Gones et Compagnies

Gones et Compagnies: The Festival for Young Lyonnais

In Lyon, children are called "gones". And it is to them that the Gones et Compagnies festival has been dedicated since 2009. Supported by the young audience collective of the MJCs of Lyon Métropole, this festival has become over the years an unmissable event for families in Lyon, who find each February a rich, varied, and accessible program of shows and creative workshops.

Eleven MJCs, One Festival

The originality of Gones et Compagnies lies in its decentralized format. Throughout February, the eleven MJCs in the Lyon metropolitan area—from Montchat to Villeurbanne, from Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon to Vaulx-en-Velin, including Vieux-Lyon, Jean Macé, Monplaisir, and Laënnec-Mermoz—take turns hosting invited companies. This neighborhood presence guarantees proximity access to culture for all families, including those far from major cultural institutions.

A Program Designed for Childhood

The festival features shows in theater, dance, music, puppetry, storytelling, and visual arts, specially designed for young audiences, from the youngest age (some shows are accessible from one year old). Each edition hosts between ten and fifteen companies, selected for the quality of their artistic proposal and their ability to spark children's imagination. The shows are complemented by creative workshops allowing children to extend the artistic experience.

Family Day: The Festival's Highlight

The highlight of the festival is the family day, which brings together all the invited companies in one place for a full day of shows, workshops, and activities. It is also the occasion for the discovery showcase, an original initiative where juries—one professional, the other composed of children—award their "spotlight" to an emerging company.

Active Support for Young Audience Creation

Beyond dissemination, Gones et Compagnies plays an essential role in supporting creation for young audiences. The festival organizes professional meetings bringing together programmers, companies, and cultural institutions, contributing to the structuring of the young audience sector in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This in-depth work, carried out throughout the year by the MJC collective, makes Gones et Compagnies much more than just a festival: a committed player in artistic and cultural education.