What happened during our Revillage pop-up in France?
During our month in Semur-en-Auxois, families organised activities together, joined local events, met residents, explored the town and experimented with community life.
This overview brings together the activities from our 2026 calendar, with repeated entries combined and individual event dates left out. We hope it gives future Revillage participants a sense of what is possible when families come together.
Community life & social gatherings
A month together made room for organised gatherings and the everyday pleasure of spending time with neighbours.
- Community BBQs, including a BBQ with local families
- Wine and cheese evenings
- Small-group lunches and dinners
- Board game gatherings
- Book club
- Community talks
- Fire pit evenings
- Birthday celebrations
- Farewell party
- Closing circle
- Informal socialising at our community space, The Nest
Children & family life
Children took part in local school life, while families created activities and shared childcare within the community.
- Preschool immersion at local French schools
- Elementary school immersion
- Visits to local schools
- Organised childcare sessions
- Kids’ song and dance workshop
- Family-friendly historical treasure hunt through town
- School fair
- Children’s activities and an open house at a local apple orchard
- Family cinema screenings
- Puppet shows
Local culture & experiences
Semur-en-Auxois and the surrounding area offered a calendar of their own. Families joined celebrations, performances and events alongside local residents.
- Guided tours of the medieval Tour de l’Orle d’Or
- Introduction to Semur by the local tourist office
- Traditional Auxois draft horse parade
- National Auxois draft horse competition
- European Heritage Days
- Commemoration of Semur’s liberation
- Concerts with local and visiting musicians
- Theatre festival
- Cinema festival
- Local DJ party
- Local yard sale
- Clothing sale
- Literary events at a local bookshop
- Traditional town celebrations
Food & drink
Food brought people together around shared tables and introduced families to the traditions of Burgundy.
- Burgundy wine tastings with a local expert
- Visits to the weekly food market
- Visit to a local biscuit factory
- Burgundy grape harvest experience
- Exploring local food traditions
Arts, crafts & creativity
Participating artists and local creatives opened up opportunities to make, perform and discover something new.
- Art workshops, including a workshop with a participating artist
- Studio visit with a local artist
- Printmaking workshop
- Intaglio workshop
- Papercraft activities and workshop
- Musical theatre workshop
- Musical performance
- Improvisational dance workshop
- Local art exhibitions and opening receptions
- Pottery exhibition and opening
- Family photography sessions
Learning & knowledge sharing
Families brought their own interests and experience, creating space for learning both practical skills and new ideas.
- French language classes
- AI coffee and informal discussions
- Introduction to AI concepts
- Workshop on building AI agents
- Talk about financial independence and pursuing your dreams
- Visit to a local FabLab
- Community knowledge-sharing sessions
- Local history and heritage tours with residents and guides
Nature, sports & wellbeing
There were also opportunities to move, get outdoors and explore the landscape around the town.
- Early morning group runs
- Morning workout sessions
- Family-friendly walks exploring local trails
- Group cold-water dip
- Community sports activities and sports day
Connecting with the local community
The pop-up was also an opportunity to meet the people who call Semur home and take part in the life of the town.
- Welcome reception with local residents and the mayor
- Volunteering alongside local residents at Parc Joly
- Participation in local markets and fairs
- Visiting a local charity flea market
- Meeting local artists and craftspeople
- Visiting local businesses
Exploring a more permanent Revillage
Alongside enjoying the month, participants explored what a longer-term community could look like.
- Workshops about creating a permanent Revillage community
- Small-group discussions about living in Semur
- Collaborative exploration of future community models
- Permanent Revillage workgroup meetings
- Interactive game exploring the future of Revillage
- Discussions about building longer-term connections with the town
Community organisation & co-creation
The calendar grew through people contributing ideas, taking responsibility and organising things together.
- All-village meetings
- Community workgroups
- Kids’ activities planning group
- Community meals planning group
- Shared responsibility for The Nest
- Community cleaning rota
- Organising activities together
- Community updates and Q&A sessions
- Planning and performing musical activities together
From a shared meal to a new workshop, these experiences grew from the people who took part and the town that welcomed us. They offer inspiration for what future Revillage communities might create together.
See photo impressions from the pop-up →
Explore the Revillage popup →