La Grande Balade

A "100% open-air" festival

La Grande Balade is a performing arts festival like no other. Designed as a traveling journey through the Entre Beauce et Perche region, this event invites audiences to move from town to town to discover outdoor performances in unusual and unexpected settings. There are no single stages or closed theaters here: the landscape itself—fields, village squares, country lanes, schoolyards, ponds, farms, and castles—serves as the backdrop for the artists. This "100% open-air" concept is what gives the festival its unique charm.

Six towns, a new map every year

Each edition of La Grande Balade takes over six towns in the Entre Beauce et Perche area, with the locations changing every year: Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain, Pontgouin, Le Thieulin, Favril, and Friaize in 2024; Méréglise, Illiers-Combray, Vieuvicq, Mottereau, Saint-Avit-les-Guespières, and Charonville in 2025; and Saint-Luperce, Fontaine-la-Guyon, Saint-Arnoult-des-Bois, Le Thieulin, Fruncé, and Villebon in 2026. Over the weekend, nine free, no-reservation-required shows are spread across the various towns, offering a range of disciplines: street theater, contemporary circus, dance, puppetry, and musical processions. Each spectator creates their own itinerary, choosing the shows that appeal to them most.

Travel by bike, on foot, or by car

The originality of La Grande Balade also lies in its invitation to travel sustainably. Organizers encourage spectators to reach the various performance sites by bike along marked loops on Saturday and Sunday—covering about 20 km per day in 2026. For those who prefer, the route can also be completed on foot, by car, or by motorcycle. This traveling dimension adds a sense of regional discovery to the artistic experience, allowing spectators to (re)discover the landscapes of the Beauce and Perche regions while moving from show to show.

Professional companies in the countryside

The La Grande Balade program features professional theater, circus, and dance companies that adapt their work to outdoor spaces and unconventional venues. The goal is to bring performing arts to audiences who may not always have access to traditional theaters by placing art directly into their daily environment. This cultural democratization initiative, supported by the DRAC Centre-Val de Loire and the Eure-et-Loir Departmental Council, helps build social and cultural ties in rural areas.

Steady growth since 2021

Created in 2021 by the Communauté de communes Entre Beauce et Perche, La Grande Balade has seen steady growth in attendance, reaching 2,600 spectators for its 4th edition in 2023. The event's budget of approximately 60,000 euros is funded by the intercommunal authority with support from the DRAC and the department. Each edition explores a specific artistic theme—such as the sky and aerial arts for the 5th edition—renewing the experience year after year. In 2026, the festival will also include a residency with local farmers, conducted as part of the Territorial Food Project.