Folk Festivals in France

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: matt milton
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 01:32 PM

There's a Country Rock festival in Berck (near Le Touquet in Pas de Calais/Normandy region) every July, which is fun. Although it's called the Country Rock festival you get a fair bit of bluegrass and old-timey as well as some blues thrown in.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Weasel
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 02:27 PM

If anyone should happen to be going to the blues festival in Cognac this summer, let me know - I'll be on the campsite there all summer and eager to empty my fridge of beer.

Cheers,

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Folkiedave
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 04:43 PM

There are several of them around and until I learned better I fell foul of a couple of them. They are the sanitized, colourful sickly-quaint national costume display events with formalized ethnic dancing which have little to do with what I recognise as folk music.

Sheffield City Morris have performed at a couple of these French festivals.

They are indeed as you describe - except the teams get paid generous travelling expenses, and are given the European food mountain to eat and wine lake to drink. The accommodation is often excellent and the interface between the teams in the background can be spectacular. (I especially remember a team from French Guiana whose idea of a rum punch was to pour high-proof rum in to a huge container and wave an orange at it). That was at a festival in Manosque - I think, it became a blur after a while.

I would take issue with the "formalised ethinic dancing" to a certain extent yes - but some of the teams we have seen have been superb with great musicinas all of whom were up for a session the minute the audience had gone. The East Europeans tend to be ex-state sponsored teams - but the South Americans we have performed with have been a great bunch.

And we got an invite to Ecuador out of one of them.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Weasel
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 04:58 PM

I don't dispute their skills, nor can I complain at the atmosphere in the towns where I attended those festivals - I had a great time, but they simply weren't what I was expecting and, not really what I wanted.
There were no English groups at any of the festivals I saw.

As always I can only speak of the ones I saw - they obviously won't all be the same - I believe there are a couple (a few) up in Brittany which come nearer to what I see at British festivals.

Like the blues festival in Cognac - the atmosphere in town is magic and they are a great bunch of people, but I'd be happier with a different kind of music! :-)



Cheers,

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: robinia
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 07:05 PM

Why Brittany?   Well, I was told that there was generally a Fest Noz going on in one village or another on almost any summer weekend. The difficulty was in finding it (not standard tourist info) and of course finding lodging, since small towns often don't have any for foreigners (I lucked out with the village convent and some wonderfully welcoming sisters).   
The Auvergne (Occitan country) was a much harder nut to crack . . .

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 05:02 AM

It's a different country, they do things differently there, erm, that's partly why we go

L in C

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 09:26 AM

Try contacting Twm Twp. they are a ceilidh band with members living in Brittany. They would be aware of things Folkloritique.

And a damn find ceilidh band they are.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Apr 09 - 10:01 AM

There are indeed Festou Noz in Brittany every weekend in the summer. Just look out for the posters. Not all will be the pure drop of traditional music but all are fun, and the best are not really for tourists but for locals to have a good old dance.

If it is the pure drop you are after, why not try the competitions for musicians and dancers that take place in August leading up to the All-Brittany finals at the Chateau de Tronjoly, Gourin on 6 September?

A personal favourite is the Festival du Dans Plinn (a round dance specific to that specific area of Brittany). This takes place on 15 August in the charming spot of Danouet near Bourbriac. There are competitions of sonneurs de couple (the ultra- traditional Basse-Bretagne combination of bombarde and biniou) and also between dancers to see who can do the plinn best. It makes for a great day for anyone interested in Breton traditional music and there is a fab fest-noz in the evening.

Another similar festival, this time of the Dans Fisel, takes place later in the month at Rostrenen (usually around the 31 August).

Another great one is Gallesie en Fete at the end of June at Monterfil. More music and dancing, this time mostly of 'Haute', or east, Bretagne, the Gallo-speaking area. Also traditional sports and games.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST,Leslie
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 01:12 PM

You might also check out the websites or myspace pages of your favorite French bands and see where they're playing this summer.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 02:35 PM

That could be really useful

L in C

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 16 Apr 09 - 11:15 AM

Grande Bal de l'Europe are you a dancer - or should thast be dancous?

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST,Edthefolkie
Date: 16 Apr 09 - 04:16 PM

Can confirm that Breton Festou Noz are frequently a good bet. Lots of them are associated with "Pardons" which are celebrations of a church saints day. So you might get a church service followed by a procession with Breton dancers in traditional costume. The dancers are quite often bussed in from elsewhere.

We attended a small pardon near Pontivy which involved a procession to a spring. The little shrine over the spring featured a statue resembling Noggin the Nog - a huge bonfire was ignited and blessed by the priest (C of E it ain't). As it was the same week as the Tour de France, at the subsequent beanfeast there was a tableau featuring scarecrows done up in Lycra holding elderly bikes (and a dog show).

We also attended a huge pardon and fest noz near Auray where there were about ten lots of dancers, bombardes, binious, Gascons with very silly shoes, the lot! The fest noz in the evening featured more bombardes, binious and Le Sonerien Du, plus lots of assorted food and rotgut! Bliss.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 17 Apr 09 - 05:07 AM

Yes, we have enjoyed quite a few of these types of events in Brittany and felt most welcome. I guess we would like to find similar events elsewhere in France.

Does anyone have similar experiences of small local "folk" events outside Brittany?

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Folkiedave
Date: 17 Apr 09 - 09:21 AM

This should help - it is fairly clear even if you are not a French speaker.

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Fidjit
Date: 21 Apr 09 - 05:09 PM

A friend sent me this update

Grand Bal de Europe update

I you like HOT dancing. Middle of summer in the middle of France. Can't get much hotter than that.

Chas

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 07:29 AM

Ok it's that time of year when we look at the map of France and try to spot a French Folk Festival.

Any new experiences? Any good places to go for French Folk music?

L in C

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Monique
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 08:49 AM

From Folkiedave's link January to March,

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: GUEST,Larry
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:14 AM

A dance festival in Charente/Limousin which is probably the sort of thing that Weasel was describing, but I thoroughly enjoy, is at Confolens. The date moves around a bit but is usually in August. By paying a couple of euros you get access to the inner town where lots of performances take part in the streets for a couple of hours every afternoon. The rest of the time there are performances in the arena. It is also very manageable if your French isn't great as there is quite a large ex-pat community in those parts (but otherwise it's a nice place!).

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Folkiedave
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:44 AM

You might contact Dave Higham on this thread

Subject: RE: Yorkshire folk clubs 60's and 70's
From: Dave Higham - PM
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 07:57 PM

Dave lives in France

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 01:13 PM

Thanks dave, I have PMd him just now

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Weasel
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 06:35 PM

Yes, Larry,the festival in Confolens was one of those to which I was referring. Another was in Murat in the Auvergne.

Cheers,

Weasel

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Folkiedave
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 07:19 PM

Sheffield City Morris have done a couple of these big DANCE Festivals in France. Be aware that you watch folk dancing. Great fun for the participants. Imagine Sidmouth when it had foreign dance teams and that is all there was.

Montoire (near Tours, Vendome) and Manosque (Provence) are the ones we did.

God we got so pissed at Montoire........

Subject: RE: Folk Festivals in France
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 31 Jul 11 - 06:08 AM

We spent a month in France this June - not a great Festival month. But the thing that struck me was that around small towns and villages small music events were advertised with posters - aimed probably at people within 20 odd miles. I guess they are all well below the radar if google and organised locally and quickly

L in C#