Babel Mômes

Babel Mômes: Awakening Young Audiences to World Music

Born in 2021 on the initiative of the association Villes des Musiques du Monde, the Babel Mômes festival offers an ambitious and welcoming performing arts program each spring for young audiences in Seine-Saint-Denis and Île-de-France. Based at the Point Fort d'Aubervilliers, it extends its reach to numerous cultural, educational, and family institutions in the region.

The festival takes place every year in March, for two weeks, offering a diverse program covering all forms of performing arts for children: musical concerts, dance performances, sound stories, film-concerts, musical theater, and participatory workshops. The diversity of artistic forms reflects the plurality of cultures represented in the area, making Babel Mômes a festival deeply rooted in the multicultural reality of Seine-Saint-Denis.

A Program for All Ages and All Curiosities

Babel Mômes' programming is organized to cover all age groups, from infants to teenagers, and all forms of musical and artistic sensitivity. Shows starting from six months old allow the youngest children to have their first experience of live performance, while more demanding offerings are aimed at older children and families as a whole.

The festival pays particular attention to the artistic quality of the selected shows: each proposal is chosen for its formal excellence as well as its accessibility, refusing the condescension sometimes associated with children's programming to offer genuine artistic experiences. The companies and artists featured come from France and around the world, bringing a diversity of styles and cultures that enrich the program.

The Point Fort d'Aubervilliers: A Hub of Cultural Life

The Point Fort d'Aubervilliers, a 19th-century fort converted into a cultural venue, is the beating heart of Babel Mômes. Its various spaces—a large hall, an outdoor tent, gardens—host performances in optimal conditions for young audiences. The venue also offers living spaces allowing families to spend the day enjoying several shows, workshops, and catering options.

Beyond the Point Fort, Babel Mômes extends to partner media libraries, community centers, schools, and theaters in Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris, ensuring a presence close to families, including in areas less served by cultural offerings.

Workshops, Encounters, and Participatory Experiences

The participatory dimension is essential to Babel Mômes' identity. Instrument-making workshops, dance initiations, musical improvisation sessions, and opportunities to meet artists allow children to be more than just spectators; they become active participants in their cultural experience. These artistic practice sessions are designed as natural extensions of the shows, inviting young audiences to engage with the artistic forms they have experienced.

A Festival Accessible to All

Babel Mômes advocates for total accessibility: reduced prices for families in need, partnerships with child welfare services and leisure centers, and specific programs for audiences with disabilities. The festival is part of the overall mission of the Villes des Musiques du Monde association, which views culture as a universal right.