InTENCEment Contes

InTENCEment Contes: The Art of Storytelling in the Heart of Haut-Lignon

Born in 2022 on the initiative of the independent bookstore La Boîte à Soleils, the InTENCEment Contes festival offers a magical three-day interlude each summer in Tence, on the Haut-Lignon plateau in Haute-Loire. The festival's name, a play on words between "intensely" and "Tence," perfectly reflects the spirit of this event: to intensely experience the art of storytelling in an exceptional natural setting.

A Traveling Festival in Nature

The originality of InTENCEment Contes lies in its traveling nature. Performances do not take place in a hall but in emblematic locations in and around Tence: the Crouzilhac forest, the Jardins du Trifoulou (organic market gardening), the banks of the Lignon at Murmures du Lignon, or the Tence media library. The narrated walks take the audience along trails, by the water, and through the woods, creating total immersion in the world of stories.

Three Storytellers, a Thousand Stories

Each edition invites three top-level professional storytellers who share the various festival events. The first edition in 2022 featured Éric Frerejacques, Hélène Palardy, and Olivier Ponsot, three renowned artists in the world of storytelling. Their tales, alternately wonderful, funny, philosophical, frightening, surprising, and mysterious, are aimed at all audiences, from the youngest to the oldest.

A Rich and Varied Program

The festival unfolds over three days with a diverse program:

• Narrated walks in the forest: guided walks in the Crouzilhac forest with stories and narrative pauses, in the morning and afternoon
• Stories in the garden: performances in the bucolic setting of the Jardins du Trifoulou, an organic market garden
• Fireside gathering: a special evening event at Murmures du Lignon, by the river, around a campfire
• Performances at the media library: indoor storytelling sessions for lovers of more intimate tales

A Free and Friendly Festival

True to the spirit of sharing that drives the La Boîte à Soleils bookstore, the InTENCEment Contes festival is entirely free, operating on a hat collection basis (voluntary contributions). This accessibility allows everyone to discover the art of storytelling in privileged conditions, in small groups, close to the artists and nature. The first edition in 2022 was a great success, with over 80 participants during the inaugural narrated walk on Friday.