Fête Votive d'Aigues-Mortes

The Aigues-Mortes Votive Festival, a jewel of Camargue traditions

The Aigues-Mortes Votive Festival is one of the most prestigious and authentic votive festivals in Gard. Every year in October, the medieval city of Aigues-Mortes transforms for nine days into a living theater of Camargue traditions, welcoming aficionados, gardians, manadiers, and residents for a grand popular celebration.

An event classified as Camargue heritage

At the heart of the festival is the Plan des Théâtres: removable arenas, built from 106 wooden modules assembled at the foot of the southern ramparts, facing the salt marshes. Each stand has belonged to an Aigues-Mortes family for generations, and their allocation is subject to a lottery ceremony the month before the festival. Listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments in 1993, the Plan des Théâtres celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2024.

Abrivados, bandidos, and Camargue races

The heart of the festival lies in the Camargue bullfighting traditions: in the morning, the manadiers sort the bulls in the meadows; the abrivado then leads the herd, escorted by gardians on horseback, from the pastures to the arenas, crossing the streets of Aigues-Mortes; the Camargue races take place in the afternoon at the Plan des Théâtres; at the end of the day, the bandido escorts the bulls back to the meadows.

A popular and friendly festival

Beyond the races, the votive festival also includes lunches in the meadows every morning, musical entertainment with bandas and concerts throughout the city, daily balls, pétanque competitions every afternoon, fairground attractions, and the traditional Aigues-Mortes bullfight. During these nine days, the entire medieval city comes alive in an authentically Camargue atmosphere.

A municipal and associative organization

The festival is jointly organized by the City of Aigues-Mortes and the Comité des Fêtes des Ventres Bleus, in close collaboration with local manadiers and peñas. All parking lots in Aigues-Mortes are free during the votive festival (with the exception of parking lots P1, P2, and P9, which are closed for the needs of the event).