Since 2023, Souk Rassek has been evolving in line with the ways it is used and the needs expressed by its users: from a pilot scheme for prevention and support to a broader space for dialogue, self-expression and collective care.
Our history
2023
Laying the Foundations
In 2023, Souk Rassek was launched at L’Boulevard with a first pilot edition dedicated to raising awareness of gender-based violence and promoting a culture of respect in festive settings.
Designed as a space for mediation, listening, and prevention, the initiative engages directly with festival-goers through an approach based on listening, dialogue, and outreach.
Throughout the four days of the festival, the team implemented three main components: public awareness and mediation, active listening sessions with clinical psychologists, and a supportive outreach patrol that enabled the team to engage directly with festival-goers and de-escalate certain situations involving violence.
This first experience revealed a significant need. Psychologists conducted nearly 30 active listening sessions, while numerous more informal conversations took place with volunteers. Several concrete situations involving harassment, physical violence, or people being placed at risk were also addressed or de-escalated on site.
Beyond raising awareness of gender-based violence, these conversations highlighted other realities experienced by young people in festive settings: family violence, feelings of oppression, substance use and addiction, anxiety, loss of bearings, and psychological distress.
This pilot edition therefore laid the first foundations of Souk Rassek: creating an accessible and caring space at the heart of the festival, where everyone can find information, talk, be listened to, and access relevant resources.
It also opened the way for further reflection on how to strengthen the initiative, involve festival teams more closely, and develop prevention and mediation tools adapted to different audiences.
2024
An Initiative Taking Root
© Mehdi Laajali, L’Boulevard Festival
In 2024, Souk Rassek returned to L’Boulevard as an initiative that was now more clearly recognized by festival-goers. Following a first edition that had established the foundations of the initiative, this second edition confirmed the public’s interest in spaces dedicated to awareness, listening, and care within festive settings.
Interest also grew around the team itself, with an increasing number of volunteers wanting to join the initiative. A new feature emerged that year: the majority of volunteers were now psychology students, bringing knowledge and sensitivity directly connected to the challenges of listening and support.
The initiative also expanded its mediation formats. Alongside the documentation, active listening, and outreach activities introduced in 2023, Souk Rassek offered art therapy workshops led by a certified psychologist. These spaces provided festival-goers with another way to express their feelings, explore their emotions, and engage with issues related to gender-based violence through creative practices.
Demand for listening spaces was confirmed and intensified, with more than 20 active listening sessions taking place each day of the festival.
This second edition therefore marked a new stage for Souk Rassek. The initiative was no longer simply an experiment; it was beginning to establish its place within the festival and bring together a genuine community around the values of listening, respect, and care.
2025
Embedding, Creating & Passing It On
© FZ Bellalij, L’Boulevard Festival
In 2025, Souk Rassek continued to develop at L’Boulevard, strengthening its presence at the heart of the festival. As the initiative had become increasingly recognized by the public, this new edition sought to diversify the ways in which people could engage, exchange, and create around issues related to gender-based violence.
Mediation was further enriched through artistic practices. Alongside listening spaces and awareness activities, Souk Rassek offered four creative workshops: two painting workshops and two collage workshops. For the first time, participants were invited to work with archives from L’Kounache, L’Boulevard’s fanzine and cultural magazine dedicated to contemporary music, visual arts, and alternative creative practices.
This edition also marked a strengthening of the Souk Rassek team, with more psychologists and volunteers receiving training before the festival to ensure a presence and listening approach adapted to the needs of the public.
In 2025, Souk Rassek therefore continued to evolve its approach: inform, listen, and prevent — but also create. It was a way of transforming awareness-raising into a collective, accessible experience, fully integrated into the universe of L’Boulevard.
With more than 40,000 festival-goers attending its 23rd edition, L’Boulevard confirmed its role as a space for gathering, knowledge-sharing, and creative expression. Souk Rassek is part of this ecosystem as a prevention initiative contributing to a festival that is more open, attentive, and caring.
2025
Le son et le soin
Pour sa troisième édition, Souk Rassek poursuit cette évolution au cœur du Souk associatif et créatif de L’Boulevard.
Souk Rassek se pense comme un espace de care collectif, de prévention et d’écoute, autour du respect, de la sécurité et du bien-être dans les espaces festifs.
Aux côtés du stand, des sessions d’écoute active avec des psychologues et professionnel·le·s et de la patrouille Souk Rassek, deux ateliers viennent enrichir le programme : une session de thérapie par la peinture et un atelier de collage inspiré des archives du magazine L’Kounach, autour du respect et du plaisir de faire la fête ensemble.