Ty'Babel Festival
Music festival for young children and very young children in Saint-Nazaire
About Ty'Babel
Created in 2025 by Athénor, National Centre for Musical Creation in Saint-Nazaire, the Ty'Babel festival is dedicated to music for young children and very young children. With an eclectic program combining contemporary music, improvisation, song, musical storytelling, artisanal instrument making, and sound installations, the festival invites children from the youngest age to explore sound in all its forms. Ty'Babel is part of the Babels festival network alongside Babel Minots in Marseille and Babel Mômes in Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris, with the common ambition of breaking down musical aesthetics and making creation accessible to children. Each edition offers family shows, school performances, and a Labo Ludi-Musique, a space for free and sensory sound exploration designed to awaken the musical curiosity of toddlers. Ty'Babel 2026: March 26-30.
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Ty'Babel: Saint-Nazaire's Young Audience Music Festival
The Ty'Babel festival was born in 2025 on the initiative of Athénor, the National Centre for Musical Creation (CNCM) in Saint-Nazaire, directed by Camel Zekri. Dedicated to young children and very young children, this festival offers several days of concerts, shows, workshops, and sound installations every year at the end of March. The program combines contemporary music, improvisation, song, sign language, musical storytelling, and artisanal instrument making, with the aim of sparking surprise, wonder, and curiosity from the youngest age.
A National Network of Festivals for Childhood
Ty'Babel is part of the Babels festivals network, a collective adventure initiated by the Babel Minots festival in Marseille (since 2015) and the Babel Mômes festival in Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris (since 2021). This network shares the same vision: to make living music accessible to all from the youngest age, to break down musical aesthetics, and to foster encounters between children, families, and artists. Ty'Babel anchors this approach in the Grand Ouest region, in Saint-Nazaire.
The Labo Ludi-Musique: A Space for Sound Exploration
At the heart of the festival, the Labo Ludi-Musique, designed by Sarah Clénet and Anne-Laure Lejosne, is a space composed of interactive sound installations where children, accompanied by an adult, can manipulate, listen with their eyes closed, play, and freely experiment with sound material. Open access before and after each show, the Labo also offers specific workshops for children aged 6 to 9 and parent-child workshops for toddlers from 6 months old.
Shows for All Ages
Ty'Babel's program is aimed at all ages, from infants to pre-teens. Each edition offers about ten family performances and a dozen school performances, reaching several hundred students from the Saint-Nazaire area. The shows take place in several locations in Saint-Nazaire and surrounding towns, making the festival a radiating event throughout the territory.
Original Creations and Regional Companies
Ty'Babel highlights musical creation by offering original works created in connection with the region. The first edition presented BaBaribulles, a creation by Athénor developed with seven classes from three schools in the area, in collaboration with the Saint-Nazaire collective À l'envers. The festival hosts local, Breton, and national companies, offering a rich artistic diversity rooted in the Grand Ouest.
Ty'Babel — edition 2026
Second edition of the Ty'Babel festival, from March 26 to 30, 2026, in Saint-Nazaire. Five days of concerts, shows, workshops, and sound installations for young children and very young children, with shows at Athénor, Bain Public, Médiathèque Étienne Caux, and in the towns of Saint-André-des-Eaux and Donges. On the program: Un pays supplémentaire by Claudine Simon, Manta by Klankennest company, Les Oreilles en cœur by Mathilde Lechat, L'Arbre sans fin by Camille Arcache and Eliott Khosla, and Grio Partir by Igor Kouton.
Ty'Babel 2026: Second Edition
The Ty'Babel festival returns from March 26 to 30, 2026 for its second edition. Five days of concerts, shows, workshops, and sound installations dedicated to young children and very young children will take over several venues in Saint-Nazaire and neighboring towns: Athénor, Bain Public, Médiathèque Étienne Caux, as well as Saint-André-des-Eaux and Donges.
The 2026 program offers a rich and varied musical exploration, designed to spark surprise, wonder, and curiosity from the youngest age, by awakening all senses and inviting children to play, create, and experiment with sound.
The Labo Ludi-Musique, designed by Sarah Clénet and Anne-Laure Lejosne, again offers parent-child workshops (from 6 months old) and free-access sound installations, allowing toddlers to manipulate, listen, and play with sound material.
Programme Ty'Babel 2026
Ty'Babel 2026 Program
- Un pays supplémentaire – Claudine Simon (ages 6+) – Athénor
- Manta – Compagnie Klankennest (ages 4 to 24 months) – Bain Public, 24 rue des Halles
- Les Oreilles en cœur – Mathilde Lechat (ages 6 months to 5 years) – Saint-André-des-Eaux and Donges
- L'Arbre sans fin – Camille Arcache and Eliott Khosla (ages 3+) – Médiathèque Étienne Caux
- Grio Partir – Igor Kouton (ages 6+) – Athénor
- Labo Ludi-Musique – Sarah Clénet and Anne-Laure Lejosne – Parent-child workshops and free access
Highlights Ty'Babel 2026
- Manta by the Belgian company Klankennest, a sensory show for babies aged 4 to 24 months
- Un pays supplémentaire by Claudine Simon, a musical exploration for ages 6+
- Grio Partir by Igor Kouton, a musical tale and griot performance for ages 6+
- L'Arbre sans fin, a musical show for children aged 3+
- Labo Ludi-Musique with parent-child workshops from 6 months old
- Festival extended to five days and multiple venues in the Saint-Nazaire area
Prices Ty'Babel 2026
Practical information — Ty'Babel
Festival Access
Main Venue
The festival primarily takes place at Athénor – CNCM, 82 rue du Bois Savary, 44600 Saint-Nazaire. Some shows are also held at Bain Public (24 rue des Halles), at the Médiathèque Étienne Caux, and in neighboring towns such as Saint-André-des-Eaux and Donges.
By Car
From Nantes, take the RN171 towards Saint-Nazaire (approx. 1 hour). Athénor is located in the Bois Savary district, north of the city center.
By Train
Saint-Nazaire station is served by TER Pays de la Loire from Nantes (approx. 45 min). Athénor is about a 20-minute walk from the station or accessible by the STRAN bus network.
Ticketing
Tickets are available online at billetterie.legilog.fr/athenor/, by phone at 02 51 10 05 05, or at the Athénor reception. Ticketing opens about three weeks before the festival. Full price: €7. Reduced price: €5. Workshops: €5. Free access to Labo Ludi-Musique (Saturday and Sunday).
Opening Hours
The Athénor reception is open on Wednesdays from 2 PM to 6 PM, and from Monday to Friday from 4 PM to 6:30 PM starting the week before the festival.
Contact
Phone: 02 51 10 05 05
Email: [email protected]
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Travel to this festival
Book your train or bus to reach Ty'Babel at the best price.
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Where does it take place — Ty'Babel
Athénor – Centre national de création musicale
82 rue du Bois Savary, 44600 Saint-Nazaire