Ramdam Festival — Wittenheim Book and Youth Festival

Ramdam: Over Twenty-Five Years Serving Youth Literature

The Ramdam Festival was born in 1999 in Wittenheim, in the Mulhouse agglomeration, driven by the MJC of Wittenheim and a network of committed partners — media library, schools, early childhood structures, and local associations. From its inception, the festival has had a clear mission: to allow everyone to access youth literature, making books a vector of pleasure, sharing, and openness to the world.

A Festival Rooted in the Territory

Much more than just a festive weekend, Ramdam deploys its activities throughout the school year. The "Passeurs de lecture" program, supported by about twenty trained volunteers, disseminates a selection of sixteen youth albums to a hundred classes and thirty early childhood structures in the region. Children read, discuss, vote for their favorite album, and then meet the authors during the festival. This participatory approach makes Ramdam a large-scale cultural and educational project.

A Rich and Diverse Program

Every year in March, the MJC of Wittenheim hosts about twenty authors and illustrators for a weekend of meetings, book signings, and discoveries. The program offers about fifteen live shows — theater, storytelling, puppets, and musical readings — adapted for all ages. Creative workshops, interactive games, exhibitions showcasing students' work, and book-related activities complete this program designed for the whole family.

The "Literary Battle" and School Competitions

Among the festival's highlights, the "Literary Battle" pits teams of middle schoolers against each other in a fun and stimulating challenge around the books in the selection. Competitions are also organized for sixth-to-fifth and fourth-to-third grade classes, encouraging reading and creative expression. These initiatives help make Ramdam a true springboard for discovering the pleasure of reading among young people.

A Warm, Human-Sized Event

True to its original spirit, the Ramdam Festival cultivates a warm and friendly, human-sized atmosphere. The invited authors and illustrators appreciate the quality of the welcome and the proximity to the public, forging true bonds of friendship with the organizing team and readers over the editions. This human dimension, combined with a constant commitment to access to culture for all, makes the festival a unique event in the cultural landscape of the Haut-Rhin.