A history of nearly 50 years…
Take the time to stop, look back and review the road we have travelled.
To find out more about our history, we invite you to browse through our gazettes and to get our book, specially produced for the 40th edition of the Festival.
A great discovery !
The 40 years of Chassepierre Gazette
One gazette per year from 1974 to 2013
(in french) :
- 1974
The local poet, Marie Fizaine, sets up the event "Poetry = Village", the very beginning of the Festival.
- 1976
Alain Schmitz takes over as head of the project; he remains in charge until 2014.
- 1980
While the spirit of the Festival was initially focused on folk music and craftsmanship, little by little the event turned to international shows. Street theatre also made its entrance.
- 1986
After 20 years during which the Festival was linked to the Foyer Culturel de la Moyenne Semois, the ASBL Fête des Artistes et Artisans de Chassepierre is created to run the project.
- 1991
The Festival expands and opens up to other locations in addition to the two streets of the village (Breux, meadow…).
- 2003
The Festival continues to grow with the opening of the meadows due to the installation of a temporary pedestrian bridge over the Semois river.
- 2006
The year of a turning point in the programme, where more care is taken to create coherence between the shows offered and the sites where they are performed. Each year, the Festival will be built around a common plan.
- 2008
Since 2008, each Festival has welcomed around 50 professional companies, giving pride of place to all street arts disciplines.
- 2013
The Festival celebrates its 40th edition and a permanent pedestrian bridge is built over the Semois river to link the different sites to make it easier to get around.
- 2014
Alain Schmitz leaves the Festival's management, and is replaced by Charlotte Charles-Heep.
- 2016
Artistic residencies are offered to companies throughout the year. All the shows created in Chassepierre are then presented at the Festival. A strong following and connection is established between the shows and the village.
- 2018
The Chassepierre Festival and the CEC Tribal Souk resume and develop the Philosophers' Walk in Gaume. An travelling artistic adventure that has been renewed every year.
- 2020
The year of the pandemic, the Festival is cancelled but the ASBL (association without lucrative purpose) sets up cultural (re)actions during several summer weekends to keep street arts alive in Chassepierre.
- 2021
As it is not yet possible to offer a festival in its usual form, the 47th edition will be that of the Fragments Inédits ("unprecedented fragments"): a Festival that reinvents itself in three parts or fragments to welcome the public in a setting that respects the health measures in force.
« L'invention Chassepierre »
Here I am, Prosper, Belgium's last street singer and storyteller, Chassepierre's first street artist. My curious status as a ghost has made me the bearer of knowledge that is more global than yours. Time and space can thus confide in me without fear. And, through me, they will tell you about the gift of a village to artists and craftsmen, the welcome of its inhabitants and the coming together of volunteers who, year after year, open up their hearts and desires to the world. They offer and receive, and are proud of their commitment. They form the spirit of a shared location. At each Festival, they reinvent Chassepierre. This book, a tribute to them all and a return to the original poets, is a humble testimony to their history.
In French
Price: 20€
Delivery: €4.00 for delivery costs - The book is sent in a cardboard box with an adhesive closure. Our parcels are entrusted to the care of La Poste. For any questions related to an order or a delivery problem, please contact the Festival at +32 61 31 45 68.
Author: Alain Renoy
Edition: Weyrich
Format: Format: 16 x 24 cm, 320 pages, cardboard cover
EAN Ref. : 9782874891991
Some pictures of the Chassepierre Festival over time:
