La Ruée vers l'Autre Festival

The popular back-to-school festival in Sainte-Savine

La Ruée vers l'Autre is the big back-to-school event in Sainte-Savine, a town in the Troyes metropolitan area located at the gates of the historic center of Troyes. Every first weekend of September, this popular, cultural, and festive festival transforms the town into a huge open-air stage, blending street arts, a flea market, fairground attractions, and conviviality. Entirely free and open to all, the event attracts over 25,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy this extraordinary end-of-summer celebration.

Street performances, circus, and giant puppets

The heart of the festival is its artistic program of street performances. About ten companies from diverse backgrounds offer more than 40 shows over the two days, in various genres: street theater, circus, acrobatics, giant puppets, fanfares, participatory percussion, and interactive workshops. The shows unfold as processions through the streets of Sainte-Savine, creating an immersive experience where the audience is alternately spectator and participant. The 2025 edition notably featured a contemporary reinterpretation of *Alice in Wonderland*, an immersive experience around a dragon-bike, and a giant duck show.

Flea market, entertainment, and festivities

Alongside the performances, a monumental flea market brings together nearly 300 exhibitors along Avenue Gallieni, over a 2-kilometer stretch. Bargain hunters and strollers alike find treasures, from vintage items and used books to unusual finds. On Place Reichenbach, fairground attractions delight children and families. Sainte-Savine's local businesses participate in the festivities with special events and promotions, and food stalls offer local specialties and drinks in reusable cups, reflecting the festival's environmental commitment.

A pedestrian and eco-responsible event

La Ruée vers l'Autre is a resolutely pedestrian festival: for the two days, the center of Sainte-Savine is closed to car traffic, creating a free and safe space for families, cyclists, and strollers. The festival's eco-responsible commitment is evident in the use of reusable cups, waste sorting, and public awareness campaigns on environmental issues. Organized by the Local Life Animation department of the city of Sainte-Savine, the festival mobilizes numerous volunteers and relies on a network of associative and institutional partners to offer a quality event, rooted in the values of sharing, culture, and meeting.