Festival de l'Arpenteur
Sloping theatre and avalancheous word since 1996
About L'Arpenteur
The Festival de l'Arpenteur: Live Art at the Heart of the Mountains
Since 1996, the Festival de l'Arpenteur has offered a week of exceptional encounters around performing arts and contemporary literature every summer, on the slopes of the Belledonne massif, in Les Adrets. Supported by the association Scènes obliques, founded in 1992 by writer and director Antoine Choplin, this festival was born from a strong conviction: culture can spread everywhere, even far from major urban centers, and the mountains are a territory for artistic experimentation in their own right.
A Thirty-Year History of Cultural Audacity
Subtitled “sloping theatre and avalancheous word,” L'Arpenteur was directed for nearly thirty years by Antoine Choplin, who made this event one of the most unique multidisciplinary festivals in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. In 2023, Laetitia Cuvelier took over as director, bringing her fresh perspective and mountain roots, having been a postal worker, journalist, refuge keeper, and heritage interpreter. Since its inception, the festival has continued to grow, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025 with an ambitious program faithful to its founding spirit.
A Multidisciplinary and Demanding Program
The Festival de l'Arpenteur offers a clever mix of theatre, storytelling, performances, exhibitions, concerts, and readings. The invited artists, whether renowned or emerging, embrace an atypical, sensitive, and human adventure, both on stage and in the festival's living and escape spaces. The artistic forms are diverse: street and indoor theatre, dance, contemporary circus, performances, visual arts, open-air cinema, scientific and philosophical conferences.
Iconic Events
L'Arpenteur is distinguished by its original formats, deeply linked to the mountain territory:
- Sloping theatre: performances staged on the slopes, taking advantage of the unique topography of Les Adrets
- Reading hikes: literary excursions while walking towards the refuges and ridges of Belledonne
- Feasts: convivial moments of conversation between artists and the public around generous tables
- Workshops: writing, philosophy in motion (randophilo), visual arts, open to all
- Sloping banquet: a festive meal on the slope, followed by a lively dance, the festival's mythical closing event
- Uncertain cabaret: an open stage mixing amateur and professional artists
The Bivouac: The Festival's Beating Heart
At the center of L'Arpenteur is the bivouac, a friendly space open daily from 5:30 PM until late at night. It offers homemade food prepared with local products, a café-bar, a pop-up bookstore, and a small stage hosting concerts, readings, and performances. The bivouac is also a camping area where festival-goers can pitch their tents to fully experience the festival, day and night.
Strong Territorial Roots
Scènes obliques also develops the CAIRNS project, cultural activities carried out throughout the year in the Belledonne territory, as well as the review Arpentages and the Cahiers de l'Oblique. The association is working on the creation of the International Mountain Cultural Center (ECIM), with the restoration of the Manoir de Vaubonnais, a historic monument located in Les Adrets, intended to become a permanent venue for artistic residencies and cultural encounters in mountain regions.
L'Arpenteur — edition 2026
The 31st edition of the Festival de l'Arpenteur will take place from July 4 to 11, 2026 in Les Adrets en Belledonne (Isère), on the theme « Seeking Refuge » proposed by artistic director Laetitia Cuvelier. A new week of encounters around live performance, circus, dance, music, and contemporary literature, on the slopes of the Belledonne massif. On the program: steep theatre, aerial circus, readings, hiking-readings, exhibitions, the convivial bivouac, and the closing steep banquet followed by a ball.
31st Edition – « Seeking Refuge » – July 4 to 11, 2026
The Festival de l'Arpenteur returns for its 31st edition from July 4 to 11, 2026 in Les Adrets, on the slopes of the Belledonne massif. Under the artistic direction of Laetitia Cuvelier and the general direction of Céline Saint-Martin, the 2026 edition unfolds around the poetic invitation « Seeking Refuge »: to make the festival a place of frugality, fraternity, and hospitality, a refuge for thought as the mountain is for life.
