Set against the medieval backdrop of Carcassonne in the stunning grounds of Hôtel de LA Cite, the White Rabbit Literary Salon has grown to become a cornerstone of the weekend — a place where acid house culture, outsider literature and strange conversation collide beneath ancient stone walls.

The Salon is presented in collaboration with White Rabbit Books, the independent publishing imprint founded by Lee Brackstone, who have earned a reputation for publishing fearless music writing, radical memoirs, psychedelic oddities and countercultural literature — books that feel less “published” and more “passed secretly between friends at 3am after a particularly heavy record.” Their catalogue spans music, politics, underground culture and literary experimentation, perfectly matching Convenanza’s wonderfully disorientating atmosphere.

In conversation with Lee and cultural disruptor David Keenan, previous guests at the Salon have included Irvine Welsh discussing rave culture, rebellion and writing with the same combustible energy found in Trainspotting, while DBC Pierre brought his razor-sharp wit and beautifully chaotic storytelling to the festival’s literary stage. Fat White Family / Decius frontman Lias Saoudi discussing his chaotic memoir Ten Thousand Apologies, former snooker World Champion Steve Davis alongside bandmate and Gong leader Kavus Torabi’s Medical Grade Music tales and the cosmic weirdness of The Utopia Strong.

Part literary gathering, part psychedelic symposium, the White Rabbit Literary Salon feels less like a conventional book event and more like a secret society for people who believe novels, records and strange ideas belong in the same conversation — preferably with wine nearby and krautrock echoing faintly through the walls of the castle...

Sun, 3-6pm, Hôtel de la Cité. This is a separate ticketed event and will be available soon.