Festivals & Events in Britanny

With its colourful history and unique sense of identity, Brittany abounds with traditional festivals and carnivals, particularly during the summer months. Virtually every city, town and village seems to hold at least one such event each year, frequently more. Many of these occasions are religious in origin, while others celebrate the medieval past or Celtic culture that this fascinating region of France is so very rich in.

Below is a selection of some popular festivals and events in Brittany:

Tour de France: Dinan & St Méen le Grande: This year sees the return of the Tour de France to Brittany. 1995 was the last time that the 3500km cycle race started in Brittany. St Méen le Grande & Dinan are two of the towns that the cyclists will pass through, both of which are a 10 and 20 minute drive ,respectively, of La Ville au Rasle.

Dinan: Medieval days come vividly to life during Dinan’s spectacular Fêtes des Remparts held this year on 19th & 20th of July. This is probably the largest celebration of medieval culture in Europe, and includes exhibitions of jousting, drama, dance, music and ancient crafts. The culmination of the weekend's events are a jousting competition and a parade of all the costumed participants through the town. As probably the most perfectly preserved medieval town in Brittany, and with a population immensely proud of this fact, Dinan is the perfect setting for such a spectacle.

Dinan. Dinan hosts the annual International Celtic Harp Festival in July each year which sees masterclasses, concerts & international meetings focusing on the celtic harp. in 2008 the festival runs from 8th to 14th July.

Further details on all festivals in Dinan can be found on their tourist information site.

Bobital, Dinan. The annual music festival, festival-terre-neuvas, takes place this year on 4th, 5th & 6th July. Tickets cost from €28 for a day pass to €59 for a three day pass. Tickets are available from the tourist office in Dinan.

Quimper: Held over nine days at the end of every July and featuring a huge gathering of Celtic artists, musicians and dancers from all over Europe, Festival de Cornouaille is almost certainly the region’s largest folk festival. As the most overtly Celtic city in Brittany, Quimper is one of the very best places to see regional costumes, and to listen to both popular and traditional Breton music.

Rennes: Brittany’s capital city really gets in party mood at the beginning of each July with its Tombées de la Nuit, a spectacular street festival celebrating theatre, music, poetry and dance. Perhaps surprisingly, all things traditionally Breton share the limelight with some of France’s best modern rock music. Although maybe not so surprising when you realize that Rennes’ two universities and medical school is home to around 45,000 students.

Concarneau: Concarneau is France’s largest fishing harbour, and the town’s Fête des Filets Bleus (Festival of Blue Nets) held in mid-August began life in 1905 as a fund raising exercise for distressed families of local fishermen. These days it is a traditional Breton festivity recalling the fishing, culture and music of the region. Celebrations include, naturally enough, grand scale dining on seafood and much singing of Breton seafaring songs. Matters end in style with a huge fete, which every year attracts around 25,000 visitors.

Brest: Held every four years since 1992, the Brest Maritime Festival has rapidly grown into a truly spectacular affair. In mid-July 2004 it attracted over 2,000 traditional sailing craft and tall ships from seafaring nations all over the world, plus more (this is not a joke) from such unlikely places as landlocked Ethiopia and Switzerland. In addition to a wealth of maritime heritage, music and other forms of entertainment from these countries also featured heavily, as did many fine replicas of the world’s historic vessels. Full-scale festivities usually cover six days, and include firework displays and concerts every evening.