The Aniane en Scènes festival, organized for 13 years in Aniane (Hérault), will not take place in 2026. On April 8, the town hall announced its cancellation due to budgetary restrictions. This decision was not well-received by residents: a petition has been launched. Several festivals in the region have recently been canceled.
“It’s a heartbreaker, but the budget realities are there,” laments Philippe Salasc, mayor of Aniane. On April 8, 2026, he informed the cultural service that the Aniane en Scènes festival would not be held in 2026. This cancellation comes after 13 editions supported by the municipality.
This news did not sit well with the residents, with one artist launching a petition to denounce the decision. “Aniane en Scènes” annually brought together dozens of performing arts companies in the streets of the town. Originally lasting three days, the festivities had already been reduced in 2025 to only one and a half days. “This year, with the disengagement of sponsors and no support from local authorities, it is impossible to continue,” described the mayor.
“The current team takes this decision with full responsibility, we have no other choice,” said Philippe Salasc, Mayor of Aniane. The festival costs 77,000 euros, a reality impossible for the town’s finances to absorb. “In three years, we went from a self-financing capacity of 400,000 euros to 44,000 euros. If we continue like this, we are heading straight for disaster,” assured Philippe Salasc.
Mathias Guerrero Abras, a resident of Aniane, was not pleased with the news and decided to launch a petition to protest the cancellation. It has already received nearly 1,700 signatures. “What we experience during the festival is the colorful streets, the volunteers’ excitement, the artists arriving with their trucks. It explodes the village with colors, music, and shows, and that’s what we don’t want to lose,” described the citizen.
“This decision was not up for debate, they simply said the festival is canceled,” said Mathias Guerrero Abras, a resident of Aniane who initiated a petition to save the festival. According to him, this decision reflects poorly on the world of culture: “It is the first political decision of this municipality after the elections, even though it was not part of its program. It is a bad signal to send to culture, especially in the territories,” lamented Mathias.
“We are not in places teeming with theaters, concert halls, and live performances. In the surroundings of Aniane, there is not much, and we had a festival that was a gem,” he added. In recent weeks, several festivals have been canceled in Hérault, including Hortus Live (Pic Saint-Loup) and Salagou en Scènes in Clermont-l’Hérault, which may resume in 2027.
Written with Laurent Beaumel and Christophe Monteil.
