Events & Festivals in Western Loire

The best of contemporary photography.

The Quinzaine Photographique de Nantes or QPN is a festival dedicated to the promotion of contemporary photography. Established professionals as well as young talents have an opportunity to reach a wide public at the QPN.

The "Prix QPN 2008" will be awarded to the photographer with the best portfolio. Additionally, this winner will have a personal display space throughout the entire event, the best possible showcase for a budding photographer.

The girl with a voice like morning birdsong.

Taj Mahal once said that Pura Fe' had a voice like morning birdsong.

This magnificent, timeless performance will conquer both Janis Joplin Fans and those more into the Joni Mitchel style. With an incredible presence, Pura Fe' masters the piano and slide guitar' and sings with a voice like no other.

The best of French music.

The Poupet Festival was originally a village feast, but over the years this fête has grown to become a major event on the Loire Country's cultural calendar.

For a whole month the Poupet festival will be organsing a variety of concerts. Some of the big names on the French music scene along with some international artists will be there. Joan Baez, Lynda Lemay et Yannick Noah in 2007, and for the 2008 edition there will be Zucchero, Bernard Lavilliers, James Blunt et Vanessa Paradis.

Big Totoro and little Chihiro…

With grass underfoot and stars overhead, you can enjoy a film projection outdoors, breathing fresh air and never having to fight for a seat… Experience some of the greatest film animations in history, courtesy of Grimault, Takahata and Miyazaki.

This selection of animated films will bring you back to childhood and hold you in that familiar fairy-tale embrace…

What dreams may come…

"Machines on the Island" (Les Machines de l'Ile) is indeed a mysterious concept... It involves massive animals, creatures of the savana or the ocean depths, appearing suddenly in the middle of the city, as if one's daydreams had crossed over into reality…

You will not have to imagine this, because it has been imagined for you. These giant wood and metal creatures will be there, palpable, more real than ever. Evidently, a discussion will be organised to explain the process of creation and to introduce the team of artists/engineers.

This fantastic event is signed François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice working with the famed Royal de Luxe company!

Life in the days of yore.

Sainte-Hermine will be opening its doors to the world, allowing you to enter the fascinating universe of king Louis XV.

This event will be a whirlwind of dances, storytelling, concerts, activities, games and re-enactments. Local artisans, shopkeepers and producers will be presenting traditional products and demonstrating their craft or particular know-how. This festive crowd will be gathered on the place de l'Orangerie (near the place de l'Eglise) in an expansive Louis XV-style Grand Marketplace.

Sundown will mark the transition to a series of theatrical evenings that are to take place on the forecourt of the Saint-Hermine château. To lighten the mood, volunteers from local associations will be performing a series of farcical representations.

Don't miss out on this fantastic trip back in time.

Fusion of sport and entertainment…

Created in 1981, the Le Mans 24 Hours Truck race is more than just a sporting challenge: for the initiated, it is a time of celebration worthy of the greatest festival. There is a definite festival atmosphere for spectators and for professionals working on the site.

Over the years, the 24 Hours event has grown to become the biggest event of its kind in the world.
The races themselves are only a start; there are a number of scheduled events including truck decoration competitions and fireworks.

In the summertime when the weather is fine…

Every summer in Saint-Jean de Monts you can witness high-level beach-volley competitions and even take part in beginners' workshops.

Into sports? Check out these great summertime activities with friends or family - trampolining, acrobatic gymnastics, beach-volley and more!

The best part is that every age group is included in this world of entertainment. There is a section for toddlers, another for kids (on wednesdays) or even a "family team" program.

Don't miss out on all the fun!

The cultural event of the year!

Aux heures d'été ("in the summertime") is one of the more recent festival in Nantes. This fourth edition will have the city transformed into an artist's workshop, a musician's jam room, a writer's snug study… Artistic moments in every kind of domain will be taking place throughout the beautiful city of Nantes. Music, stories, dance, films, plays… For city-dwellers, these short, small-scale cultural events will be a huge breath of fresh air.

Discover French top of the Rocks!

The Couvre Feu festival ("Curfew Festival") is a community event that aims to be accessible to all. Couvre Feuè is a meeting place, a mix of genres and styles, and altogether a very festive festival!

Some of the acts from previous editions includes Les Wampas, les Tambours du Bronx, K2R Riddim, Percubaba…

The Nautilus awaits you.

