noise of the world), with Jean-François Mollière as guest of honour.
The programme mixed a main exhibition, meetings with the photographers, talks, a photo marathon and a prize-giving. At the Bonlieu forum, the local press highlighted the work of the guest of honour and of three other photographers.
Do not carry these hours over to 2027: the venue and opening times depend on the final programme, which has not been published yet.
The festival falls in March, out of season: accommodation in the centre is far easier to find then than in summer. The search for accommodation in Annecy lets you target the Bonlieu and station area.
See places to stay in Annecy →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Does the festival take place every year?
Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
No. The known editions date from 2021, 2023 and 2025, and the 2027 edition is already announced: the observed rhythm is every two years. The organiser does not state this as a rule; it is a pattern seen over four editions.
The Annecy Lac Photo collective publishes no visitor numbers, number of exhibitors or budget. A collaboration with Image et Neige, in Cluses, was mentioned in 2025, with no details published since.
Where can you photograph Lake Annecy?
No source consulted publishes a ranking of the lake's photo viewpoints, nor any data on how busy they are. What follows is practical advice, not a measurement.
Morning and late afternoon give the lowest light and the quietest shores. In town, the Palais de l'Île is photographed from the bridges over the Thiou, crowded in high summer and full of umbrellas on rainy days.
To get out of the centre, the map of Lake Annecy helps you locate the shores and viewpoints, cycling round the lake links the lakeside villages, and a hired boat gives the view from the water that the shore cannot.
Where can you find official photos of the lake?
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The tourist office has a page of photos of Annecy, the lake, its heritage and events around the Annecy area, published in 2020 and updated in August 2026. Check the reuse conditions for these images on the page itself.
For the basic facts that go with a caption, Lake Annecy in figures gives its dimensions and depth, and the Fête du Lac the fireworks calendar, the most searched-for photo subject of the summer.
Photographing the Fête du Lac takes months of preparation: rooms with a view of the bay go before the tickets do. The search for accommodation in Annecy on summer dates shows what is actually left.
See places to stay in summer →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.A cruise or a paragliding flight gives a viewpoint the shore cannot: both can be booked on the Annecy activities page, with duration and price.
See activities in Annecy →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Sources
Annecy Lac Photo festival (official website, call for entries of 3 May 2026 updated on 24 September 2026), Lake Annecy tourist office (ideas notebook of March 2025, exhibitions calendar), Le Dauphiné libéré (11 March and 2 April 2025).
tourisme-annecy.net (photos page, updated on 5 August 2026). Research compiled on 28 September 2026. Programme, venue and times of the 2027 edition, festival attendance and a ranking of the lake's viewpoints: not published.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Annecy Lac Photo festival?
How do you enter the Annecy Lac Photo 2027 competition?
Is the festival exhibition free?
What time of day should you photograph Lake Annecy?
Camille Perrissin
Camille grew up in Sévrier, on the west shore, and swims in the lake from April to November. She has been taking the water temperature herself since 2019 and knows where the bottom suddenly drops away. She writes about the lake without ever turning it into a postcard.
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