Celebrate “slow travel” with the Roc Castel festival in Caylar from July 25 to 28

De nombreux villageois se portent bénévoles pour organiser le festival une semaine en amont. Louise Gerbaud

the essentials The festival will take place from July 25 to 28 in Caylar with a program rich in activities, conferences, and concerts around slow travel.

Discovering the experience of slow travel and its values, this is the objective of the Roc Castel au Caylar festival which will take place from July 25 to 28. The event, born in 2002, has been supported since 2010 by the Larzac Village d’Europe association, which at that time included this theme. President Hubert Martin, himself a bicycle traveler, says: "We would like to pay tribute to the people who take the time to travel to be open to meeting and  discovering the landscapes." 

Le Caylar represents a crossing and stopping point for long-distance travelers: "This plateau is historically located on ancestral routes of communication between& ;nbsp;the Mediterranean and the Massif Central", explains Clémentine Couette, the coordinator of the event for seven years.

Four days of conferences, entertainment and music

During these four days, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., more than 90 events are offered, consisting of travel stories, creative workshops, games and exhibitions related to the theme, as well as a theater and musical program. “Through these activities, we hope to highlight the values ​​of this type of travel, such as humanity and respect for ecology“, says Clémentine Couette. Crossing America by bike, roaming European rivers by kayak, a world tour in 700 marathons are all experiences to discover on site.

The events and conferences are led by travelers and artists from the region and neighboring departments, as well as by local associations such as Pays Arbre, Recyclage du Lodévois, CPIE, Terre Contact, etc. The festival emphasizes local products with local drinks and the presence of the local producers' market on Sundays, as well as “zero waste” using recyclable and reusable materials.

A festival spread throughout the village

As every year, the village is invested: the village hall and the garage welcome the speakers; the school, the media library and the chapel host the entertainment; the stadium is transformed into a venue for shows and concerts.

“The locals will mingle with the slow travelers who arrive from elsewhere by bike, on foot, by caravan…", explains the coordinator. Over the course of a week, around fifty volunteers were mobilized for the installation. Subsidized by the Region, the Department, the community of communes of Lodévois and Larzac, and the Caylar town hall, the event is made accessible to all and operates thanks to donations on the website or on site.

Possibility of eating on site with a canteen and food trucks. For more information go to https://festival-roc-castel.eu/

A promotion of the languages ​​of the territory

On this occasion, the president of the association Hubert Martin wishes to highlight the linguistic diversity of the territory in a fun way through exhibitions, workshops, events and conferences.& nbsp;"Our Lodévois and Larzac community has more than 50 languages ​​for 15 000 inhabitants, which represents a great linguistic diversity of France in rural areas", says the president of the association.

A program to discover on site.

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