Les Dévisseurs de Mots Festival

A festival that moves every year

The Compagnie Dévissez vers ça launched the festival in 2014 in Castelnau-Magnoac, where it remained for four years. Since then, it has been on the move: Bonrepos, Campistrous, Organ, Hachan, Monléon-Magnoac, Gaussan in 2024, Sariac-Magnoac in 2025, and now Burg for the 2026 edition. The core idea is to connect with local residents by bringing performances into unconventional spaces that are transformed for the occasion.

Theater, literature, and street performances

The program centers on the power of words, featuring poetry, storytelling, music, puppetry, circus, and theater, all suitable for families. Every edition includes a procession through the village and its surroundings, punctuated by original sketches prepared in advance by professionals and amateurs alike. Residents open their gardens, decorate the village, and host the "unusual readings." Each edition has a theme: Insolite (2014), La Liberté (2015), Migration (2016), OVNI – Objets Verbaux Non Identifiés (2017), Rouge (2018), Et pourquoi pas... (2020), Soyons fous... (2022), Déchaînez-vous ! (2023), Dis-en plus... (2024), Rencontre (2025), and T'rêves (2026). There was no edition in 2021.

Pay-what-you-want and regional artists

The company programs local professional artists or those based in Occitanie, ensuring they are paid while keeping the festival accessible to the public through a pay-what-you-want model. Past performers include Rosemonde, Les romanos dandies, Le cas Christina, Primo Primate, Pina Loche, La fanfare du fond du bus, Graine de Samba, Solliloques, Laurent Pareti, and La fièvre du lama.

A volunteer-driven event

The festival's success relies on a team of volunteers recruited from the host village, who handle everything from decoration and technical setup to catering, bar service, and street readings. Before each edition, the company sends a letter to residents inviting them to get involved. Technical equipment and sets are loaned by neighboring organizations: Art Stock (Blajan), Compagnie Alioka, Festivielle (Vielle-Aure), Emmaüs (Auch), the Castelnau-Magnoac media library, Brasserie des Pics (Saint-Laurent-de-Neste), Remue-Méninges (Anères), Court-circuit, and the AFR of Castelnau-Magnoac.