For eight days, the village of Les Adrets hosts a multidisciplinary and accessible program: theatre, circus (vertical, aerial, acrobatic), dance, object and puppet theatre, concerts, readings, documentary cinema, and literary encounters, in several village locations (Parc de la mairie, Cour de l'école, Salle Pra Pillou, Salle Pelloux-Prayer, Chalet nordique de Beldina).
Highlights of the 2026 Edition
- Inhabiting the landscape from July 7 to 9: the Encounters under the Tree by Collectif Maison Courbe — living, eating, performing, and sleeping under the plane tree in the schoolyard.
- Exhibition « But a Storm Blows from Paradise » by Radouan Zeghidour, from July 4 to 10.
- Steep Banquet and Folle Pagaille Ball: the festive closing evening on Saturday, July 11, in the town hall park.
- The Bivouac: festival living area and canteen, open daily from 5:30 PM (homemade and local cuisine, ephemeral bookstore).
The festival is organized by the association Scènes obliques and supported notably by the Creative Europe program, the DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Isère Department, the Le Grésivaudan Community of Communes, and the Commune des Adrets.
Programme L'Arpenteur 2026
Saturday, July 4, 2026
- 3:30 PM — Réparer l'invisible · Embroidery workshop, Ivana Müller / ORLA · Bivouac · Free, open access
- 4:30 PM — Opening of the exhibition Mais du Paradis souffle une tempête, Radouan Zeghidour · Town Hall · Free
- 5:30 PM — Inauguration of the 31st edition · Town Hall Park
- 7:00 PM — Racine(s) · Vertical circus, Collectif Maison Courbe and L'Attraction Compagnie (Inbal Ben Haim, David Amar) · Schoolyard · 5 to 15 €
- 9:30 PM — Marianne Chaud et La route · Encounter and documentary cinema · Town Hall Park · 5 to 15 €
Sunday, July 5, 2026
- 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM — We Are Still Watching · Participatory theatrical experience, Ivana Müller / ORLA · Salle Pra Pillou · 5 to 15 €
- 11:00 AM — A visit to the bookstore with Marianne Chaud and Radouan Zeghidour · Bivouac
- 2:30 PM — Au seuil du sauvage · Art in the landscape (walking-reading) · Chalet nordique de Beldina / Station Les 7 Laux · Free
- 9:00 PM — La Fondation du Rien · Theatre, Nicolas Heredia / La Vaste Entreprise · Salle Pra Pillou · 5 to 15 €
Monday, July 6, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Cabaret incertain · Open stage, Scènes obliques and guests · Bivouac · Free
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
- 2:30 PM and 6:30 PM — Sous Terre · Object theatre, Cie Matiloun · Salle Pra Pillou · 5 to 15 € (limited capacity, reservation essential)
- 9:15 PM — Opening ceremony of the Rencontres sous l'arbre, Collectif Maison Courbe · Schoolyard
- 9:15 PM — Henriette ou la fabrique des folles · Theatre and puppets, Cie Les Atlantes · Schoolyard · 8 to 20 €
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
- 11:00 AM — A visit to the bookstore with Jérémy Damian and Collectif Maison Courbe
- 3:00 PM — La poésie est un refuge · Encounter, L'Office des Transports Poétik · Bivouac · Free
- 6:30 PM — Hêtre · Aerial circus, Cie Libertivore (Nina Harper) · Schoolyard · 5 to 15 €
- 9:15 PM — Androsace · Dialogued poetry and music narrative, Antoine Choplin and Shadi Fathi · Town Hall Park · 8 to 20 €
- 10:45 PM — Une nuit sous l'arbre with Maison Courbe · Schoolyard · Free
Thursday, July 9, 2026
- 11:00 AM — A visit to the bookstore with Katia Bouchoueva · Bivouac
- 2:30 PM — L'art face au chaos : un refuge, un témoignage, un élan vital · Encounter, Antoine Choplin and Shadi Fathi · Bivouac · Free
- 6:30 PM — Closing ceremony of the Rencontres sous l'arbre · Performance, Collectif Maison Courbe · Schoolyard · Free
- 9:15 PM — La France, Empire · Investigative theatre, Nicolas Lambert · Town Hall Park · 8 to 20 €
Friday, July 10, 2026
- 9:00 AM — Du dessin aux mots with Marion Fayolle · Workshop · Bivouac · Free (registration essential), followed by an aperitif-reading at 11:30 AM
