The Family Café

The Family Café: one Sunday per season, the Village courtyard opens to all families

The Montessori International School of the Village, in Castelnau-le-Lez, and the association Les Jardins du Village open their courtyard to families four Sundays a year. Upcoming dates: November 15, 2026, March 7 and May 23, 2027, from 10 AM to 3 PM, free entry.
Being a parent often means running after time and sometimes feeling alone. The Family Café offers a simple solution: a place to relax, where parents can meet while children play freely outside. The gathering is open to all families, whether their children are enrolled at the Village or not.
A courtyard designed for free play
The Village courtyard, designed and arranged by Les Enfants Dehors, is a green and secure space, just five minutes from Montpellier: you can climb, build huts, and invent worlds. On Café days, it remains open all day, without registration.
A seasonal brunch and workshops for children
At each edition, a homemade brunch is served from 11 AM to 2 PM, by reservation (15 € adult, 8 € child, 50 brunches). A large part of the dishes is prepared by the families of the school. Workshops are offered to children, alone or with their parents, led by Montessori educators and facilitators. Coffee, tea, and homemade treats are available for sale throughout the day. A visit to the school is possible upon request, on the same day.
A solidarity project
The profits from the Family Café are reinvested in the maintenance and improvement of the shared courtyard: green spaces, play equipment, natural arrangements.
“It takes a village to raise a child. This is exactly the spirit of our courtyard: a space for free play for children and a meeting place for adults. Four Sundays a year, this village spirit becomes accessible to all families.”
Richard Hill, director of the Montessori International School of the Village
Sunday, November 15, 2026
• Brunch “Soup & Tartines” (11 AM-2 PM, by reservation)
• Workshop “Around the Autumn Squash” for ages 3-7 with Laetitia, Montessori educator (11 AM, by reservation)
• Parent-child workshops for ages 2 and up with Pimprenelle: natural lavender modeling clay or bird feeder (10 AM-12 PM, no registration required)
Upcoming dates: Sunday, March 7, 2027 (program announced at the end of January) and Sunday, May 23, 2027, which will celebrate the first anniversary of the Family Café.
Practical information
Le Village, 1 place Charles de Gaulle, 34170 Castelnau-le-Lez
10 AM-3 PM, free entry; brunch from 11 AM to 2 PM, by reservation
Program and reservations: levillage.coop/cafe-des-familles
Press contact: Audrey Falcone, communication and event manager, ecole@levillage.coop, 06 81 37 18 51

Find all practical information and plan your visit.