Le Cratère Surface

Cratère Surfaces 2026 — focus Basque Country

From Thursday, July 2 to Saturday, July 4, 2026, Cratère Surfaces takes over the city center of Alès for its new edition. This year, the festival highlights the vitality of creation from the Basque Country, with seven invited companies thanks to the support of the Etxepare Basque Institute, the Basque Government and Artekale, in cooperation with Le Cratère - Scène nationale d'Alès.

A multidisciplinary program

Dance is particularly honored this year, presented in all its forms: vertical dance, traditional dance, contemporary dance. Added to this are wordless street theater, ethereal and magical circus, pyrotechnic percussion and brass bands in the streets.

Free and accessible to all

As every year, all shows are completely free, mostly without reservation. The festival expects approximately 23,000 spectators over the three days.

Focus Basque Country — 7 invited companies

Supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute and the Basque Government (Basque Autonomous Community, Foral Community of Navarre and French Basque Country):

• Harrobi Dantza Bertikala — vertical dance
• Bilaka — traditional Basque dance
• Osa+Mujika — contemporary dance
• Led Silhouette & Marcos Morau (Navarre) — contemporary dance
• Markeliñe — wordless street theater
• Rouge Elea — ethereal and magical circus
• Deabru Beltzak — pyrotechnic percussion

Brass Bands — Place Henri Barbusse (Festival HQ)

• Les Grooms — brass band orchestra
• SopaLoca — brass band

Circus — banks of the Gardon (Pont Vieux)

Three exceptional circus shows are planned on the banks of the Gardon, at Pont Vieux.

Festival locations

• Place Henri Barbusse — headquarters, fan clubs, brass bands
• Banks of the Gardon at Pont Vieux — circus shows
• Various squares and streets in the city center of Alès

Full program and detailed schedules on the official website cratere-surfaces.com (downloadable PDF).

• International focus on the Basque Country: 7 invited companies
• 100% free festival, mostly without reservation for shows
• 3 days, approximately 23,000 spectators expected
• Vertical dance, contemporary dance, street theater, circus, pyrotechnic percussion
• Exceptional circus shows on the banks of the Gardon

Access

• By train: Alès SNCF station (liO regional connections from Nîmes and Montpellier), approximately 10 minutes walk from the city centre and Le Cratère.
• By car: from Nîmes via the N106 (approx. 45 min), from Montpellier via the D999.
• Public transport highly recommended during the festival.

On site

• Catering and refreshment stands on site.
• Programme downloadable from the official website cratere-surfaces.com.

Information

Le Cratère - Scène nationale d'Alès
Square Pablo Neruda, Place Henri Barbusse, 30100 Alès
Phone: 04 66 52 52 64
Email: [email protected]

Box office/information desk hours: Monday-Friday 1:15 PM-6 PM, Saturday 10 AM-1 PM.

Please note: from autumn 2025 to summer 2027, Le Cratère theatre will be undergoing renovation work. During the building's closure, an ephemeral theatre has been installed on the stabilised ground of the La Prairie sports complex, in the immediate vicinity of Alès city centre.