Yvon Le Men and Jean-Michel Le Boulanger hold a dialogue in the spirit of kan ha diskan, an exchange punctuated by poems. Destroyed works, censorship and slashed budgets frame the talk, which calls for a state of emergency covering artistic creation and cultural policy. Freedom of creation, freedom of speech and freedom of conscience stand as the utopia at issue, one that totalitarian regimes never tolerate and that democracies are asked to cherish. Teenagers as well as adults are the audience named at Guingamp’s Place du Champ-au-Roy.
Region: Brittany
Dremmwel and Guests: Breton Music Concert
Dremmwel revisits a repertoire shaped by Breton dance music and original arrangements. Bagad Cap Caval, Ismael Ledesma, Hervé Lesvenan and Sylvain Jamault join the band as guests, widening the instrumental line-up. Storyteller Patrik Ewen recounts the group’s history, from fest-noz gatherings and pubs to concert and theatre stages.
Grand Pardon de Notre-Dame du Roncier
Josselin gathers for the Grand Pardon de Notre-Dame du Roncier, with processions linking the fountain, basilica and Saint-Martin Square. Mounir Khairallah, Maronite Bishop of Batroun in Lebanon, presides over the celebrations and gives testimony during the vigil. Mass, the rosary and vespers form the devotional programme of this Breton pardon.
Les Bretons dans tous leurs états: Maryse Vanghent
Brittany supplies the inspiration for Maryse Vanghent’s Les Bretons dans tous leurs états. Originally from Dunkirk, the painter trained in egg tempera and oil painting before making her home in the region. Her practice also includes restoring chapel murals at Château de Blain with the Compagnons de Saint-Roch, a background in craft that accompanies this exhibition of her own work.
MEMES TRA ! Fest-Noz in Pluneret
Festerion Ar Brug marks its fiftieth anniversary in Pluneret over two days. The first gives the stage to the FAB children’s, teen and adult groups (L.A.B), the Klam collective and Penn Gwenn. The second brings an outdoor palets tournament for amateurs, capped at thirty pairs at ten euros a team, a pre-concert gathering with Festerion Ar Brug and the Bagad d’Elven, and a fest-noz featuring Modkozmik, Heson, Enneade, Hamon-Martin and Le Baron-Jégo.
Ty Bougies Candle-Making in Tréguier
Laëtitia introduces candle-making through touch, scent and a small candle that participants pour themselves. At Ty Bougies in Tréguier, the visit moves from handling wax to exploring the fragrances used in the craft. The associated Ty Créateurs shop also displays work by other local artisans, extending the encounter with Breton handmade production.
Gouel bro Plistin Book Fair
Plestin’s book fair forms part of Gouel bro Plistin, placing books within the town’s cultural festival. To mark the fair’s anniversary, Dañs Treger is running a micro-story competition in French and Breton. Entrants write around the number thirty, working within a tightly limited text length that makes brevity part of the literary challenge.
Les chevaux dansent à la bodega: Equestrian Cabaret
In Les chevaux dansent à la bodega, horses perform to music in an equestrian cabaret in La Gacilly. A Spanish feria supplies the show’s festive theme, with lively rhythms directing the horses’ dancing. Sangria accompanies the audience’s experience, extending the bodega atmosphere beyond the performance itself.
Hop ad hoc: Musée Breton and Kernault Theatre Tours
The actresses of Hop ad hoc take the architecture of the Musée Breton and Manoir de Kernault as their starting point. Their theatrical visits reinterpret the buildings with humour, breaking with the format of a conventional guided tour. The programme links both heritage sites, inviting participants to begin at one and continue the experience at the other.
Plourin-lès-Morlaix Heritage Visits
The owners of Penlan Manor guide visitors through its history as part of Plourin-lès-Morlaix’s heritage programme. The visit also takes in Saint Bernard Chapel, pairing the manor’s domestic story with religious architecture. Notre-Dame Church and its ossuary open separately, adding another view of the town’s Breton built heritage.