Autan de Blues

Blues at the heart of the Pays d'Autan

Since 2009, the Autan de Blues festival has been warming up the Tarn winter by resonating blues chords in the village halls and cultural venues of the Pays d'Autan. Supported by Lo Bolegason, a contemporary music venue recognized by the Ministry of Culture and part of the Castres-Mazamet agglomeration community, this winter event has established itself as a must-see for blues lovers in the southern Tarn region.

An itinerant and friendly festival

The uniqueness of Autan de Blues lies in its itinerant and decentralized format. Each edition unfolds across no less than eight towns in the agglomeration: Castres, Mazamet, Labruguière, Pont-de-Larn, Aiguefonde, Boissezon, Saint-Amans-Soult, and Payrin-Augmontel. The village halls, multi-purpose rooms, and cultural spaces of these towns become temples of authentic and generous blues for a few days.

The festival offers a particularly popular dual format: free "aperitif-concerts" in the late afternoon, often at 6:30 PM, followed by evening concerts at a very accessible price (10 euros). This formula allows all audiences to discover blues in a warm and intimate atmosphere.

A demanding and eclectic program

Autan de Blues champions a broad and vibrant vision of blues, welcoming artists who explore all facets of the genre: Delta blues, blues-rock, boogie, folk-blues, swing, and one-man-band. Over the years, the festival has featured artists as diverse as Muddy Gurdy (a unique blend of hurdy-gurdy and Mississippi blues), Dirty Bootz, Happy Devils, Sébastopol, Vicious Steel, Black Stompers, and Veronica Sbergia.

In partnership with the ADDA du Tarn (Departmental Association for the Development of the Arts), the festival also offers cultural outreach activities in schools, with educational sessions dedicated to the history of blues, making this universal musical heritage accessible to younger generations.

Strong territorial roots

Autan de Blues perfectly embodies Lo Bolegason's mission: to infuse the agglomeration's territory with contemporary music, beyond the walls of its concert hall at Passage Claude Nougaro in Castres. By offering concerts close to the residents, in local venues, the festival contributes to the cultural vitality of rural and peri-urban towns in the Tarn, proving that blues doesn't need large spaces to stir hearts.