Fête de Diges

The Fête de Diges, between art and popular tradition

Every August, the village of Diges (89240) holds its major summer event: the Fête de Diges, organized by the Diges Festival Committee with the support of numerous volunteers. This festival stands out in the landscape of local events in the Yonne region for its resolutely cultural and artistic dimension: each edition hosts a collective exhibition of visual arts in the village church, bringing together sculptors, ceramists, painters, and photographers, alongside the popular entertainment and festivities that make a village come alive during a festival.

This original combination of village festival tradition and a curated artistic program makes the Fête de Diges a unique and valuable event in the cultural and festive calendar of Puisaye-Forterre and the entire Yonne department.

Diges and the Festival Committee: an association at the heart of village life

Diges is a rural commune in the Yonne (89) department, located in the Puisaye-Forterre region, a land of hedgerows, ponds, and forests stretching west of the department. The village has fewer than 400 inhabitants but benefits from a remarkably active associative life, driven in particular by the Festival Committee, chaired by Bertrand Maupront.

This committee is the driving force behind local festive and cultural life: it organizes the village's two major annual events, namely the Summer Festival in August and the famous Chestnut Festival in autumn, which attracts many visitors from across the department each year. In addition, the committee regularly organizes glass painting workshops, cultural events, and the artistic exhibitions that have become the signature of the August festival.

Artistic exhibitions in the church

The main distinguishing feature of the Fête de Diges lies in its artistic exhibitions, organized annually in the village church. This high-quality heritage space, located in the heart of the village, offers a particularly suitable setting for showcasing the presented works.

Sculpture

Sculpture is one of the flagship disciplines of the Diges summer exhibition. Local and regional artists present their three-dimensional creations: sculptures in stone, wood, metal, or contemporary materials that engage in dialogue with the sober architecture of the village church. These works testify to the vitality of three-dimensional plastic creation in the region.

Ceramics

Ceramics holds a special place in the Diges exhibitions, in line with a strong artisanal tradition in Puisaye and the Yonne. Potters and ceramists present their pieces—vases, sculptures, installations—in continuity with the region's ceramic history, an unknown territory of living artistic craftsmanship.

Painting

Painters contribute to the richness and colorful diversity of the exhibition. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, or mixed techniques: the pictorial offerings reflect the diversity of contemporary creation in the Yonne and neighboring regions. The Diges church, with its subdued light and stone walls, provides a particularly high-quality exhibition setting for two-dimensional works.

Photography

Photography completes the artistic panorama of the festival. Amateur or professional photographers offer perspectives on the Puisaye-Forterre region, the landscapes of the Yonne, or more personal subjects, presenting the public with images that invite contemplation and inner journeys.

The exhibition vernissage

Each year, an official vernissage opens the artistic exhibition in the Diges church. This special moment, friendly and festive, brings together exhibiting artists, members of the festival committee, local elected officials, and villagers in a spirit of sharing and celebrating creation. The vernissage is an opportunity to meet the artists, discuss their work, and support local artistic creation in an authentic and warm setting.

Popular entertainment

Beyond the artistic exhibitions, the Fête de Diges offers the popular entertainment that makes a successful village festival: catering provided by the festival committee with local products, a bar open all day, games and activities for children and families, and a festive atmosphere that brings together villagers and visitors from Puisaye-Forterre in a shared spirit of conviviality.

The Fête de Diges in its cultural environment

The Fête de Diges is part of a particularly rich cultural environment. Puisaye-Forterre, a region of hedgerows and clay, has been the land of potters and ceramists for centuries—a well-documented tradition for which Treigny, Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye, and other villages are emblems. This ancient artistic and artisanal vocation is reflected in the programming of the Diges exhibitions, which highlight creators rooted in this terroir.

Furthermore, Puisaye was also the native region of Colette, the Burgundian writer, whose work is imbued with the nature and landscapes of this land. This literary and cultural heritage contributes to making Puisaye-Forterre a region where artistic sensitivity is deeply rooted, and of which the Fête de Diges is one of the most authentic expressions.

Why come to the Fête de Diges?

• Discover a unique artistic exhibition in a rural setting: sculpture, ceramics, painting, photography in the village church
• Meet local and regional artists during the vernissage
• Experience an authentic village festival in Puisaye-Forterre
• Enjoy friendly catering with local flavors
• Explore the village of Diges and the landscapes of Puisaye during a summer excursion in the Yonne