Mimos in Périgueux 2025: “Live entertainment, there’s nothing better!”
The Gesture Arts Festival, which began on Tuesday, July 1st, concludes this Saturday, July 5th. What did vacationers, shopkeepers, and locals think of this 2025 edition?
"I like the diversity, the atmosphere, and the discovery of different arts." Nathalie hasn't missed a Mimos festival for the past fifteen years. It's a chance for her to meet up with her friends, including Renée, who has lived in Périgueux since the 1980s and is herself a fan of the gesture arts festival, which ends this Saturday, July 5. "It's great, but before, there was only mime. Now, I like gestures less," she adds. Other spectators would like more simplicity, especially for the opening night. "This year, there were no gestures," analyzes Michel.
A diversity that doesn't please everyone, but the regulars continue to come. "We're aficionados," say Élisabeth and Serge Lacroix. The two retirees have been coming to the event every summer for nearly thirty years. "Live entertainment, there's nothing better!"
Stéphane Klein/SO
Stéphane Klein/SO
Stéphane Klein/SO
Some regulars come from far away. Béatrice Béchon and her husband traveled from Saint-Émilion. "We appreciate how easy it is to see the shows, and the artistic side amazes us every time," explains the woman from Gironde. Florence and Frédéric traveled from Alençon, in the Orne department, to experience the festival. Their trip: "It's quite diverse; we appreciate the performances and the poetry."
Does the arrival of these festival-goers benefit the city's businesses? For Christine Garcin, the manager of Sand'tricherie on rue Taillefer, the answer is yes: "People snack before going to the shows." The same goes for the café bar La Tanière, which benefits from its location across from the Festival Village. "We get a nice little boost around 8 p.m.," smiles manager Clément Baffour.
At Place Saint-Louis, the feedback is less positive. "The festival doesn't change much," summarizes Deram Milyan, manager of the Saint-Louis restaurant. The same assessment is true at "Elle Vit," next door, and in the ready-to-wear stores located nearby. For some retailers, the change in the festival's date could affect this attendance. Since 2021, Mimos has been held in early July, sometimes falling, like this year, just before the school holidays, whereas previously the event took place at the end of the month.
Michel Faure
And do the people of Périgord enjoy Mimos? Some have never been to a single show, like Paul, whom I met near the Laure-Gatet school complex, having just graduated from high school. "Theater has never really been my thing." For another high school student, "going out with friends in town can be fun."
For Benoît, on the other hand, "when you're working, being able to go see shows at lunchtime is nice." And the opportunity to "see the city differently," adds his partner.
