L'Air d'en Rire

L'Air d'en Rire: twenty years of humor in the heart of Vendée

Created in 2004 in Saint-Denis-la-Chevasse as a small open-air festival, L'Air d'en Rire has become over the years one of the essential humor events in Western France. Supported by the eponymous association and its 130 active volunteers, the festival has hosted over 500 volunteers in twenty years and programmed dozens of top artists.

A traveling festival, rooted in its territory

The originality of L'Air d'en Rire lies in its traveling format: each autumn, the festival takes over five communes in Vendée — Saint-Denis-la-Chevasse, Bellevigny, La Genétouze, Les Achards, and Mouilleron-le-Captif — spread around La Roche-sur-Yon. By moving from venue to venue, the festival brings culture and laughter to rural communities that do not always have the opportunity to offer a year-round cultural season.

Twelve shows, four weekends, twenty-five comedians

For nearly a month, from Thursday to Saturday, L'Air d'en Rire offers a dozen shows covering the entire spectrum of humor: stand-up, one-man-shows, improv, comic magic, absurd humor, and musical humor. Each edition mixes established headliners — Caroline Vigneaux, Mathieu Madénian, Yohann Métay — and rising artists discovered through a national young talent competition.

Event evenings

The festival is distinguished by its themed galas: improv night, new talent gala where the audience votes for their favorite comedian, and comic magic show. These collective formats allow you to discover several artists in a single evening and create a unique festive atmosphere.

A solidarity commitment

Since its inception, L'Air d'en Rire has partnered with the association Le Rire Médecin, which improves the daily lives of hospitalized children through professional clown interventions. In twenty years, the festival has donated over €30,000 to fund clown programs for the pediatric service of the Nantes University Hospital.