The Festi d’Oc, which honors Occitan culture, was launched in March 2020, a few days before the first confinement. Covid obliges, the next edition has been postponed many times, but finally materializes on March 18.
The Louis-Gardes school is in this peaceful district of Saint-Benoît, on the left bank of the Tarn in Moissac, a lively center of Occitan culture. This bilingual public school, de facto associated with its counterpart on the other side (Sarlac school), has always been a vehicle for this langue d’Oc, while opening it up to the world and plural humanity. The Parents’ Association (APE), chaired by the very invested Caroline Alauzet, had initiated a magnificent meeting in March 2020 at the Confluences space. This first Festi d’Oc, which followed the famous “Occitan Days” of previous years, had gone through a mouse hole a few days before the great confinement, with real success. The event was not resumed in the following years with very unfavorable sanitary circumstances, but it is finally making its big comeback this year, scheduled for Saturday March 18 at the Espace Confluences in Moissac. You don’t change a winning formula, and the members of the APE, in close collaboration with the teachers, have concocted a dense half-day open to all audiences. From 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., there will be fun workshops with, in particular, wooden games by Guy Reilles, tales by Laëtitia Maux, or even the traditional dance and music approach to Occitan culture with Fabienne Vilate and Valérie Kick. Occitan students from the François-Mitterrand college could well join the party, with the making of a musical instrument. The entrance fee is set at €1 for adults, free for children under 10 years old. From 5 p.m. (free admission), the children of the Louis-Gardes and Sarlac schools will put on a big show for everyone, until 6 p.m. and the closing aperitif with the parents.
