Festivallon

Festivallon: Live Music Invades the Bistros of Avallonnais

Born in 1999 from an idea as simple as it was generous, Festivallon is today one of Burgundy's most unique summer festivals. Initially, four Avallon-based café and restaurant owners decided to pay for music groups out of their own pockets to liven up their establishments during the summer. Word of mouth did the rest. The following year, pressure from musicians' associations pushed the founders to organize: the JAVA association was born, and Festivallon became an event in its own right.

More than twenty-five years after its beginnings, the festival has lost none of its soul. It is still based on a one-of-a-kind concept: a group or artist is hosted for an entire week and plays their repertoire six nights in a row in the bars, restaurants, and bistros of Avallon and surrounding towns. Each night, a different venue, a unique atmosphere, the same group to build audience loyalty and allow them to discover a repertoire in depth.

A Festival Rooted in its Territory

What distinguishes Festivallon from most festivals is its rejection of the big stage and impersonal podiums. Concerts are held in the rooms and on the terraces of the local bistros in the Avallonnais region: in Avallon itself, but also in Joux-la-Ville, Montréal, Toutry, Magny, Coutarnoux, Foissy-lès-Vézelay, and sometimes even Vézelay. Performances take place in village cafés, restaurants, and even unusual locations like the Grotte de Champ-Retard or the Hameau des Pierreux in Coutarnoux — all places that give the festival an irreplaceable charm.

Among the establishments that regularly host concerts are: l'Autour d'un verre in Joux-la-Ville, le Bar au Quinze in Montréal, the BHV and the Crep'80 in Avallon, the Bar Le St-Valentin in Toutry, L'Embuscade in Magny, L'Horloge in Avallon, and many others.

Free Concerts, Diverse Music

All Festivallon des Bistrots concerts are free. This free admission is a strong philosophical choice: live music should be accessible to everyone, without an entry barrier. The public is invited to support the venues hosting the artists simply by making a purchase on site. It's a pact of trust between musicians, shopkeepers, and the public.

The programming is eclectic and deliberately open: rock, folk, blues, French chanson, jazz, world music, pop, fusion... Festivallon doesn't have a defined genre, but a requirement: artistic quality and the desire to perform. Groups are selected after auditions by the JAVA association, which ensures a varied panorama of the regional and national music scene each year. Among the notable groups from recent editions are: MOTIS, Nini Poulain, MimE, Space Alligators, ZIKAHI, BRS, Greboo, Maurice!, Tex'o.

The Festivallon Tremplin: A Launchpad for Emerging Artists

Since 2010, Festivallon has organized a Beginner's Competition at the start of the season, open to amateur groups and artists from the region. The evening, free and open to all, allows several groups to perform in front of a supportive audience. The public votes for their favorite group. The winner is invited to perform at the major Fête d'Avallon, closing the festival, alongside professional artists. In 2024, Axel Chevalier won this competition.

The Fête d'Avallon: The Grand Outdoor Finale

Every year in August, Festivallon partners with the City of Avallon to organize the Fête d'Avallon, an outdoor music evening on the Terreaux Vauban and Place des Odebert. Three concerts follow one another, ending with synchronized fireworks, attracting thousands of spectators.

Festivallon Jazz: An Extension into Jazz

From late August to mid-September, Festivallon continues with a jazz component: concerts of gypsy jazz, swing, world, and improvised music then take over the bistros of Avallonnais. Groups like Un Soir de Swing (gypsy jazz), Osm'Oz, the Lesly Trio, or Voce Vita and Arawa have punctuated these more intimate summer evenings. The festival traditionally concludes with a final concert at the Marché Couvert d'Avallon, bringing together several bands for a final moment of sharing.

Key Figures and Recognition

Over the years, Festivallon has established itself as an unmissable summer event in Avallon. In 2025, for its 27th edition, the festival brought together 14 groups, 13 venues, and offered 45 free concerts from July 4th to September 20th. In 2022, over 3,000 spectators attended the 36 concerts of the edition. The festival benefits from the support of the City of Avallon, the Department of Yonne, and the Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.