Curieux Baz'art
A festival of surprising and free live arts in the heart of Gaillac
About Curieux Baz'art
Curieux Baz'art: Live Art Invades the Streets of Gaillac
Since the summer of 2025, Gaillac has hosted a new open-air artistic and family event: Curieux Baz'art. Organized by the City of Gaillac and the Gaillac-Graulhet agglomeration, this free festival takes place every year in June and transforms the town center into a giant stage for live arts in all their forms.
The Legacy of Papillonnez
Curieux Baz'art continues the spirit of the Papillonnez festival, a family cultural event that had won over the residents of Gaillac over the years. This new name marks an artistic evolution while retaining the founding values: complete freeness, accessibility for all audiences, artistic pluridisciplinarity, and integration into the city's public spaces.
The name change reflects a renewed ambition: a more "curious," more surprising, more audacious festival in its artistic offerings, but always just as open and friendly.
Live Arts in Unusual Places
What sets Curieux Baz'art apart from traditional festivals is its ability to occupy unexpected locations: shop windows, inner courtyards, gardens, museums, squares, and street corners become ephemeral stages. Spectators wander from one place to another, discovering performances, installations, and shows along the way that they wouldn't have imagined finding there.
This open approach to culture is at the heart of the festival's philosophy: art doesn't wait for the audience in a closed room; it goes out to meet them in daily life, around a corner, in a lively square.
A Pluridisciplinary Program for All Ages
Curieux Baz'art offers a resolutely pluridisciplinary program that embraces all forms of live arts:
- Street Arts: parades, installations, performances in public spaces
- Contemporary Circus: acrobatics, balancing acts, creations blending body and poetry
- Musical Theater: shows combining dramatic acting, singing, and instruments
- Dance: participatory performances, nature dances guided by a soundtrack
- Music: street concerts, live music for all tastes
- Workshops: plastic arts creations, artistic games for the youngest
The 1st Edition in June 2025
The first edition of Curieux Baz'art took place on June 14 and 15, 2025, in the town center of Gaillac. For two days, several artistic companies took over the city's squares, streets, and unusual locations for astonishing and accessible performances for everyone.
The program for this inaugural edition notably featured giant instruments and sound machines, an exhibition blending storytelling, science, and mystery in a reinvented museum space, a participatory dance in nature guided by a soundtrack, acrobatics on an unstable mast, musical theater with puppets and Breton music, as well as spectacular high-flying acrobatics.
The atmosphere described by participants was that of a joyful, offbeat, and friendly popular festival, driven by the creative energy of companies from all over France.
A Festival Supported by the Occitanie Region
From its very first edition, Curieux Baz'art has benefited from the support of the Occitanie Region, which welcomed the creation of this new free and family-friendly cultural festival in the Tarn. This institutional support demonstrates the project's ambition: to make Gaillac a shining cultural hub in Occitanie, accessible to the greatest number.
Curieux Baz'art — edition 2026
2nd edition of Curieux Baz'art in Gaillac (Tarn), from Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14, 2026. An entirely free performing arts festival, which takes over the streets, squares, schools, gardens, and unusual places in the city center. On the program: circus, street theater, music, dance, itinerant cinema, musical theater, and family workshops, centered around a multidisciplinary program accessible to all.
Curieux Baz'art 2026 — June 12 to 14 in Gaillac
For its second edition, Curieux Baz'art returns to Gaillac from Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14, 2026. Organized by the City of Gaillac and the Gaillac-Graulhet agglomeration, this entirely free performing arts festival offers three days of surprising shows in unusual locations in the city center: squares, schools, gymnasium, inner courtyards, park, abbey, media library, and even the municipal swimming pool.
A multidisciplinary program
This 2026 edition brings together street arts, circus, theater, and music companies from all over France. The festival kicks off with a preview on Friday, June 12 at 8:45 PM with the concert-story « Tournez vélo » by Joris Ragel, presented in partnership with Le Scénophage.
On Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, the city center transforms into a giant stage: unstable pole balancing, aerial acrobatics, African and hip-hop dance, musical theater, participatory performances, récup'art exhibitions, giant instruments with free access, and a big game « Unusual Olympiads » on Place de la Libération.
