Big Bag Festival
Eclectic contemporary music festival in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
2026
About Big Bag Festival
The Big Bag Festival is an annual contemporary music event held on the third weekend of September in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, taking place at the Place du Foirail and the L'Alamzic venue. It is organized by the Cartel Bigourdan, a collective of four associations united since 2009, which also manages L'Alamzic. Over three days, from Thursday to Saturday, the lineup spans everything from rap and electro to polyphonic singing and techno across two stages: the big top and the bodega. Beyond the concerts, the festival village features street performances, a designer exhibition area, children's activities, a conference, and food stalls serving local products. On Saturday morning, brass bands and DJs perform at the Bagnères market.
Big Bag Festival — edition 2026
The 13th edition of the Big Bag Festival runs from Thursday, September 17th to Saturday, September 19th, 2026, at the Place du Foirail and L'Alamzic in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Featuring two stages—the main tent and the bodega—the lineup includes Marcus Gad, Joris Delacroix, Percubaba, Droogz Brigade, Edredon Sensible, and Darktek. Thursday is free and highlights local talent, while Saturday expands with a festival village, street performances, and a creative exhibition space. Tickets: Friday €22, Saturday €25, weekend pass €40.
Big Bag Festival 2026 — 13th Edition
Le Cartel Bigourdan presents the 13th edition of the Big Bag Festival from September 17th to 19th, 2026, at the Place du Foirail and L'Alamzic in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. A mix of rap, electro, reggae, polyphonic singing, brass bands, and techno will take over two stages: the main tent and the bodega.
Three nights, two stages
Thursday kicks off with free entry featuring the Chanteurs Montagnards de Bagnères, Dafra, followed by Bohll and Cross The Fingers at the bodega until 1:30 AM. On Friday, the main tent hosts Marcus Gad, Droogz Brigade, and Joris Delacroix, while the bodega keeps the energy high until 3:00 AM with DJ 4Ever, The Village Vandals, Citron Sucré, and Foxtanz Crew. Saturday features Atomic Ping Pong, Percubaba, Bold, and Edredon Sensible under the tent, with Groovy Boulga, Baboucan & The Fine Asses, Papa Gahus, Sabor a Mi, and Darktek at the bodega.
Saturday in town and at the village
On Saturday morning, the Basque brass band Kospeistar Orkestra and DJ Djuke will perform at the Bagnères market starting at 11:00 AM. In the afternoon, the festival village comes alive at L'Alamzic with the Contes du Pipoteur, a singing circle, wooden games from the Point-Jeunes, eco-citizen workshops by SMTD65, and live radio broadcasts from Fréquence Luz. Don't miss the fire circus show at 11:00 PM on both Friday and Saturday.
Exhibitions, talks, and sustainability
Ten creators will host the exhibition space, featuring crochet, screen printing, jewelry, tattoos, books, illustrations, and second-hand clothing. On Friday at 6:30 PM, SMTD65 invites science journalist Sébastien Bohler to L'Alamzic for a free talk titled "Understanding your brain to save the planet," followed by a book signing. The festival is certified by the "Label et la Fête" initiative, supported by the Fédération Octopus and Act Up Sud-Ouest.
Highlights Big Bag Festival 2026
- Marcus Gad, reggae, Friday at 9:00 PM in the main tent
- Joris Delacroix, Friday at 1:00 AM in the main tent
- Percubaba, Saturday at 9:00 PM in the main tent
- Droogz Brigade Friday at 11:00 PM, Bold and Edredon Sensible on Saturday
- Darktek closing the festival, Saturday at 1:15 AM at the bodega
- Free opening night on Thursday, featuring the Chanteurs Montagnards de Bagnères
- Free talk by Sébastien Bohler, Friday at 6:30 PM at L'Alamzic
- Brass band and DJ set at the Bagnères market, Saturday from 11:00 AM
Programme Big Bag Festival 2026
Thursday, September 17th, 2026
Free entry. Exhibition space open from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Bodega
- 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM — Les Chanteurs Montagnards
- 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM — Dafra
- 10:30 PM – 1:30 AM — Bohll & Cross The Fingers
Entertainment
- Collectif des Arts Ticulés — various performances
Friday, September 18th, 2026
Exhibition space open from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Main Tent
- 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM — Marcus Gad
- 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM — Droogz Brigade
- 1:00 AM – 2:30 AM — Joris Delacroix
Bodega
- 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM — DJ 4Ever
- 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM — The Village Vandals
- 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM — Citron Sucré
- 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM — Foxtanz Crew
Shows, entertainment, and talk
- 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM — Circus initiation · garden
- 6:30 PM — Talk: "Understanding your brain to save the planet" with Sébastien Bohler · L'Alamzic · Free, no reservation required, limited seating, book signing to follow
- 7:00 PM — "La fusion des décors", a solo dance performance blending painting and movement · 30 min
- From 8:00 PM — Wandering musical float
- 11:00 PM — Fire circus show · 30 min
Saturday, September 19th, 2026
Exhibition space open from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
At the market, morning
- From 11:00 AM — DJ Djuke · Bagnères market
- 11:00 AM — Kospeistar Orkestra, Basque street brass band · Bagnères market
Main Tent
- 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM — Atomic Ping Pong
