Catalpa Festival

The festival that makes Auxerre vibrate since 2012

Born in 2012 from the imagination and ambition of the association Service Compris, supported by Le Silex — Auxerre's contemporary music venue —, the Catalpa Festival took over from Nuits Métisses (2011) and Festival aux Zarbs (2010) to establish itself as the reference festival in the Yonne and the entire Burgundy region. Its name is directly inspired by the catalpa trees, those large trees with generous foliage that populate the Parc de l'Arbre Sec, the green space in the heart of Auxerre where the festival's main stage resonates every summer.

From its very first edition, Catalpa brought together over 22,000 spectators over two evenings, immediately laying the foundations for a popular, open, and demanding event. Its uniqueness? Completely free entry, funding supported by 60% by the City of Auxerre and local authorities, and the rest by private partners, refreshment stands, and the event's own revenue. The festival demonstrates that it is possible to offer a high-level program without making the ticket price a condition for accessing culture.

An eclectic and demanding program

Catalpa Festival's artistic direction is distinguished by its deliberate eclecticism: each evening explores a different musical territory, mixing without complex rap, reggae, rock, metal, electro, pop, and world music. Over the years, the festival has hosted artists as diverse as Tiken Jah Fakoly, Asian Dub Foundation, Wax Tailor, Négresses Vertes, General Elektriks, Groundation, and also FFF, Mass Hysteria, and Mosimann.

This assumed diversity reflects the philosophy of Sylvain Briand, the festival's programmer, for whom artistic ambition is not incompatible with free access: "Family-friendly, free, but musically demanding", this is how he summarizes Catalpa's identity. The main stage thus hosts national and international headliners, while the Fayyar stage offers electronic DJ sets to close each evening.

The Off Festival: the city as a stage

Beyond the Parc de l'Arbre Sec, the Catalpa Festival Off extends into the streets and spaces of Auxerre's city center. Regional and emerging artists take over bars, squares, and unusual venues to offer intimate concerts and musical parades. This Off component is a valuable showcase for Burgundy's local music scenes and reinforces the festival's deep territorial roots in the life of the city.

A pause to better bounce back

In 2024, facing rising production costs and competition from the Olympic calendar, organizers made the difficult decision not to hold an edition. An assumed and courageous pause, summarized in a phrase: "Taking a break to reinvent ourselves in 2025". The gamble paid off: the 12th edition, condensed into two evenings instead of the usual three, returns with force on June 27 and 28, 2025, welcoming nearly 20,000 spectators per evening with a lineup mixing 47Ter, FFF/Fonck, Mosimann, Broken Back, The Inspector Cluzo, Mass Hysteria, and Feder.

Towards an even more ambitious 2026 edition

Building on this rebound, Catalpa Festival is preparing its 2026 edition with high-profile confirmations. Étienne de Crécy, a monument of French Touch, is preparing a spectacular live show designed specifically for festivals. Lilly Wood and the Prick, a French folk-pop duo singing in English, will be among the first festivals to host their new tour. Théa, a young female artist mixing pop, rock, metal, and electronic music, and MPL (Ma Pauvre Lucette), a French chanson collective from Grenoble, complete an already highly anticipated lineup.

Practical Information

• Completely free entry for all festival-goers
• Main stage at Parc de l'Arbre Sec, Avenue Yver, Auxerre
• Off concerts in the city center of Auxerre
• Refreshment stands, food, and entertainment on site
• Entry/exit access only via Avenue Yver, next to the Stade Nautique