- 2:30 PM — Balade littéraire au fil des granges with Marion Fayolle and David Piovesan · Departure from Col d'Hurtières parking · Free
- 6:30 PM — Solstice · Dance, circus and music, Cie Contrepoint · Schoolyard · 5 to 15 €
- 9:00 PM — La Mòssa · Voice and percussion concert · Town Hall Park · 8 to 20 €
Saturday, July 11, 2026 — Closing Evening
- 11:00 AM — Le soleil s'est couché deux fois · Amateur theatre, Théâtre Nomade et Provisoire · Bivouac · Free
- 5:00 PM — Baignoire publique · Acrobatic trio, Le Cirque Compost · Schoolyard · Free participation (5 € recommended)
- 7:00 PM — Banquet pentu · Village meal, Scènes obliques and La Campanaise · Town Hall Park · 18 € full / 20 € support / 10 € child (- 10 years), reservation essential
- 10:00 PM — Folle Pagaille · Ball · Town Hall Park · Free
Highlights L'Arpenteur 2026
- Dates: July 4 to 11, 2026, in Les Adrets en Belledonne (Isère)
- 31st edition on the theme « Seeking Refuge »
- Headliners: Androsace (Antoine Choplin and Shadi Fathi), La France Empire (Nicolas Lambert), La Mòssa, Solstice (Cie Contrepoint), Hêtre (Cie Libertivore)
- Encounters under the Tree from July 7 to 9 with Collectif Maison Courbe
- Steep Banquet and Folle Pagaille Ball closing on Saturday, July 11
- Accessible prices « conscious pricing » and many free events
Prices L'Arpenteur 2026
Practical information — L'Arpenteur
Practical Information
Dates and Times
The Festival de l'Arpenteur takes place every year in early July, for a full week (Saturday to Saturday). The bivouac opens daily from 5:30 PM and activities continue until late at night. Shows and activities are scheduled during the day and evening.
Location
The festival is held at the Parc de la Mairie and in various locations in the village of Les Adrets (38190), on the slopes of the Belledonne massif, in the Grésivaudan valley, Isère. Some activities (reading hikes, refuge concerts) take place in the mountains, on the trails and in the Belledonne refuges.
Access
By car: Les Adrets is located about 30 minutes from Grenoble via the A41 motorway (exit Le Touvet or Goncelin), then direction Les Adrets / Le Collet d'Allevard. The village is at an altitude of 740 meters.
By public transport: From Grenoble, take the TER to Goncelin or Le Touvet, then a shuttle service or carpooling organized by the festival. Consult the festival website for transport details.
Prices
Festival prices are deliberately accessible, ranging from 6 to 16 euros depending on the shows. Some activities are free (bivouac, pop-up bookstore, some readings and encounters). A festival pass is available to access the entire program. Reduced rates for children, students, and job seekers.
Ticketing
Tickets are available online on the Festik platform: billetterie.festik.net/scenes-obliques/ and on-site at the bivouac for the duration of the festival.
Accommodation and Catering
The bivouac offers a free camping area where festival-goers can set up their tents. Homemade meals are provided every evening at the bivouac with local and seasonal products. A café-bar is open continuously. Accommodation in the resort of Le Collet d'Allevard and the surrounding area (guesthouses, B&Bs, campsites) is also available nearby.
Recommended Equipment
- Hiking shoes for mountain excursions
- Warm clothing for evenings at altitude (740 m and above)
- Sun protection and rain gear (changing mountain weather)
- Tent and sleeping bag if you wish to camp at the bivouac
- Headlamp for night returns
Accessibility
The festival strives to make its events accessible to as many people as possible. For any specific accessibility requests, please contact the team by email or phone.
Contact
Association Scènes obliques
61 rue du Cardelet
38190 Les Adrets
Phone: 04 76 71 16 48
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.scenes-obliques.eu
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Where does it take place — L'Arpenteur
Parc de la Mairie des Adrets
Parc de la Mairie, 38190 Les Adrets