The Renaissance Festivals of the Roi de l’Oiseau
To paint the portrait of the Roi de l’Oiseau, first draw a bow and shoot back in time to 1524! In those days, Francis I and his court were dazzling… The Renaissance was revolutionising hearts and forms… People played, danced, feasted and waged war…
It is from the ancient tradition of the “tir au Roi”, a competition that in the 16th century crowned the best archer of the town, that, since 1986, the town of Le Puy-en-Velay has lived on Renaissance time every third weekend of September.
These festivals, rich in colour and sound, aim, through a popular event of high cultural standing, to combine quality artistic performances with the architectural beauty of the town.
The historical period in which we have chosen to set the scene corresponds to a time when the Velay was one of the States of Languedoc: the language mostly spoken then was Occitan, the language used by the troubadours. Priority is given to street entertainment and shows…
In the maze of squares and lanes of the old town, as in a cloak-and-sword dream, characters in tune with the town’s exceptional architecture take us on a journey along the shores of History.
The festival indeed includes a number of varied shows and entertainments, ranging from street shows, troubadours, mountebanks and jugglers to archery tournaments and other equestrian games. Canvas camps, fights to the sound of cannon, mercenaries without pay, itinerant craftsmen and pilgrims of Saint James of Compostela make up this truly living “set”.
Not forgetting the parades, the nights enlivened by songs, concerts of early music and plays… In other words, a space outside time, clinging to the steep slopes of the old town, which offers its exceptional architectural richness for the occasion as a setting for this rediscovered page of history.
Thus, as soon as September approaches, the whole town and its inhabitants enter the Renaissance. With more than 6,000 costumes in the lanes of the old town overlooked by its cathedral, visitors also become actors.
For a long time now, many travellers in period costume, catching the wind in our wake, have first joined us as spectators and then, taking the plunge, continued the adventure at our side, this time as actors. Everyone’s free involvement remains, of course, in proportion to their skills, their desires and their dreams. A careful mix of professionals and volunteers, the Festival is built on putting into action everyone’s wish to live a few days of friendliness outside time.
Faced with the great mobilisation of the people of the Velay for their Roi de l’Oiseau Festivals, some have said: “We knew the Puy du Fou, but now there are the fous du Puy!” (the madmen of Le Puy). It is this gentle madness that gives us our strength and our ability to dream on a life-size scale
Direction and artistic direction: Jean-Louis Roqueplan
Artistic coordination:
- Véronique Dumoulin,
- Zahïa Bensaïdani,
- Aziz El Mahdi