- 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM — Percubaba
- 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM — Bold
- 1:00 AM – 2:30 AM — Edredon Sensible
Bodega
- 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM — Groovy Boulga
- 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM — Baboucan & The Fine Asses
- 9:45 PM – 11:15 PM — Papa Gahus
- 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM — Sabor a Mi
- 1:15 AM – 3:00 AM — Darktek
Shows, entertainment, and workshops
- From 12:00 PM — Fréquence Luz, live radio and artist interviews · at the ticket office
- 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Eco-citizen workshops with SMTD65: waste sorting and prevention stand, natural crafting, games, and advice
- 3:00 PM — Kospeistar Orkestra, brass band · on-site
- 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Wooden games by Point-Jeunes
- 3:00 PM and 5:30 PM — "Les Contes du Pipoteur", interactive storytelling with shadow theater, dance, costumes, music, and drawing · L'Alamzic · 40 min
- 4:30 PM — Singing circle · garden dome · 30 min
- 5:45 PM — Kospeistar Orkestra, brass band · on-site
- 7:00 PM — "Des Arts Ticulés", collaborative creation by circus artists, musicians, and dancers · garden · 30 min
- 11:00 PM — Fire circus show · 30 min
- Graine de Samba, batucada · between sets
- École de danse Tempo · between sets
Ongoing
Friday and Saturday
- 65ers — live graffiti performance
- Géant Vie Compagnie — giant puppet parade
- La Loge de l'Éphémère — beauty stand
- Tubo Love — the world's smallest disco
Exhibition space — Thu 7-10 PM, Fri 6-10 PM, Sat 2-10 PM
- Batti Fol — second-hand yarn crochet
- Pétrolette — gender-neutral clothing from second-hand fabrics
- Geese of Queen — jewelry
- Colbak — handmade clothing from upcycled fabrics
- Tapage — bookstore
- Alice Liquette — illustration and painting
- Poeti Clo — painting
- Pique Pivoine — tattoos
- Craba Negra — upcycled accessories
- La Valise à 6 Pattes — screen printing
The bodega is open all three nights, serving homemade food made with local ingredients.
Prices Big Bag Festival 2026
Late rates: Friday €22 · Saturday €25 · weekend pass €40.
Free for children under 14, upon presentation of ID at the entrance.
Official ticket outlets: billetterie.festik.net/cartelbigourdan, Pass Culture, and the Tourmalet Pic du Midi tourist office.
Sébastien Bohler's talk on Friday at L'Alamzic is free and requires no reservation; seating is limited.
Practical information — Big Bag Festival
Practical Information
Access
Place du Foirail, 65200 Bagnères-de-Bigorre, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, about twenty kilometers south of Tarbes.
- By car: 1h45 from Toulouse, 2h45 from Bordeaux. Take the A64, exit 12 (Tarbes-Ouest) if coming from Pau, then the D935 from Tarbes; exit 14 (Tournay) if coming from Toulouse, then the D20.
- By train: Tarbes SNCF station, then bus no. 960 to Bagnères (45 minutes, 2 €).
- By carpooling: The organizer manages a carpooling group; the link is available on the Practical Info page of the website.
Venues
- Place du Foirail: festival village, big top, and bodega
- L'Alamzic: conference and shows
- Bagnères market: Saturday morning
Accessibility
The site is level, located on a road, and accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Where to stay
Four partner campsites offer preferential rates for festival-goers for tent pitches: Les Fruitiers and Le Monloo in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, and La Pommeraie and L'Adour in Gerde. The Aquensis thermal baths also offer a preferential rate.
Contact
- Website: bigbagfestival.fr
- Communication: [email protected]
- Production: [email protected]
- Volunteering and ticketing: [email protected]
Organizer: Le Cartel Bigourdan, Place du Foirail, 65200 Bagnères-de-Bigorre.
A festival driven by the Cartel Bigourdan
The Cartel Bigourdan has brought together four associations since 2009 and boasts over 150 members. It manages L'Alamzic, a contemporary music venue in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, and organizes events throughout the year in the department, such as the "J'irai jouer chez vous dimanche prochain" house concerts in summer, the Escale Electro at the Abbaye de l'Escaladieu in June, and "Zic en Cimes," concerts held in high-altitude mountain refuges. The Big Bag Festival is their flagship back-to-school event, set up at the Place du Foirail around a concert big top.
Art in all its forms
The program goes well beyond just concerts. It includes street theater, giant puppets, graffiti art performances, a designer exhibition space, and games and workshops for children. On Saturday morning, musicians perform at the Bagnères market, around the Halles.
A festival village at the Place du Foirail
The village is set up at the Place du Foirail, featuring a bodega, food stalls with local products, a bar, and relaxation areas. Each year, a decorative theme transforms the site. In 2024, more than 200 volunteers were part of the team.
An eco-friendly approach
An "Écofestival" committee has been working for several years to reduce the festival's environmental impact through dry toilets, ashtrays, recycling bins, and clear signage. The partnership with the SMTD65, the waste management authority for the Hautes-Pyrénées, has been in place since the very first editions and results in eco-citizen workshops and a conference every year. The festival holds the "Label et la Fête" certification, supported by the Fédération Octopus and Act Up Sud-Ouest to promote health in festive environments.
Where does it take place — Big Bag Festival
Big Bag Festival in brief
History of Big Bag Festival
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Bagnères-de-Bigorre
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