Coquelicontes

A traveling festival born in the heart of Limousin

Coquelicontes was born in 1996 from a joint initiative of the three departments of the former Limousin region (Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne) with the aim of promoting the art of storytelling through the traveling journeys of confirmed artists, bringing them closer to the people. For nearly thirty years, this unique festival has traveled through rural territories, taking over libraries, village halls, schools, village squares, and heritage sites to make storytellers' voices resonate.

Professional storytellers close to the public

Each edition of Coquelicontes invites about ten professional storytellers who crisscross Corrèze and Creuse for two weeks. The artists offer nearly 70 performances in about sixty communes, creating unique moments of sharing at each stop. The stories draw from oral traditions from around the world, local legends, contemporary creations, and literature, offering a rich and varied panorama of the art of storytelling.

A vector of social connection in rural areas

Over the years, Coquelicontes has become an important event in the cultural life of many rural communes. The festival promotes intergenerational encounters, creates bridges between oral and written literature, and provides access to narrative language for audiences who are distant from it. As a factor of cultural and social animation in the territory, Coquelicontes reaches a varied audience, essentially in rural areas, which is loyal and constantly growing.