Key points
Location : Saint-Sernin district / Arnaud Bernard, Toulouse (France)
Dates : May 23 to June 22, 2025
Associated artist : Kiddy Smile, electro and queer figure
Objective : To make the festival a space for repair, celebration and pride
From May 23 to June 22, 2025 , Toulouse will host the third edition of the Le Nouveau Printemps festival , an unmissable event for contemporary creation. This year, Kiddy Smile , an emblematic figure of the electro scene and Ballroom culture, is taking the lead in the program as an associated artist. A bold choice, reflecting the event, which aims to make art vibrate to the rhythm of social, cultural and political transformations.
Artmajeur by YourArt is a partner of the New Spring 2025. A natural collaboration, born from a real interest in the programming carried by Kiddy Smile and the values of the festival: inclusion, commitment, circulation of ideas and identities
A festival rooted in a territory and an era
Since its reinvention, Le Nouveau Printemps has been part of a desire to echo the transitions of our time, by bringing together artists, institutions and residents around a neighborhood: in 2025, it will be Saint-Sernin / Arnaud Bernard , a neighborhood rich in history, migrations and memories.
The festival takes place in 10 locations , offers 14 new creations , 4 projects in public spaces , and involves 39 artists , including 10 young graduates from isdaT . It implements a program that aims to be inclusive, committed, interdisciplinary and sustainable , in conjunction with establishments such as the Jean Jaurès University, the Capitole University, the ENSAV and the Institut Supérieur des Arts et du Design de Toulouse.
Kiddy Smile: Creating Constellations of Love and Family
DJ, musician, performer, and queer icon Kiddy Smile brings a political and poetic vision to this edition. Inspired by Ballroom Culture , he celebrates “families of heart,” those chosen communities that offer refuge, expression, and pride to those marginalized by society.
His ambition? To make the festival a space for reparation, celebration, and empowerment. As he himself puts it: " Creating spaces conducive to the liberation and amplification of marginalized voices seems to me to be a vital necessity. "
Making Family: A Manifesto Exhibition
At the heart of the festival, the collective exhibition “Faire Famille” , designed by curator Yandé Diouf, unfolds a journey through several locations (Saint-Raymond Museum, study library, university, artists’ spaces, etc.). The works of Raphaël Barontini , Binta Diaw , Roméo Mivekannin , Angelica Mesiti , Alice Diop and Brandon Gercara question the notion of community, transmission and belonging. They reveal a plurality of stories, often excluded from dominant discourses.
A rich and diverse program
Other highlights of the festival include:
André Atangana explores uprooting in his photo-video project Uprooting , in collaboration with artists from Black diasporas.
Ndayé Kouagou has created a video installation with absurd humor and a critique of dominant discourses.
Josèfa Ntjam and Tarek Lakhrissi invest the Chapelle des Carmélites with a joint work, between collective memory and spirituality.
H·Alix Sanyas , with the typographic collective Bye Bye Binary, transforms Zoe Leonard's poem “I want a president” into a queer graphic manifesto, JE VEUX YN PRÉSIDOL .
A journey through a living heritage
The festival also feels like an artistic stroll through a district with a rich heritage, between the Saint-Sernin Basilica , the Cordeliers Chapel , the Bellegarde Cultural Centre and self-managed spaces such as Lieu-Commun . An invitation to (re)discover Toulouse differently, between art, history and politics.
The New Spring aims to be open to all: free access to most exhibitions , adapted mediations, participation of schools, involvement of local residents. It also affirms an eco-responsible approach: sustainable production, short supply chains, soft accessibility.
A spring for everyone
The New Spring 2025 is much more than a festival: it is a space for reflection, sharing, and collective creation. Led by Kiddy Smile, this edition explores ways of “making a family” beyond the norms and offers, like an artistic manifesto, a culture of love .
FAQ – The New Spring 2025
When does the festival take place?
From May 23 to June 22, 2025, in Toulouse.
Who is this year's featured artist?
Kiddy Smile, electro icon and figure of Ballroom culture.
Where does the festival take place?
In the Saint-Sernin / Arnaud Bernard district and 10 partner locations in Toulouse.
What do we discover there?
14 new creations, 4 projects in public spaces, 39 artists, a major collective exhibition ("Faire Famille") and an inclusive and committed program.
Jean Dubreil