Tôt ou T'Arts Festival

Tôt ou T'Arts: The Street Arts Festival That Brings the Pays de Gex to Life

Since 2008, the Tôt ou T'Arts festival has travelled through the towns of the Pays de Gex to offer residents and visitors a rich and eclectic programme dedicated to street arts. Organised by the Centre Socioculturel Les Libellules in Gex, this touring festival crosses around a dozen towns in the Ain each year, from spring to autumn, transforming streets, squares and public spaces into open-air stages.

A Popular, Free and Touring Festival

The spirit of Tôt ou T'Arts rests on three pillars: free admission, touring and proximity. All shows are open-access, with or without reservation, and hat-passing is encouraged. The festival moves from village to village, taking over spaces as varied as market squares, school courtyards, parks and heritage sites, creating a unique atmosphere of conviviality at each stop.

Towns visited include Gex, Ferney-Voltaire, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Cessy, Crozet, Versonnex, Ornex, Sauverny, Segny, Lélex, Mijoux and Chézery-Forens, providing exceptional coverage of the Gex area.

An Eclectic Programme for All Audiences

Each edition brings together around fifteen professional companies from across France and beyond. The programme joyfully mixes disciplines: contemporary circus (acrobatics, juggling, clown, new circus), street theatre (physical theatre, wordless theatre), music, dance, puppetry and participatory performances. Special attention is given to young audiences and families, with shows suitable from age 3 and free creative workshops.

The Grand Closing Weekend in Gex

The festival's highlight is the closing weekend in Gex, held at the Espace Perdtemps and in the town centre in September. Over two days, nine shows and numerous activities take over the town, with eight circus, theatre and music companies performing throughout the day. Creative workshops, toddler areas and relaxation corners round off this festive programme.

Strong Local Roots

The Tôt ou T'Arts festival is part of a cultural democratisation initiative led by the Centre Socioculturel Les Libellules. By investing public spaces in towns sometimes far from traditional cultural circuits, it helps foster social bonds and make live arts accessible to as many people as possible. The festival receives support from the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Gex, the Ain Department, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the DRAC.