Béarn: in Monein, an intergenerational public came in large numbers for the festivities

The 2025 edition of the Monein Festival concluded this Monday, August 4, after five days of festivities. This weekend, thousands of people gathered in the town center, notably on Saturday evening for the ball and Sunday for the Jurançon wine tasting.

Thou sands of people, children, families, and the elderly gathered this weekend in Monein for the traditional Hestas. For the occasion, the town's festival committee had put together a very festive program for five days. On Friday evening, the concert by the Basque band En Tol Sarmiento reportedly drew a record crowd to the main stage opposite the town hall.

On Saturday evening, the younger generation turned out in force for the grand ball, hosted for the first time by DJ Mast. Between 10:30 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., teenagers and young adults grooved to the rhythm of music from the 2000s to 2010s. In total, nearly 8,000 people descended on the city center. "For four days, we all get together with our friends. Monein is an institution for us," explains Julien, 23, leaning against a bar counter.

At the funfair, while the ball hadn't even started yet, Elisa and her two friends, Marine and Jade, all 18, had a very specific plan for the evening. "Let's not lie to each other, we're here to party: sing, dance, and drink, in moderation of course," they said together.

This year, the new president of the festival committee is 32-year-old Kevin Davila. He made sure everything went smoothly and that the public had fun. "There are 63 of us volunteers," he says. "We created several committees (refreshments, catering, entertainment, etc.) so that the distribution of tasks could be organized," proclaims the man who only slept five hours in two and a half days.

The budget for the Monein festivities is around €150,000, including €20,000 in subsidies from the municipality. "For the rest, we look for partners; we have around forty of them," he recalls. "We work all year round for these five days of happiness, and I want it to remain free."

“We work all year for these five days of happiness and I want it to remain free.”

For his part, the mayor of Monein, Bertrand Vergez Pascal, is pleased with the smooth running of the festivities. "It's a great atmosphere, there were no disturbances," the mayor sighs. "The sub-prefect came by on Sunday morning to check that everything was in order." He is grateful for the work done by the committee and its new president: "We are experiencing fantastic days, full of conviviality thanks to the incredible organization of the committee under the leadership of Kévin," says the town's chief magistrate.

On Sunday, several thousand people arrived at 10 a.m. to participate in the traditional Jurançon wine tastings. An institution for decades. Organized by the Monein agricultural show, 23 winemakers will be presenting their vintages: "The goal is to showcase the producers and their products. From 10 a.m., there are tasters and connoisseurs who come, and then from 12 p.m., it becomes increasingly festive," says Leny Samson, president of the show and winemaker at the Nomboly-Traydou estate in Monein.

The atmosphere, in fact, rose a notch this Sunday lunchtime under the covered market and around the town hall. The partygoers we met were primarily looking to enjoy themselves over a drink or two. Some played the game even more by dressing up for the occasion. This was the case for Marion, Killian, Mélanie, and Valentin. These four physiotherapists from Mourenx donned Mario's costume to celebrate Mélanie's bachelorette party: "We arrived yesterday evening (Saturday)," they announced. "Now, it's off for the whole day. Luckily, we warned our patients that they might run into us there," Marion joked.