En Campagne

En Campagne: When the National Stage Visits the Villages of the Indre

Launched in 2022, the En Campagne festival is an initiative by Équinoxe, Scène Nationale de Châteauroux, embodying this cultural institution's commitment to reaching audiences wherever they are. Every September, Équinoxe takes to the road, traveling through the rural towns of the Indre to offer high-quality performances that are completely free and require no booking.

A Tour of the Indre Through Performances

For nearly three weeks, En Campagne makes stops in about ten partner cultural venues spread across the entire Indre department. From Le Blanc to Châtillon-sur-Indre, from La Châtre to Vatan, including Argenton-sur-Creuse, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, Ségry, and Vendœuvres, each stop offers an opportunity to discover one or more shows in various locations: village halls, town squares, mills, abbeys, or outdoor spaces.

An Eclectic and Accessible Program

The En Campagne program favors artistic forms accessible to everyone: music, contemporary dance, circus arts, and street theater. Each edition typically features three different shows that tour all the stops. The invited companies are selected for their ability to connect with audiences and adapt to unusual venues.

The 2025 edition notably featured Les Frères Lapompe in a gypsy jazz style, the company La Tarbasse with their contemporary dance performance Pulse 3.0, and the acrobatic duo Jules Houdin and Guilhèm Charrier with Au Commencement Était la Chute.

More Than a Festival, a Social Connection

Beyond its artistic dimension, En Campagne plays an essential role in fostering social connection in rural areas. Each performance is followed by a moment of conviviality, allowing spectators to interact with each other and with the artists. These stops also provide an opportunity for Équinoxe to present its upcoming season and for the host venues to promote their own cultural programming.

Supported by the Indre Departmental Council, En Campagne demonstrates the commitment of the region's cultural stakeholders to ensuring access to culture for all, through a logic of decentralization and proximity. This unique festival contributes to animating the cultural life of rural towns and highlighting the network of cultural institutions in the Indre.