Total Festum

Living Occitan culture in Gévaudan

Total Festum in Marvejols is part of the regional festival Total Festum, created by the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region to celebrate Occitan and Catalan languages and cultures. Every year in June, around the summer solstice and the traditional Saint-Jean fires, Marvejols becomes the stage for a popular celebration dedicated to the living Occitan heritage of Gévaudan.

Fest'Oc: the first Occitan festival of Gévaudan

Since 2023, the programming of Total Festum in Marvejols revolves around Fest'Oc, presented as the first Occitan festival of Gévaudan. This festive and cultural event, entirely free, brings together local and regional artists for two days of celebration of contemporary Occitan culture. The festival is supported by the Communauté de communes du Gévaudan through the cinema-theater Le Trianon in Marvejols.

A rich and varied program

The program of Total Festum / Fest'Oc in Marvejols happily blends the different facets of Occitan culture:

• Concerts and brass bands: The Occitan vocal trio Aqueles, the brass band OCSO (Occitan Sound) with its seven musicians playing traditional Languedoc tunes, brass instruments, oboes, clarinets, and percussion
• Traditional dances: Introductions to Occitan dance with La Quadrette Chiracoise (48 dancers) and popular balls
• Cinema: Screenings of documentary short films on the teaching of the Occitan language at Le Trianon
• Gastronomy: Festive meal enlivened by Occitan musicians, discovery of Gévaudan specialties
• Participatory workshops: Occitan dictation, repair workshop (Pétamobile), intergenerational choirs

The Saint-Jean fire

The highlight of the evening, the Saint-Jean fire is a spectacular and unifying moment. The Théâtre des Origines revives Marvejols' heritage by creating a walking show with residents and students, leading the procession to the great traditional bonfire. This ancestral ritual, accompanied by traditional dances and music, embodies the spirit of Total Festum: the living transmission of Occitan culture.

Exhibitions and intangible heritage

In the lead-up to the festival, the Office de tourisme Gévaudan Destination hosts the exhibition “Culture Vivante – What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?”, which highlights the myths, tales, legends, fantastic beings, carnivals, and totemic festivals of the Occitan and Catalan territories. This exhibition, visible for several weeks, extends the festival experience and raises public awareness of the richness of Occitan living heritage.

Strong territorial roots

Total Festum in Marvejols benefits from the support of the Occitanie Region and relies on a network of local cultural actors committed to promoting the Occitan language and culture. The event contributes to the tourist and cultural attractiveness of Marvejols, a dynamic sub-prefecture in the north of Lozère, and helps keep alive an intangible heritage that is precious to the identity of Gévaudan.