Festival Les Jours de la Dame
Festival dedicated to feminine creation in Ardèche
2026
About Jours de la Dame
Jours de la Dame — edition 2026
The 8th edition of Les Jours de la Dame runs from September 26 to November 7, 2026, featuring thirteen events spread over seven weekends across eight municipalities in the Ardèche des Sources et Volcans region. The program includes theater, singing, performance art, classical music, and readings, all centered on female creativity. Tickets are €8 or €10, at the spectator's discretion.
8th Edition (2026)
The Les Jours de la Dame Festival returns from September 26 to November 7, 2026, for its 8th edition. Thirteen performances are scheduled over seven weekends, with one or two events per weekend: Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 PM, and Sundays at 5:00 PM or 5:30 PM.
A Traveling Festival Across Eight Municipalities
Le Nautilus, the former machine room of a silk mill in Lalevade-d'Ardèche, will host four evenings, including the opening and closing shows. Other events will take place at the Moulinage and the village hall in Chirols, the Espace Culturel in Fabras, the Notre-Dame de Prévenchères church in Montpezat-sous-Bauzon, the village hall in Burzet, the Espace Animation in Meyras, the village hall in Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, and the community café La P'tite Bulle in Prades.
Theater, Music, Performance, and Readings
The program features cabaret, musical theater, song and percussion, chamber music, a lecture-performance on women in the Olympic Games, visual performance art, storytelling, dance, vocal improvisation, tragicomedy, and a public reading evening dedicated to women's writing in Chirols.
Pricing
Tickets are €10 for standard admission and €8 for reduced rates; the organizers leave the choice to you based on your means. The readings on October 30 in Chirols are pay-what-you-want, as are some of the "unidentified scenic objects" (OSNI).
Highlights Jours de la Dame 2026
- Opening night on September 26 at Le Nautilus with "L'enfant maquillé," a cabaret based on texts by Bernard Dimey
- "Tamborradas de amor" by Les Dames de la Joliette, winners of the Musiques d'Ici et d'Ailleurs award, on October 3 in Fabras
- Kodály and Bartók performed by Ensemble Fabria in the Romanesque church of Notre-Dame de Prévenchères on October 4 in Montpezat-sous-Bauzon
- "Couronner les vainqueurs," a lecture-performance by Clarice Boyriven about women in the Olympic Games, on October 9 in Burzet
- Closing night on November 7 at Le Nautilus with "Ay Madre Mia!" by Compagnie Janvier et Lipse
Programme Jours de la Dame 2026
Thirteen events from September 26 to November 7, 2026, across eight municipalities in the Ardèche des Sources et Volcans region. Unless otherwise stated, tickets are €10 for standard admission and €8 for reduced rates.
Saturday, September 26, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "L'enfant maquillé," a cabaret featuring texts by Bernard Dimey · Le Nautilus, 63 avenue Centrale, Lalevade-d'Ardèche · directed by Chloé Sarrat, performed by Pascal Papini, piano by Serge Besset
Sunday, September 27, 2026
- 5:00 PM — "ASTRÜD GÅSTRYK," musical theater, vocal clowning, and radio creation · Le Moulinage de Chirols, Pont de Veyrières, Chirols
Saturday, October 3, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "Tamborradas de amor," songs and percussion by Les Dames de la Joliette · Espace culturel, 1 place des Cerisiers, Fabras · featuring Maura Guerrera, Annie Maltinti, Sylvie Paz, and Kalliroi Raouzeou
Sunday, October 4, 2026
- 5:00 PM — Concert by Ensemble Fabria: Kodály's Duo No. 7 and a selection of Bartók duos, interspersed with readings from their correspondence · Église Notre-Dame de Prévenchères, route de Prévenchères, Montpezat-sous-Bauzon · Estelle Harbulot (violin) and Lise Péchenart (cello)
Friday, October 9, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "Couronner les vainqueurs," a lecture-performance by Clarice Boyriven on women's participation in the Olympic Games · Salle des fêtes, Burzet
Friday, October 16, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "La Monstre," a visual and theatrical performance by Magdalena Galindo, where a body transforms live using earth, clay, and paint · Moulinage de Chirols, Chirols
Saturday, October 17, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "Nous les vagues," Cie KAMMA · Espace animation, 7 place du Champ de Mars, Meyras · directed by Margherita Bertoli, performed by Maïa Jarville and Raphaël Mena
Friday, October 23, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "La roue du destin," Cie Les Virevolantes · Salle des fêtes, Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier · Brigitte Ragot (storytelling) and Odile Leibenguth (music)
Saturday, October 24, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "La Prima Donna," based on a text by Claude Ber · La P'tite Bulle, community café, vaulted room under the town hall, place de la Mairie, Prades · Géraldine Baldini, with the complicity of Marcelle Basso Bocabella · wheelchair accessible with assistance, disabled parking available, pets on a leash welcome
Friday, October 30, 2026
- 7:30 PM — "Lectures androgynes 2," readings of writings about women in collaboration with the Chirols library · Salle des fêtes, Chirols · everyone is welcome to bring their own texts to read or have read aloud · pay-what-you-want, please bring a cake
Saturday, October 31, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "La femme est un artichaut," a danced and spoken narrative written and performed by Ofra Hoffman · Le Nautilus, Lalevade-d'Ardèche · directed by Patrick Rabier
Sunday, November 1, 2026
- 5:30 PM — "Grangou" and a carte blanche performance by Aurélia Etienne, vocal improvisation based on her first solo album · Le Nautilus, Lalevade-d'Ardèche
Saturday, November 7, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "Ay Madre Mia!," Compagnie Janvier et Lipse · Le Nautilus, Lalevade-d'Ardèche · a tragicomedy featuring music, dance, and songs, based on the life of Dolores "Lola" Moreno Raposo
Prices Jours de la Dame 2026
The organizer suggests a ticket price of €8 to €10 depending on your means.
