Taking place at sites across the small and picturesque commune of Libourne, Fest'arts is an outdoor festival that typically pulls in about 50,000 spectators over the course of a few days – turning the town, as often happens in France, into a festival town.
In 2011 Fest'arts celebrates its 20th anniversary, programming 39 companies from 5 countries across 19 sites in its main programme, as well as curating an off/fringe. It's a street arts festival, but with a habit of bringing in long and ambitious shows – so for 2011 Circ'ombelico drive into town with Da/Fort, their nightmare for claustrophobes shown in the back of a mid-size van; Le Filament present Fil’Amor(t), a solo tightwire piece that delves into memory to discover stories of passion, abandonment and hope; and Smart Compagnie invite audiences for Ay-roop! conversations circassiennes, a faceted piece combining Chinse pole, voltige, corde lisse and other skills. Events are either free or ticketed at very low prices.