Free circus and street arts festival in Candou Park, Carmaux
Created in 2018 by the cultural commission of the city of Carmaux in partnership with L'été de Vaour, a conventioned stage, the Nect'arts Festival is a free and family-friendly event dedicated to circus and street arts. Every September, for two days, Candou Park in Carmaux hosts about ten professional companies for about twenty shows of circus, street theater, puppetry, magic, juggling, and clowning, accompanied by concerts, children's workshops, and moments of sharing. The Nect'arts Ségala Tour extends the festival throughout the Carmausin-Ségala region.
The Nect'arts Festival was born in 2018 from the desire of the city of Carmaux to create a popular, free, and family-friendly cultural event, rooted in the Candou district. In partnership with L'été de Vaour, a conventioned stage in the Tarn region, and with the support of Point de Fût, Clap Actions, Clap Ciné, and the Scène nationale d'Albi, the festival has established itself in a few editions as a must-attend event for the cultural season in the north of Tarn.
Nect'arts' philosophy is based on total freeness and accessibility for all audiences. For two days, Candou Park, a green oasis in the heart of Carmaux, transforms into a playground for circus and street arts companies. The shows — contemporary circus, street theater, puppetry, magic, juggling, clowning, acrobatics — follow one another from morning to evening, offering families a journey of artistic discovery filled with good humor and wonder.
Since 2021, the festival has been extended through the Nect'arts Ségala Tour, a touring initiative that brings companies to the rural communes of Carmausin-Ségala. Villages, towns, and hamlets host free street performances, allowing residents furthest from cultural centers to experience quality artistic moments. This territorial expansion reflects the festival's ambition to democratize access to live culture.
Beyond the shows, Nect'arts offers creative workshops for children, a reading corner hosted by the Carmaux media library, evening concerts mixing rock, hip-hop, jazz, and blues, and on-site catering. The atmosphere is that of a reinvented village festival, where circus and street arts create moments of intergenerational sharing.
The 8th edition of the Nect'arts Festival will take place on September 12 and 13, 2026, at Candou Park in Carmaux. Two days of free shows of circus, street theater, puppetry, and concerts for the whole family. Program to be announced.
The Nect'arts Festival returns for its 8th edition on September 12 and 13, 2026, at Candou Park in Carmaux. True to its values of freeness and accessibility, the festival will offer two days of circus, street theater, puppetry, magic, and concerts for the whole family.
The full program will be unveiled in the fall of 2026 on the festival's official website. The Nect'arts Ségala Tour will accompany the festival with performances in the communes of Carmausin-Ségala.
The festival takes place at Candou Park, in Carmaux (81400), about 20 km north of Albi.
Completely free festival. All shows are free access.
Refreshments and catering available on-site.
Possible relocation to the François Mitterrand hall for some shows.
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Parc du Candou
Parc du Candou, 81400 Carmaux