Journées Sorcières
Festival around plants, Pyrenean heritage and autonomy in Saint-Lizier
2026
About Journées Sorcières
The Journées sorcières is a festival dedicated to Pyrenean plants, Gascon-Pyrenean women's heritage, and self-sufficiency, organized by the association of the same name in the medieval village of Saint-Lizier, Ariège. Five editions were held on the last weekend of October between 2020 and 2024, featuring a market of female producers and artisans, free lectures, botanical walks, small-group workshops, concerts, and children's activities. The association put the festival on hiatus in 2025 and has made no further announcements for 2026.
Our team has not been able to confirm with an official source that this 2026 edition is taking place. The dates and program shown below may be outdated. We strongly recommend that you contact the organizer directly to verify before any travel or registration.
Journées Sorcières — edition 2026
No 2026 edition of the Journées sorcières has been announced. The organizing association put the festival on hiatus in 2025 and stated they are considering a "lighter, more compact format in a more concentrated venue" for 2026. Their website has not been updated since August 26, 2025, and the dates displayed on this page are not based on any official source.
2026 edition: nothing announced
As of August 18, 2026, no source has confirmed a 2026 edition of the Journées sorcières, neither in Saint-Lizier nor elsewhere. The most recent information published by the association remains their announcement regarding the festival's hiatus.
What the association says
On April 15, 2025, they posted the following on their website: "This year, the association has made two major decisions: the first is to put the festival on hold. There will be no Journées sorcières in 2025. We are all volunteers. We are exhausted, and there have been life changes!" The same text adds: "However, we are already thinking about a lighter and more compact format for 2026, in a different, more concentrated location." Their events page reiterates this in a single line: "No festival at the end of October for 2025, a year of rest!" What the association has announced for 2026 is therefore merely an intention, with no confirmed date or location.
Current status
The association's website has not published any articles since August 26, 2025, and its homepage still lists a July 12, 2025, event as the next upcoming date. No campaign is active on their HelloAsso page, even though the 2025 membership drive was launched there on April 25, 2025. The association remains registered as active (SIREN 894237031, based in Saint-Lizier). The local Ariège press, which announced the 2022 and 2024 editions, has not written anything about the festival since July 2025.
Regarding the dates
The four editions with established dates all fell on the last weekend of October: October 31 and November 1, 2020; October 29 and 30, 2022; October 28 and 29, 2023; and October 26 and 27, 2024. The association itself states that the festival's schedule is "the last weekend of October every year in Saint-Lizier." The last weekend of October 2026 falls on October 31 and November 1; therefore, the October 24 and 25 dates displayed on this page correspond neither to this schedule nor to any official announcement.
Highlights Journées Sorcières 2026
- Festival on hiatus since 2025, no 2026 edition announced
- Focus on Pyrenean plants, Gascon-Pyrenean heritage, and autonomy
- Five editions held in Saint-Lizier between 2020 and 2024, always on the last weekend of October
Prices Journées Sorcières 2026
Practical information — Journées Sorcières
Practical Information
Access
The festival took place in the village of Saint-Lizier (09190), on the forecourt of the Hôtel-Dieu and throughout the town's streets.
- By car: Be careful not to confuse Saint-Lizier with Saint-Lizier du Plantié or Saint-Lizier d'Ustou on your GPS.
- By train and bus: Connections available from Toulouse and Foix.
- On-demand transport: Available in the Couserans area; book by calling 05 34 14 01 72.
- Organized hitchhiking: Via Rézo-Pouce, or carpooling via Mobicoop or Movewiz.
Parking
- Place de la Vigne de l'Évêché, lower town
- Palais des Évêques parking, upper town
- 145, route de Miguet, school parking
- Mouliéris, at the cemetery (10 spaces)
- Disabled parking on Rue de l'Hôtel-Dieu and Place de l'Église
Payment
There are no ATMs in the village; the nearest one is in Saint-Girons. Market vendors accept cash, checks, and often credit cards.
Prices
Admission and lectures were free. Workshops and walks were paid events and required booking via Billetweb.
Contact
Association Journées sorcières, Mairie de Saint-Lizier, 09190 Saint-Lizier. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Phone: 06 63 66 01 07. Website: www.journees-sorcieres.fr
Plants, self-sufficiency, and heritage in the Couserans
The Journées sorcières took place in the medieval village of Saint-Lizier, in the Ariège Couserans region, on the last weekend of October from 2020 to 2024. Three themes defined each edition: knowledge of local and endemic Pyrenean plants, Gascon-Pyrenean women's heritage—the cultural legacy passed down by women—and self-sufficiency, understood as the reclamation of traditional skills. The organizers were clear on the name: they referred to the event as "witchy days" (journées elles-mêmes sorcières) and rejected the title "Witches' Days" (Journées des Sorcières), which they felt carried too many negative connotations. The focus was strictly local, avoiding distant spiritualities and prioritizing contributors from Ariège and Occitanie.
Market, lectures, and botanical walks
A market featuring local female producers, artisans, and artists was held in the streets and on the forecourt of the Hôtel-Dieu. Lectures were free and led by experts in ethnobotany, the history of medicinal plants, ecofeminism, and Pyrenean heritage. These were complemented by guided botanical walks, small-group self-sufficiency workshops, concerts and performances by female artists, and activities for children and teenagers. Festival entry and lectures were free; workshops and walks required booking via the Billetweb ticketing platform.
A festival on hiatus since 2025
The 5th edition in 2024 took over the village on October 26th and 27th under the theme "History, stories." On April 15, 2025, the association announced a break: "There will be no Journées sorcières in 2025," as the all-volunteer team was exhausted. They indicated they were considering a "lighter, more streamlined format in a more concentrated location" for 2026. No further announcements have followed, and their website has not been updated since August 26, 2025.
An eco-friendly event
The festival held the "Manifestation verte" (Green Event) label at the blue level. The association selected suppliers and exhibitors based on ethical and sustainable criteria, minimized waste, and prioritized short supply chains. It operated through a sociocratic model, with decisions made by member votes.
Where does it take place — Journées Sorcières
Journées Sorcières in brief
Other festivals near Saint-Lizier
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