FESTIVAL FEST’ARTS in Libourne
- 29/04/2024
- Auteur : Muriel
I live in Libourne, a small town in Gironde with about 25,000 inhabitants, roughly fifty kilometers northeast of Bordeaux.
And beginning of August, during three magical days each year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
Like a little girl waiting for Santa Claus, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of… the street arts festival, called “Fest’ Arts”!
The festival’s 2024 website describes the event better than anyone: “A must-attend summer event, Fest’arts returns from August 8 to 10, 2024, to make the city of Libourne come alive with the rhythm of street arts. This year, we celebrate the 33rd edition of the festival. For 3 days, from 10 AM to 1:30 AM, 42 French and international companies will take over public spaces for everyone’s enjoyment! Young people and grown-ups will stroll through the pedestrianized Libourne bastide, discovering more than 150 performances of theater, dance, clown acts, circus, brass bands, and many other surprises …”
For three days, the city transforms itself into a gigantic stage where artistic performances, usually free, take place every half hour. Artists showcase their inventiveness, humor, creativity, and impressive physical prowess to an appreciative audience.
Festivalgoers move from one performance location to another throughout the day, sharing the best tips and expressing their deepest emotions. Some plan their day in advance, marking the shows not to be missed. Others like me, wander aimlessly and get drawn in by a place, an installation, and sit down without knowing what to expect, in front of a tiny stage or a majestic installation on the quays.
How many memories I have gathered since discovering this festival! From these unknown artists, I find their talents, humor, or creativity impressive, sometimes with almost nothing. Theater, dance, improvised museums, circus acts, or musical and poetic strolls – the city vibrates with an energy that lifts people towards beauty, magic, the sacred, or triviality. From evening concerts to the early morning start of new performances, the senses are often highly stimulated.
Yet, those who experienced the festival’s early days all say the same thing: “It was sooo much better before.” According to them, artists dared more, there were many more shows, and of much higher quality. So, I wonder about those golden years… I’ve only known the Festival for a few years, and it’s so rich for me, that I can’t imagine how it could have been better.
However, beware of the descent: these three days are extremely addictive, and when the city returns to its daily life, emptied of stages, artists, and the festive atmosphere, those who were filled with performances find themselves plunged back into the ordinary. Where have these extraordinary actors, athletes, circus performers, poets, inventors and dancers gone? Do they really live in the same country as us?
But let’s forget the frustrations and the post-festival blues, and as the famous Charles Aznavour’ song goes, I have only one invitation for you: “Come and see the actors, the musicians, the magicians arriving!”
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