CAPS Festival

ℹ 2026 edition unconfirmed — festival inactive. The CAPS Festival in Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier no longer seems to be held: several festival directories (Route des Festivals, Infoconcert) explicitly state that «this festival no longer exists», the official website capsfestival.com is no longer reachable, and no public source for 2024-2026 mentions an upcoming edition. The last publicly documented edition dates back to around 2012 (10th edition announced on the town hall's website). If a new edition were to be organized in the future, this page will be updated.

The CAPS Festival: popular celebration and music in the heart of the Allier valley

Since 2003, the CAPS Festival annually enlivened the village of Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier with a program combining contemporary music concerts, the St. John's Fire, and a night market. This entirely free event was organized by the association Les Jeunes CAPS, founded on August 31, 2002, by a group of young residents determined to revive local traditions and promote their commune.

The Les Jeunes CAPS association

The association's name is an acronym meaning «Cherchent À Promouvoir Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier» (Seeking to Promote Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier). Since its creation, the association carried out numerous cultural and festive initiatives, with the CAPS Festival remaining the most important and unifying event on its calendar. The team of volunteers annually mobilized the entire community to offer a moment of sharing and conviviality.

A festive and varied program

The CAPS Festival offered an eclectic musical program, with rock, pop, reggae, and world music groups, on an open-air stage set up in the heart of the village. The traditional St. John's Fire, the highlight of the evening, illuminated the sky of Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier in a warm and family atmosphere.

A night market accompanied the festivities, offering artisanal products and local specialties. Entertainment and games for children completed the program, making the CAPS Festival a truly intergenerational event.

An event rooted in the territory

Located halfway between Clermont-Ferrand and Issoire, the village of Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier benefits from a preserved natural setting in the Allier valley. The festival contributed to the cultural dynamism of this rural commune and attracted visitors from across the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area. With attendance reaching up to 2,000 people, the CAPS Festival was for several years a popular summer event in the south of Puy-de-Dôme.

The end of an adventure

Several cultural directories now list the CAPS Festival as an event that «no longer exists», and public archives stop around the editions of the early 2010s. The association's website capsfestival.com is no longer accessible, and no recent communication has been found on social media. The St. John's celebration and village activities, however, continue to be carried out by other local initiatives and by the town hall of Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier.