Matricia Experience: a family and spiritual festival in the heart of the Ariège forest

At the end of August, as if to seal the summer with a unique energy, the forest of Daumazan-sur-Arize is transformed into a festive and ephemeral village nestled in a natural setting. During a timeless weekend, the trees become silent guardians, the paths are lit up with lanterns, the voices resonate like ancient echoes. Under the branches and the marquees, all generations meet. Children run barefoot on the grass, circles form, festival-goers come here to create, dance and dream around songs from elsewhere, while electro and tribal music rises into the starry night. Here, the ordinary fades away: Matricia invites you to celebrate life differently, in simplicity, expanded awareness, kindness and shared joy. Founded in 2022 by Alexandra Mogos and Roxanne Levecq, this unique event creates a community where everyone finds their place, in direct connection with nature and living things.

Cover photo ©Lesley Williamson

Matricia, an atmosphere of warm communion in the heart of nature.

On a vast private site of 21,000 m², 1,200 festival-goers experience four days of immersion in nature. Matricia is a collective experience where we breathe, walk, dance, sing, meditate and share. Three large spaces structure the site :

• The body (dance, yoga, tantra, ecstatic)
• The soul (rituals, meditation, sound therapy, ceremonies)
• The spirit (conferences, circles, debates, workshops)

All around, the forest is populated with artistic installations : land art, magical forest, alchemical trail, meditative space around the majestic Great Cedar, Berber tent and its vibrant fire of night jams and collective songs.

In the Matricia village, artisans from diverse backgrounds showcase their creations: jewelry, art objects, textiles, unique pieces, body painting. This vibrant market becomes a place for meeting and sharing, where each stall tells a story. Children aren't spectators but explorers: this multigenerational festival is also dedicated to them, featuring creative workshops, performances, and discoveries. You'll see them dancing barefoot, playing with the elements, learning percussion, or listening to stories along a path.

A conscious program: music, dance and celebration of life

No alcohol, no substances : Matricia chooses another intensity. A return to Self, to the authentic self, to the deep self, in sobriety. The program offers a sensitive arc that connects traditions, experiments and world music. Sacred chants, organic sounds, handpan lessons, ecstatic dance, sound sculptures… so many forms to nourish the body and the mind, to feel the comfort and transcendence that certain music offers. This year again, the stage brings together artists from multiple universes : melodies inspired by the Brazilian forest, luminous folktrónica, contemporary sounds, didgeridoo and techno beats, trance, rhythms and voices of the world in a musical journey without borders. Each edition is structured around a theme: in 2025, place for the union of polarities. Masculine and feminine, shadow and light, sun and moon meet in an infinite spiral. More than an artistic line, it is an invitation to explore one's own inner balance, through the mirror of concerts, workshops and rituals.

A sustainable, inclusive and multigenerational festival in the heart of Ariège

Beyond the stage, Matricia cultivates a healthy and natural way of life. We meet at the Love Bar around colorful mocktails, a freshly squeezed juice or a shared herbal tea. We sit down in a large, friendly canteen to enjoy vegetarian, local and organic cuisine, which also offers vegan, gluten-free or raw options. We recharge our batteries in the wellness area, where therapists offer treatments and massages.

Eco-responsibility is everywhere : dry toilets, composting, reusable tableware, eco-cups, eco-friendly cleaning products, cold and refreshing showers, filtered drinking water available to limit bottled water. Even security has a human dimension: guardian angels watch over you day and night, supported by an infirmary attentive to both minor physical ailments and strong emotions.

As for accommodation, tents, vans and converted trucks rub shoulders. At the end of the festival, not a cigarette butt, not a piece of paper or waste on the ground: the forest remains intact, respected. An impeccable ecological conscience. In this atmosphere, everyone finds their place: families, children, groups of friends, solo travelers, artists or simply curious people. Matricia does not impose anything: it opens a space of freedom and inclusion, where one can lose oneself in the dance, find the silence of a ritual, or simply contemplate the magic of a plant creation in the middle of the forest.

In the heart of Ariège, this annual festival is a celebration of life, a rare moment where diversity and unity meet, in an ephemeral village destined to disappear... only to be reborn the following year.

Photos and article by Lesley Williamson

Did you like this report? Find more in our Experiences to Live section. We are on social media, find the Toulouse Pyrénées Guide Facebook page and the Instagram account @guidetoulousepyrenees

Practical information

📍 Location : Daumazan-sur-Arize Forest, Ariège (09)
🌐 Website : www.matricia.fr
📅 Dates : end of August, over 4 days
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Audience : family and multigenerational festival
♻️ Commitment : eco-responsible, alcohol-free, substance-free