Bien Urbain

Bien Urbain: contemporary art conquering Besançon's public space

The Bien Urbain festival is an initiative of the Juste Ici association, founded in 2011, which promotes art in and with public space. Each edition invites about fifteen French and international artists to take over the streets, squares, and buildings of Besançon to create original works, designed specifically for the locations that host them.

A biennial festival

Organized annually from 2011 to 2022, Bien Urbain became a biennial event from 2022. This change in rhythm allows the artistic team to better prepare each edition and deepen collaborations with invited artists. The festival generally takes place at the beginning of June, lasting for a week to ten days.

Varied and accessible works

The creations offered during the festival are highly diverse:

• Mural frescoes and monumental paintings
• Sculptures and three-dimensional installations
• Multimedia and digital works
• Ephemeral performances and on-site interventions
• Illustrations and graphic creations

A lasting impact on the city

Since its creation, Bien Urbain has enabled the realization of over 422 works by 162 artists and collectives from 25 different countries. These creations, whether permanent or ephemeral, contribute to the transformation of Besançon's urban landscape and the democratization of contemporary art.

Activities for all audiences

Beyond the artistic creations, the festival offers a rich program of activities accessible to all: guided tours of the works with the artists, bike rides to discover the artistic interventions, participatory workshops, and meetings with the creators. The Petite Boucle, a family bike ride starting from La Rodia, allows for a fun and friendly discovery of the places taken over by the artists.

International reach

The Bien Urbain festival has established itself as one of the major events for urban art in France. Recognized by cultural institutions and industry professionals, it attracts internationally renowned artists from France (Marseille, Rennes, Paris, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) and abroad (England, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and many other countries). The collective Chuglu from Marseille, winner of the Révélation Art urbain ADAGP 2024, was notably in residence during the 2025 edition.