In the northern district of Bourges, local associations and residents are initiating an artistic commission around the Bourges Nord Carnival, a popular event that brings the neighbourhood together.
A cosmopolitan neighbourhood home to nearly 70 nationalities, Bourges Nord has been hosting a carnival since 2014, organised by local associations and residents. Over the years, this annual event has become a highlight of conviviality, sharing and celebration, reflecting the neighbourhood’s deep attachment to this collective event, which is rooted in local life and open to all.
Having come together to reflect on the future of the carnival, the new patrons wish to go beyond a simple festive parade and turn it into a living expression of the social, cultural and human reality of the neighbourhood. The request is for artistic support to explore the meaning of popular festivals today, their ritual, symbolic and political dimensions, as well as forms of collective creation and the place given to residents and interculturality. The ambition is to make the Bourges Nord Carnival an event that is creative, unifying and deeply rooted in its territory.
Commission developed as part of the Call for Proposals for New Patrons in Centre-Val de Loire, with the support of the Société des Nouveaux commanditaires, supported by the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, and Bourges, European Capital of Culture 2028.
