Ici ou Là Festival
Traveling theater festival in the villages of Pays de Cattenom
2026
There is no edition scheduled in 2026 for this event. This page remains accessible to archive the history of the manifestation and will be updated if a new edition is announced.
About Ici ou Là
The Ici ou Là festival is a traveling professional theater festival created in 2021 by the J3V-Jeunesse 3 Villages association in Evrange (Moselle), with support from the Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs (CCCE). Five editions were held between 2021 and 2025, taking place during or just after the European Heritage Days in villages across the region. The program featured seven to eight shows by companies from the Grand Est region, held both indoors and outdoors, with free admission upon reservation.
The festival will cease under this name in 2026. The CCCE, its sole financial partner, terminated their agreement on March 31, 2026, after J3V refused to remove a specific show from the program. The association is continuing on its own with a successor festival, "Ici et Encore Là," from September 25 to 27, 2026.
Ici ou Là — edition 2026
The Ici ou Là festival will not have a 6th edition. The Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs (CCCE), its sole financial partner, terminated their agreement on March 31, 2026, after the organizing association, J3V, refused to remove a specific show from the program.
The same association is organizing a successor festival, "Ici et Encore Là," from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27, 2026, this time without the CCCE. It will feature six shows across Basse-Rentgen, Evrange, Roussy-le-Village, Volmerange-les-Mines, Escherange, and Hagen.
The festival ends, a successor takes over
In a statement dated April 9, 2026, the J3V-Jeunesse 3 Villages association (Evrange) announced that the 6th edition of the Ici ou Là festival would not take place. The agreement linking it to the Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs, its only financial partner, was terminated by letter on March 31, 2026.
The same association is organizing a successor festival, "Ici et Encore Là," from September 25 to 27, 2026, without the CCCE. Six shows are scheduled across six municipalities: Basse-Rentgen, Evrange, Roussy-le-Village, Volmerange-les-Mines, Escherange, and Hagen.
What led to the split
On January 14, 2026, J3V received a letter requesting the removal of "Le Mythe de Clitôris" by the Cie La Grande Roue (Strasbourg) from the 2026 program. Although the CCCE culture committee voted in favor of keeping the show on February 5, 2026, the request for its removal was maintained in the name of the institution's image. J3V refused, citing freedom of creation. The agreement, which had provided approximately €20,000 annually since 2021, was terminated on March 31, 2026.
The Observatory for Freedom of Creation, affiliated with the Human Rights League, wrote to the president of the CCCE on May 19, 2026, regarding this matter.
The planned 6th edition
J3V had built the general public program around women: "Sorcières" by Cie Encore (54) on Friday evening, "Le Poil incarné" by Collectif L'Ouvre-Boîtes (57) and "Appât Rance" by Cie Les Pieds dans la Lune (54) on Saturday afternoon, and "Le Mythe de Clitôris" on Saturday evening.
Five editions, 2021-2025
Over its first five editions, the festival reached more than 3,450 spectators, 80% of whom resided within the CCCE territory, programmed 25 professional companies from the Grand Est region, and brought together about fifteen permanent volunteers. The 5th edition featured seven shows across seven municipalities from September 26 to 28, 2025.
Highlights Ici ou Là 2026
- No 6th edition of the Ici ou Là festival: the CCCE terminated the partnership agreement on March 31, 2026
- A successor festival, "Ici et Encore Là," will take place from September 25 to 27, 2026, organized solely by the J3V association
- "Le Mythe de Clitôris," the show that caused the split, is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 in Roussy-le-Village
- Six shows across six municipalities: Basse-Rentgen, Evrange, Roussy-le-Village, Volmerange-les-Mines, Escherange, and Hagen
Programme Ici ou Là 2026
The Ici ou Là festival has no edition in 2026. On the originally scheduled dates, the organizing association J3V is holding a successor festival, "Ici et Encore Là," independent of the CCCE. Program published by the association:
Friday, September 25, 2026
- 8:30 PM — "Sorcières" by Cie Encore (54) · Château de Preisch, Basse-Rentgen · dance, music, and testimonials · ages 10+ · duration 1h
Saturday, September 26, 2026
- 3:00 PM — "Le Poil incarné" by Collectif L'Ouvre-Boîtes (57) · Cour de la Ferme Schuman, Evrange · clownish lecture · ages 12+ · duration 1h30
- 8:30 PM — "Le Mythe de Clitôris" by Cie La Grande Roue (67) · Maison Communale, Roussy-le-Village · storytelling and music · ages 15+ · duration 1h15
Sunday, September 27, 2026
- 10:00 AM — "Petit Monde" by Cie Bas Les Pat (67) · Salle Mille-Club, Volmerange-les-Mines · nursery rhymes, songs, object and shadow theater · young audiences ages 1+ · duration 35 minutes
- 11:00 AM — "Le Chant de Fleur" by Cie Les Euménides (67) · Salle du périscolaire, Escherange · musical theater · young audiences ages 3+ · duration 40 minutes
- 3:30 PM — "Appât Rance" by Cie Les Pieds dans La Lune (54) · Space in front of the "château", Hagen · zany burlesque theater · family-friendly ages 6+ · duration 1h
Reservations are scheduled to open in early September 2026 via Weezevent. Links will be published on the festival page on the association's website.
Prices Ici ou Là 2026
Practical information — Ici ou Là
Access
Performances take place in the municipalities of the Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs, north of Thionville. By car from Thionville, follow the D654 towards Cattenom (about 15 minutes). By public transport, use the TIM Moselle network from Thionville. Locations change with each edition.
Reservations and pricing
Free admission, with reservations required via the Weezevent platform. Booking links are published on the organizing association's website.
Contact
Association J3V-Jeunesse 3 Villages, 26 rue Principale, 57570 Evrange
Phone: 09 86 78 44 20
Email: [email protected]
Website: associationj3v.onlc.fr
Theater in the villages
Founded in 2021 by the J3V-Jeunesse 3 Villages association (Evrange), the Ici ou Là festival is a traveling professional theater event. It takes place during or after the European Heritage Days, rotating each year through different municipalities within the Communauté de Communes de Cattenom et Environs, using both traditional and unconventional venues. Seven to eight shows by professional companies from the Grand Est region are scheduled over the weekend. It takes three years to cover all 22 municipalities in the territory.
The structure remains the same each year: an opening show for all audiences on Friday evening, family or general audience shows on Saturday, and performances for young children and youth on Sunday. Since 2025, one of the festival's featured companies has been visiting local schools the week prior.
End of the festival in 2026
The 6th edition, planned for late September 2026 with a theme focused on women, did not take place. In a letter dated January 14, 2026, the CCCE requested that J3V remove "Le Mythe de Clitôris" by the Cie La Grande Roue (Strasbourg) from the program. While the CCCE's culture committee voted on February 5, 2026, to keep the show, the request for its removal was maintained in the name of the institution's image. J3V refused, citing freedom of creation. The CCCE terminated the partnership agreement on March 31, 2026, ending annual funding of approximately €20,000 that had been in place since 2021.
J3V announced this in a press release on April 9, 2026. The Observatory of Freedom of Creation, affiliated with the Human Rights League, wrote to the president of the CCCE on May 19, 2026, regarding the matter.
An independent successor, "Ici et Encore Là"
J3V is organizing a new festival, "Ici et Encore Là," in the same spirit but without CCCE funding. The first edition is held from September 25 to 27, 2026, across six municipalities: Basse-Rentgen, Evrange, Roussy-le-Village, Volmerange-les-Mines, Escherange, and Hagen. "Le Mythe de Clitôris" is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, in Roussy-le-Village.
Five editions, 2021-2025
Over its five editions, Ici ou Là reached more than 3,450 spectators, 80% of whom resided within the CCCE territory, programmed 25 professional companies from the Grand Est, and brought together about fifteen permanent volunteers. The 5th edition featured seven shows across seven municipalities from September 26 to 28, 2025: Cattenom, Rodemack, Escherange, Roussy-le-Village, Puttelange-lès-Thionville, Breistroff-la-Grande, and Gavisse. The 4th edition took place on September 20, 21, and 22, 2024, and the 2nd on September 16, 17, and 18, 2022.
All shows are free of charge, with reservations required via Weezevent.
Where does it take place — Ici ou Là
Ici ou Là in brief
History of Ici ou Là
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Cattenom
Festival-goer reviews
No review yet. Be the first!
No rating yet — be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community
Have you spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every suggestion is reviewed by our team before publication.
Festival-goer photos
No photo yet. Share yours!
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)