Mixarts Festival

Mixarts Festival: A Journey Around the World in the Heart of the Yonne

Located in the town of Saint-Florentin, a small town at the confluence of the Armance and Armançon rivers in the northern part of the Yonne region, the Mixarts Festival is one of the most unique cultural events in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Founded in 2015 by the association Mixarts du Monde, its mission is to build bridges between cultures, artistic disciplines, and generations, in a spirit of curiosity, openness, and conviviality.

The festival boasts a resolutely multidisciplinary identity: world music, gospel, mixed brass bands, dance, visual arts, exhibitions, conferences, participatory workshops, and parades follow one another and blend throughout the weekend, transforming the historic heart of Saint-Florentin into a festive agora where everyone is invited to discover, create, and share.

Venues Steeped in History and Poetry

The festival takes over two complementary spaces that contribute to the event's magic. The Jardin de l'Octroi, a vast public garden on the banks of the Armance, is the beating heart of the open-air festival: it's where the outdoor stages, tents, association stands, and artistic installations are set up. Lined with ancient trees and opening onto a green horizon, this garden offers an exceptional setting for open-air concerts and various activities.

In addition, the Théâtre Léo Ferré in Saint-Florentin hosts indoor performances, allowing for an ambitious program regardless of the weather, and providing a stage equipped to meet the demands of the artists. This theater, named after the great poet-songwriter, imbues the festival, which celebrates the diversity of artistic languages, with a strong symbolic dimension.

A Program Open to the World

The musical identity of the Mixarts Festival is built around world music in its broadest and most open sense. From its very first edition, the festival has brought together artists representing this global richness, from the Orchestre National de Barbès—a major Parisian ensemble fusing rai, jazz, gnawa, and Kabyle music—to the Ivorian singer Dobet Gnahoré, an internationally renowned percussionist and dancer, and the Bloomgospel Choir, which electrifies the Saint-Florentin nights with its gospel harmonies.

Over the years, the festival has hosted Brazilian samba-reggae groups like Flor Cariocas, Balkan brass bands, Afro-jazz orchestras, African or Caribbean contemporary dance troupes, and numerous local or regional artists in residence. This eclectic and demanding program, built on a spirit of discovery rather than star consumption, is the hallmark of the Mixarts Festival.

Workshops and Encounters at the Heart of the Event

The Mixarts Festival is not just a concert festival; it is also, and above all, a place for meeting, transmission, and exchange. Participatory workshops—African percussion, Afro-Brazilian dance, gospel singing, introduction to world music—allow all festival-goers, young and old, to take an active part in the artistic adventure. Conferences and round tables complement the program by offering cross-cultural perspectives on the represented cultures.

The association space brings together about fifty local, national, and international associations involved in solidarity, sustainable development, and cultural exchange. This space for dialogue and active citizenship is at the core of Mixarts du Monde's DNA: the festival is intended to be as much a cultural act as a political act in the noblest sense of the term, affirming that art is an irreplaceable vector of fraternity and social cohesion.

Exhibitions of visual arts, photography, or contemporary art punctuate the festival-goer's journey in and around the Jardin de l'Octroi, transforming the walk into a permanent artistic exploration. Festive processions and parades, animated by wandering brass bands, invade the streets of the town center, blending artists and the public in joyful communion.

A Popular and Family-Friendly Festival Rooted in its Territory

One of the strengths of the Mixarts Festival lies in its resolutely popular and family-friendly nature. A significant portion of the program is offered free of charge, allowing everyone, including residents of surrounding rural communities, to participate in the event without financial constraints. Children's shows are specifically designed for kids, and play and activity areas are dedicated to them.

The festival is fully integrated into the life of the Pays de Puisaye-Forterre and the Senonais region, relying on partnerships with local authorities, schools, local associations, and economic players. It thus actively contributes to the cultural influence of Saint-Florentin and its region, demonstrating that an international-quality festival can be born and thrive in a rural area.

The Mixarts du Monde Association: A Human and Collective Project

Behind the festival, the Mixarts du Monde association, based at 10 rue de Landrecies in Saint-Florentin, is the driving force of a primarily human project. A team of passionate volunteers, supported by a few professionals, works year-round to build the program, forge local and national partnerships, host artists in residence, and prepare an event worthy of its ambitions. The festival operates on values of participatory management, solidarity, and eco-responsibility, deliberately choosing an associative and citizen-oriented logic rather than a commercial one.

Mixarts du Monde also integrates its actions into a dynamic of international cooperation, exchanging with similar organizations in Africa, Latin America, and the Maghreb, participating in European networks of multidisciplinary festivals, and contributing to international artistic mobility. In this respect, the Mixarts Festival of Saint-Florentin extends far beyond the borders of the Yonne to assert itself as a major cultural project, embodying the conviction that the encounter of cultures is a richness for all.