InTENCEment Contes
Traveling storytelling festival through Tence and its surroundings
About InTENCEment
InTENCEment Contes is a storytelling festival created in 2022 by the independent bookstore La Boîte à Soleils in Tence, in Haute-Loire. For three days in July, three talented storytellers take the audience through the landscapes of Haut-Lignon for narrated walks in the forest, fireside gatherings, and open-air performances. A free and participatory festival with a hat collection, it is aimed at all audiences, from 3 to 103 years old, in a spirit of sharing and closeness with nature.
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Book your train or bus to reach InTENCEment at the best price.
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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.
InTENCEment — edition 2026
New edition of the InTENCEment Contes festival planned for summer 2026 in Tence. Three days of narrated forest walks, open-air performances, and fireside gatherings, with three professional storytellers through the landscapes of the Haut-Lignon plateau.
2026 Edition
The InTENCEment Contes festival returns in summer 2026 for a new edition in Tence and its surroundings. As every year, three talented storytellers will guide the audience through the trails, forests, and gardens of the Haut-Lignon plateau for three days of wonderful, funny, philosophical, and surprising stories.
The full program will be announced in spring 2026 on the website of the La Boîte à Soleils bookstore.
Prices InTENCEment 2026
Practical information — InTENCEment
Practical Information
Access
By car: Tence is located on the Haut-Lignon plateau, in Haute-Loire. From Saint-Étienne, allow about 1 hour via the RN88 then the D1044. From Le Puy-en-Velay, about 45 minutes via the D15. Free parking in the town center of Tence.
Festival Venues
The festival is traveling and takes place in several locations around Tence:
- La Boîte à Soleils Bookstore: 5 rue de Saint-Agrève, reception and information point
- Crouzilhac Forest: narrated walks in a forest setting
- Jardins du Trifoulou: garden storytelling in an organic market garden
- Murmures du Lignon: fireside gatherings by the river
- Tence Media Library: indoor performances
Prices
Festival is entirely free, with a hat collection (voluntary contributions). No reservation required.
Audience
All audiences, from 3 years old. Forest walks require shoes suitable for walking.
Contact
La Boîte à Soleils Bookstore: 04 71 59 89 63 — [email protected]
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Travel to this festival
Book your train or bus to reach InTENCEment at the best price.
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Where does it take place — InTENCEment
Librairie La Boîte à Soleils et lieux itinérants
5 rue de Saint-Agrève, 43190 Tence