Lectures androgynes 2 (Friday, October 30, Chirols): pay-what-you-want, please bring a cake.
Special prices or pay-what-you-want apply to certain performances (OSNI).
Practical information — Jours de la Dame
Getting there
The festival is a travelling event held across the Ardèche des Sources et Volcans community of communes. Its main venue is Le Nautilus, located at 63 avenue Centrale, 07380 Lalevade-d'Ardèche, which is the former machine room of a silk mill.
By car: From Aubenas (12 km), take the N102 towards Le Puy and exit at Lalevade-d'Ardèche. From Privas (30 km), take the D104 towards Aubenas, then the N102.
Parking: Free parking is available near Le Nautilus.
Other festival venues
- Le Moulinage de Chirols, Pont de Veyrières, and the Chirols village hall
- Espace culturel, 1 place des Cerisiers, Fabras
- Église Notre-Dame de Prévenchères, route de Prévenchères, Montpezat-sous-Bauzon
- Burzet village hall
- Espace animation, 7 place du Champ de Mars, Meyras
- Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier village hall
- La P'tite Bulle, a community café located in the vaulted room beneath the town hall, place de la Mairie, Prades
Opening hours
Performances begin at 8:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 5:00 pm or 5:30 pm on Sundays. The reading evening on October 30th starts at 7:30 pm.
Tickets
Standard price is €10, reduced price is €8: the organisers leave the choice to you based on your budget. Admission is free for readings and certain OSNIs (unidentified scenic objects).
Accessibility
The vaulted room at La P'tite Bulle in Prades is wheelchair accessible with assistance, featuring a reserved space for disabled visitors and nearby parking. Pets are welcome if kept on a lead.
Contact
Organiser: Leda Atomica association, Lalevade-d'Ardèche.
Phone: 06 80 72 03 57, and 07 68 90 18 39 for evenings at Le Nautilus.
A festival dedicated to feminine creation
Since 2019, the Festival Les Jours de la Dame celebrates feminine creation in all its forms in Lalevade-d'Ardèche and in the communes of the Ardèche des Sources et Volcans territory. Supported by the association Leda Atomica, this multidisciplinary festival highlights women artists through shows, performances, and exhibitions, with a demanding and committed artistic approach.
Shows in intimate venues
The heart of the festival beats at Le Nautilus, a former 19th-century silk mill machine room, converted into a cultural venue in Lalevade-d'Ardèche. This unique industrial and heritage setting hosts evening shows in an intimate and warm atmosphere. Other venues in the territory are also used: multi-purpose halls, cultural cafes, and public spaces in neighboring communes such as Prades, Mercuer, and Burzet.
Theater, dance, song, and performances
The program of Les Jours de la Dame embraces the diversity of contemporary feminine creation: theater, dance, song, performances, OSNI (Unidentified Scenic Objects), and exhibitions. The 2024 edition (the 6th) featured shows like “Aide à dom,” “Je voulais être un homme,” “Poêle dans la main,” and “Le Bal des Affreux,” in registers ranging from committed theater to offbeat performance.
A commitment to the visibility of women artists
The Festival Les Jours de la Dame carries a strong commitment to the visibility and recognition of women in artistic creation. By programming exclusively women artists, the festival offers a unique broadcasting and meeting space in Ardèche, contributing to cultural diversity and equality in live performance.
Where does it take place — Jours de la Dame
Jours de la Dame in brief
Other festivals near Lalevade-d'Ardèche
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