A family-friendly and free event
All shows and activities are free and open access. However, some performances have limited capacity and require ticket collection on site 30 minutes before the start. For young audience shows, registrations are open on Saturday, June 13 from 2:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the information point, or by phone at 05 63 81 20 19.
Pre-festival workshop
A participatory workshop « C'est le Bazar(t) » is offered at the Gaillac media library on Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 with free access, to prepare for the festival with family.
Programme Curieux Baz'art 2026
Friday, June 12, 2026 — Musical Opening
- 8:45 PM — Tournez vélo · Joris Ragel · Scénophage (opening concert-story)
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Shows
- 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Camera Obscura · Cie Nokill · Place de la Libération (immersive itinerant cinema)
- 4:30 PM — C'est pas du vélo · Cie Monde à part · Gymnase Pichery
- 6:00 PM — Je suis heureux · Cie Saseo · École La Voulte
- 8:30 PM — Miettes · Association des Clous · Parc de Foucaud (tightrope walking)
- 8:30 PM — Vu · Cie Sacékripa · Cour du collège Saint-Joseph
Music
- 10:00 PM — Hors sol · Musiciens du Conservatoire · Jardins de l'Abbaye
- 10:00 PM — Pool Party · Groupe Barrezvous · Piscine municipale
Dance
- 3:00 PM — African and hip-hop dances · MJC de Gaillac · Square Joffre
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Shows
- 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM — Aïe boum zut, malhabille · Bureau des infinis · Collège Saint-Joseph
- 4:30 PM — Fly me to the moon · Cie Léandre · Place de la Libération
- 6:30 PM — Gagarine is not dead · Cie En corps en l'air · Stade de l'école La Clavelle
Music
- 3:00 PM — Vocal ensemble and choir · Maison de retraite Saint-André
- 7:45 PM — Galactic club · Raccoon Tycoon · École La Clavelle
Dance for young audiences
- 11:00 AM and 5:30 PM — Le Petit B · Cie Marion Muzac · Studio La Fabrique
Ongoing — Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14
- Unusual Olympiads — large outdoor game · Place de la Libération
- Récup'art — exhibition of works made from recycled materials · multiple locations
- Giant instruments with free access · Place de la Libération
Pre-festival — Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12
- C'est le Bazar(t) — participatory family workshop · Médiathèque de Gaillac (free access)
Official program published by the City of Gaillac — subject to last-minute changes.
Highlights Curieux Baz'art 2026
- Entirely free festival, open to all, in the city center
- Opening concert-story on Friday, June 12 with Joris Ragel (« Tournez vélo »)
- Tightrope walking at Parc de Foucaud with Association des Clous
- Musical « Pool Party » at the municipal swimming pool on Saturday evening
- « Fly me to the moon » by Léandre, poetic clown on Place de la Libération
- « Gagarine is not dead », Sunday aerial acrobatics at La Clavelle school stadium
- Unusual Olympiads, giant instruments, and Récup'art exhibition with free access all weekend
- Family workshop « C'est le Bazar(t) » at the media library beforehand
Prices Curieux Baz'art 2026
Practical information — Curieux Baz'art
Practical Information
Dates
Curieux Baz'art takes place every year in June, over a weekend (Saturday and Sunday). 2025 Edition: June 14 and 15, 2025.
Location
Gaillac Town Center — squares, streets, and unusual places (program specifying locations for each performance).
81600 Gaillac
Prices
Completely free admission for all shows and activities. No reservation required for most events.
Program
The complete program is available on the City of Gaillac website, the Gaillac-Graulhet agglomeration website, and at partner cultural venues a few weeks before the festival.
Access
By car: Gaillac is 25 km from Albi (D988) and 50 km from Toulouse (A68). Free parking in the town center.
By train: Gaillac station on the Toulouse-Albi line, a 10-15 minute walk from the town center.
Contact
City of Gaillac / Gaillac-Graulhet Agglomeration
Tel: 05 63 81 20 19
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gaillac.fr
Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes to stroll from one show to another in the city.
- Shows are held outdoors: think of sunscreen and a hat in June.
- The festival is particularly suitable for families with children.
- Consult the program in advance to identify the highlights and plan your route.
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Where does it take place — Curieux Baz'art
Centre-ville de Gaillac (lieux multiples)
Place d'Hautpoul, 81600 Gaillac