Décroissance, le Festival

Décroissance, le Festival: Celebrating Happy Degrowth

In a festival landscape dominated by the race for gigantism and overconsumption, Décroissance, le Festival stands out as a salutary anomaly. Born from the conviction that celebration and reflection can coexist, this unique event transforms the town of Saint-Maixent-l'École into a living laboratory of degrowth every summer, where people come as much to dance as to think, as much to create with their hands as to debate the major issues of our time.

The festival is structured around five thematic axes that outline the contours of a fulfilling degrowth life: Making with our hands, to rediscover the pleasure of artisanal gestures; (Re)feeling with our five senses and emotions, to reconnect with the living; Stopping and exploring a different relationship with time, to escape constant acceleration; Thinking beyond our certainties, to nourish critical thinking; and Playing at all ages, to rediscover the joy of play.

A Rich and Participatory Program

Each edition offers a dense and varied program: about ten concerts, sixty practical workshops (repair, wild cooking, sewing, low-tech construction, gardening, visual arts), thirty debates and conferences with degrowth thinkers, researchers, and activists, as well as shows, screenings, and festive events.

Free and Conscious Pricing

True to its values, the festival operates on a free and conscious pricing model, allowing everyone to contribute according to their means. This alternative economic model, supported by crowdfunding via HelloAsso, concretely embodies the principles of degrowth: moving away from the logic of commerce to prioritize connection, sharing, and trust.

Saint-Maixent-l'École: A Historic Host Territory

Saint-Maixent-l'École, a town of 7,377 inhabitants located on the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise river, offers an ideal heritage and natural setting for this festival. The town, accessible by TGV, boasts an abbey founded in the 5th century, medieval streets, and green spaces along the river. The festival takes over various locations in the town, creating a journey between debate spaces, outdoor workshops, and music stages.

A Growing Movement

Beyond the festival, the event is part of a growing intellectual and citizen movement, supported by thinkers such as Serge Latouche, Timothée Parrique, and Vincent Liegey. The festival offers a unique meeting space for long-time activists, curious citizens, and new generations sensitized to ecological issues, creating a vibrant and joyful community around degrowth.