Mont-de-Marsan: in the Saint-Médard district, a Beer Festival with a taste of renewal
After a few years of dormancy, the Saint-Médard Festival Committee, reinvigorated by a new team, is reviving tradition and launching a Beer Festival on Sunday, September 21. A first step towards the return of a lively neighborhood life
This time it's for real. The Saint-Médard Festival Committee, a district in the east of Mont-de-Marsan, intends to relaunch itself once and for all. The activity of the association, which was founded in 1973, had declined sharply in recent years, to the point of almost disappearing .
There was indeed a first attempt to revive the Committee two years ago. But after a garage sale and a Christmas event, a few disagreements finally got the better of the general enthusiasm. The elections for the new board, in April 2025, helped breathe some life back into the organization. At least, that's what its new president, Brigitte Debenest, assures us. "We're a small team of 15 volunteers with a lot of enthusiasm, but above all, and this is the most important thing, a very good atmosphere."
The revival of the Saint-Médard Committee necessarily required the organization of a festive event. This has been achieved with the Beer and Gasconade Festival, which will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2025, on the Place du Docteur-Galop, at the foot of the Romanesque church, a symbol of the Mons district.
Between tradition and modernityWith this Beer Festival, the Committee primarily aims to allow local residents to meet. "We were looking for an original event, one that didn't yet exist in Mont-de-Marsan. That's when the idea for the Beer Festival came about," explains Brigitte. The Committee was also keen to include a local dimension to this festival by combining traditional elements such as Gascon songs, with the Bicituna men's choir, and the presence of ESA stilt walkers, dressed in folk costumes.
To organize this event, the Committee has joined forces with other neighborhood associations. Among them is the Saint-Médard Sports and Leisure Hiking Club, which will organize a historical tour this Sunday at 10 a.m. in the form of a hike of just under 5 kilometers. "The goal is to take participants through historical landmarks, such as the Chemin de l'Évasion and the demarcation line."
Holiday DreamsThe neighborhood's more recent history has also been marked by the festivals once organized by the Committee. Michel, a living memory of the association, remembers those wonderful years. "We organized lots of activities," he recalls. "And then there were the festivals that lasted three or four days. It was a real event for the entire neighborhood and, more generally, for the city of Mont-de-Marsan."
Will we one day see the Saint-Médard festival rise from the ashes and enliven the streets of the eastern part of the prefecture for days on end? "For the moment, it's not possible," smiles Gérard, the communications officer. "We're making do with the resources we have. This Beer Festival is a first step."
With this first event, the Committee also hopes to attract new members, perhaps to think bigger about the future. "We need more hands," Gérard insists. Everyone here knows that it was the aging of the membership that almost brought the Committee down in recent years, and even if they don't give up, they also know that it has become very difficult to interest young adults and parents in neighborhood community life.
There's no choice; to get involved, you have to go through associations that have them in their ranks. "A Festival Committee isn't necessarily there to do things," explains Bruno, one of the volunteers. "It's primarily there to inspire and organize." Encouraging associations and residents to come together is the first step in bringing life back to the Saint-Médard neighborhood.
The program: 10 a.m.: hike to discover the Saint-Médard district accompanied by Saint-Médard Sports and Leisure; 11 a.m.: opening of the bars, discovery of local beers offered by the Bahus and Lugazaut breweries; midday: meal under a marquee (14 euros for adults, 8 euros for children); 3 p.m.: entertainment in traditional stilt-walking costumes by the ESA association and initiation.
