Festi'Livre

Festi'Livre: Literature celebrated in one of France's Most Beautiful Villages

La Bastide-Clairence, a Navarre town founded in 1312 and classified among the Most Beautiful Villages in France, hosts Festi'Livre every summer, the literary event of the inland Basque Country. This book festival, organized by the association Bastide et Lire, continues the literary tradition carried for over fifteen years by the association Liber et Litterae, which made this village a meeting place for authors and readers.

An open-air book fair

The heart of the festival beats around the book fair, set up under the arcades of the Place des Arceaux. Numerous publishers, booksellers, and authors present their works across all genres: novels, comics, essays, children's literature, poetry, and regional books. Visitors can meet authors, get books signed, and engage in conversation in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Readings, performances, and workshops

Beyond the fair, Festi'Livre offers a rich and varied program that takes over the various squares and halls of the village:

• Read-aloud workshops at the Inessa de Gaxen hall
• Literary speed-dating on the Place du Fronton for quick encounters with authors
• Creative writing and poetry workshops
• Storytelling and shows for children at the library
• Musical readings in French and Basque on the Place du Fronton
• Theatrical strolls through the village streets
• Meetings with invited authors

A free and popular event

True to its mission of democratizing reading and literature in rural areas, Festi'Livre is entirely free. It attracts readers, the curious, and families each year to discover the literary richness of the region while enjoying the exceptional setting of La Bastide-Clairence, with its half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, and shaded squares.