Côte à Côte Festival

Côte à Côte Festival: When Street Art Meets the Picardy Cliffs

Every two years, the small seaside town of Ault transforms for a long weekend in July. The Côte à Côte Festival takes over the streets, squares, gardens, and natural spaces of the town to showcase a rich program of street arts, live performances, visual installations, and participatory workshops. Since its first edition, this biennial event has established itself as a highlight of the cultural life of the Picardy coast.

A Festival Rooted in its Territory

Ault occupies a unique position on the Picardy coast, at the top of white chalk cliffs that mark the northern edge of the Pays de Caux. The Bois de Cise, the narrow streets of the town center, the panoramas of the English Channel, and the pebble beaches all serve as natural and heritage settings that the festival's artists inhabit and reinterpret. The Côte à Côte Festival thus creates a dialogue between contemporary artistic creation and a distinctive territory, offering visitors a sensory rediscovery of the town.

A Multidisciplinary and Accessible Program

The program of the Côte à Côte Festival is distinguished by its eclecticism and openness. Street arts form the heart of the festival: street theater, circus, dance, parades, and performances transform public spaces into open-air stages. Concerts of various styles (world music, folk, chanson) punctuate the days and evenings. Visual arts play an important role, with on-site installations, exhibitions, and land art creations made directly in the coastal landscape.

Participatory workshops allow all audiences, children and adults alike, to try their hand at different artistic practices. This participatory and educational dimension is at the core of the festival's philosophy, which aims to make art accessible to everyone in a spirit of conviviality and sharing.

A Highly Anticipated Biennial Event

The biennial nature of the Côte à Côte Festival gives it a special aura. Each edition is a highly anticipated event for the residents of Ault, second-home owners, and holidaymakers on the Picardy coast. The festival contributes to the town''s tourist appeal off the beaten path, offering an original cultural experience that complements the discovery of the exceptional natural heritage of the Picardy cliffs, the nearby Baie de Somme, and the coastline.

The festival benefits from the support of the Municipality of Ault, the Department of the Somme, and the Region Hauts-de-France, demonstrating institutional recognition of this rural and coastal cultural event.