La Joséphine - La Roche-sur-Yon 2026

Each October, La Joséphine transforms La Roche-sur-Yon and much of Vendée pink as women walk or run to support breast cancer initiatives. This event is exclusively for women. Local routes are available in partner communes the week before the main 5 km walk or run in La Roche-sur-Yon. The event extends beyond France; Drummondville in Quebec, La Roche-sur-Yon’s twin city, hosts its own local version, continuing the pink T-shirt tradition. The La Roche-sur-Yon gathering is substantial and highly visible, with approximately 13,000 women filling the city streets. Across Vendée, more than 20,000 participants engage in events spanning 157 communes. Proceeds benefit the Vendée branch of the League against Cancer, surpassing one million euros over eleven editions. These funds support well-being workshops, socio-aesthetic care for patients, caregiver support, prevention efforts like self-examination teaching tools, and research. The cause holds both local significance and symbolic weight, as Vendée records around 600 new breast cancer cases annually, making it the department's second most common cancer.