Auvillar Poetry Festival

Poetry in one of France's most beautiful villages

Every end of June, the village of Auvillar transforms into an open-air poetry stage. This medieval town in Tarn-et-Garonne, classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, offers poetry a setting that few festivals in the world can match: an 18th-century circular hall in the heart of the Place de la Halle, cobbled alleys descending towards the Garonne, and panoramas of the alluvial plain and the river's meanders.

The Auvillar Poetry Festival is rooted in this sensitive geography to offer, over a weekend, a total immersion in poetic language. Far from the institutional circuits of major cultural metropolises, it cultivates a rare form of literary hospitality: that of a village that opens its houses, alleys, and squares to poets from all over France and sometimes Europe to read, share, and dialogue with an attentive audience.

The circular hall, the vibrant heart of the festival

The Auvillar circular hall is one of the most unique monuments in Tarn-et-Garonne. Built in the 18th century on a circular plan, with its stone columns and roof topped by a lantern, it forms a natural stage with rare acoustics and beauty. This is where the main readings and performances of the festival take place: the poets' voices resonate under the vaults, the words settle on the ancient stones, creating an atmosphere of contemplation and emotion difficult to replicate elsewhere.

Around the hall, the square and medieval alleys host ambulatory readings, poetic installations, informal meetings between poets and the public, and ephemeral bookstores and artist book exhibitions. The festival makes the entire village a inhabited poetic space.

A demanding and accessible program

Each edition, the festival brings together about ten contemporary poets of different generations and aesthetics. The program strives to coexist classical and experimental poetry, established and emerging voices, French poetry, and texts translated or written in foreign languages. Bilingual readings, performances combining poetry with music or visual arts, and writing workshops open to all enrich the program beyond just readings.

The educational dimension is also present, with interventions in local schools and colleges prior to the festival, allowing young readers to meet the invited poets and discover living poetry in all its vitality.

Auvillar, village of poets and potters

Auvillar is a village of art and history in more ways than one. A must-see stop on the Way of Saint James of Compostela (GR 65), this village perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Garonne boasts remarkable architectural and artistic heritage: the 18th-century circular hall, the Saint-Pierre church with its Romanesque chapels, the half-timbered houses from the 15th and 16th centuries, and the Musée du Vieil Auvillar housing an exceptional collection of 18th-century local earthenware — Auvillar was indeed one of the major earthenware production centers in the Southwest from 1739 to 1909.

This artistic and artisanal history creates a natural resonance with poetry: Auvillar is a village that understands the value of working with materials and attention to detail. Earthenware and poetry share this demand for form in the service of emotion.

A festival rooted in the territory

The Auvillar Poetry Festival is driven by a local association supported by the Auvillar town hall, the community of communes, and the Department of Tarn-et-Garonne. Its human scale, village setting, and carefully curated program make it one of the most endearing literary events in the Southwest, discreet but faithful to its standards for several years.