Les Embuscades

Les Embuscades: 40 years of humor in the countryside

Since 1986, the Les Embuscades festival has been making the Pays de Cossé vibrate to the rhythm of laughter and artistic creation. Born in Cossé-le-Vivien in Mayenne, this countryside humor festival is driven by the Festival de l'Humour association and a passionate team of over 80 volunteers who make each edition a unique moment of conviviality and sharing.

An audacious and popular program

Les Embuscades has built its reputation on a program that is both audacious, popular, and demanding, capable of bringing together all generations around laughter. The festival offers a wide range of performing arts disciplines:

• One-man shows and stand-up: renowned comedians and emerging talents take the stage
• Burlesque theater: companies specializing in the art of burlesque and the offbeat
• Circus and magic: acts that amaze young and old alike
• Clowning: the art of clowning in all its forms, from the red nose to contemporary clowning
• Music and visual arts: original artistic proposals that complement the program

Among the recurring highlights are the Nuits de l'humour (Humor Nights), true laughter marathons bringing together musicians and comedians in a festive atmosphere, as well as the surprise evenings orchestrated by the Compagnie Joseph K, real Embuscadian adventures where spectators never know where they will be taken.

A traveling festival rooted in its territory

The uniqueness of Les Embuscades lies in its traveling nature. Each year, the festival unfolds from village to village, as close as possible to the inhabitants, in community halls, public squares, and even schoolyards. The village evenings allow us to meet the public in the surrounding towns, making the Pays de Cossé a true open-air stage.

The festival's emblematic venue remains the Salle du FCC in Cossé-le-Vivien, which hosts the major evenings, flagship shows, and iconoclastic exhibitions that accompany each edition.

A popular education project

Beyond entertainment, Les Embuscades carries a true popular education project. The association's ambition is to bring the territory to life through cultural offerings in rural areas, seeking the involvement of residents in cultural development. The festival actively supports young talents and promotes the discovery of new artistic forms.

The association also organizes the À Travers Chants festival in the spring, dedicated to song, and the children's book fair L'Embusca'Livres, thus extending its cultural activities throughout the year.

40 years of laughter and sharing

In 2025, Les Embuscades celebrated its 40th edition with an exceptional program built around the favorites of the last ten years. The event attracted nearly 10,000 spectators, confirming the vitality and longevity of this unique festival. As its organizers proudly emphasize, Les Embuscades is "the only festival in Mayenne run by an association that has existed for over 40 years".