In tune with the transportation revolution of his time, SF pioneer Jules Verne was obsessed with vehicles and motion. In his mindscapes, sailboats, trains and steamers of the real world cohabited with imaginary vehicles.
Courtesy of Jean-Marc Deschamps, these vehicles have been brought to life through perfect scale-models based on the information in the novels. A unique experience to discover the Nautilus and other fantastic craft…

In the heart of Jazz.

Simon Mary is an inspired, generous musician who masters the double-bass with unequalled skill. He leads his band Mukta with a subtle energy, bringing out the very best in his musicians.

Gathered around this virtuoso bassist, four major figureheads of modern jazz will be bringing you a great performance with an evocative title: Echoes of Night…

They have the ability to create a truly hypnotic acoustic universe. Jacques Pellen's (Celtic Procession) voluptuous, enchanting guitar-playing is woven into flute melodies by Pascal Vandenbulcke (with Mukta), percussions by Jean-François Roger (Translave) and Mary's deep booming double bass. Their rythmic music lets the audience slide effortlessly into a meditative, foot-tapping, finger-snapping trance.

The songs evolve languidly, naturally, every instrument slotting into place - their original compositions bring to mind the world of Ralph Towner, Charlie Haden or Egberto Gismonti…

Intimate, childish and utterly powerful.

The work of Anne-Lisa Coste, a French artist based in Zurich for the past decade, is marked by a deceptive sense of frailty. Her drawings seem childish, her lines tenuous, associated with words written in big block capitals or in a child's handwriting.

Her work opens up onto an immature, babyish universe that is nevertheless spiked with irony and contained violence - the fragile surface is only there to hide her barbed criticism of power relations and hierarchical structures.

Similarly to her graphic pieces, Coste's miniature sculptures blend architectural concepts and simplistic logic, revealing a subjective and potent perspective on concepts such as form or emotion.

Jazz on the bandoneon.

Olivier Manoury has embarked on an unusual and difficult journey to revive an instrument that has over time fallen into obscurity: the bandoneon. Coming from Tulle, birthplace of the accordion, Manoury didn't consider the task to be as daunting as it seemed.

The Argentinean tango masters hold this musician in high esteem and his eclectic, unusual career is further evidence of his talent. Having worked with the Béjart ballet and managed to find a parallel between the unusual sound of the bandeneon and the dark, mysterious music of Thelonious Monk, we can definitely say that Manoury is an accomplished performer.

An homage.

Raymond Hains was already displaying his work at the Pays de la Loire Contemporary Art Fund (FRAC) in 1998. His photographs and digital works were gathered under the heading "Lemot passe a travers" ("The words pass through it") which was dedicated to François-Frédéric Lemot, a major sculptor.

The FRAC is today home to an impressive collection of works signed by Hains. The Director of the FRAC, Laurence Gateau, has decided to organise this homage in 2008, a decade after the original exhibition. This latest exhibition, "Comme le Verre à travers le Soleil, Autour de Raymond Hains”, aims to shed a new light on the works of Raymond Hains.

Luxury, jazz and beautiful ships…

This major event of the late summer season, an unmissable cultural festival, blends jazz music with the culture of leisure sailing.

The shows will be staged on a string of barges afloat on the Erdre and will be welcoming over 150 000 spectators for three whole days. The performance will be journeying from Nantes to Nort-sur-Erdre, Sucé-sur-Erdre, La Chapelle-sur-Erdre and Carquefou. All will be able to enjoy free concerts and a number of villages on the banks brimming with activities and events.

Since 2005 the Rendez-Vous de l'Erdre has boasted a rich program that takes all jazz styles into account: traditional, electro-jazz, blues, modern jazz… Also, discover and admire a flotilla of over 100 boats from all of France and wider Europe.

When jazz comes a knockin'…

The Vague de Jazz association, a 350-strong army of musicians, has been working together with cultural sponsors to bring the best of modern Jazz and free improvisation to the Vendée region.

Jazz Wave is a major national event that has drawn huge crowds every summer. The programme includes a free workshop to learn to appreciate free improvisation, an amateur musician platform, a master class, a fanfare… And more!

Take no prisonners.

Sonic Youth have been around for the past 30 years. This band has always been aligned with major music movements like punk or grunge, movements that cannot accept compromise and complacency.

Sonic Youth has always defied categorisation, working to deconstruct the pop music canons to breathe new life into the world of rock music. Daydream Nation, their latest album, came out in 2007.

Great deals, great ambiance.

Every year in La-Tranche-sur-Mer a local council organisation, the Amicale du Personnel communal, organises a great event for professional and amateur stall-holders. This market is all about displaying, selling and buying at bargain prices!

This second-hand market has become increasingly popular over the years so don't hesitate to do some shopping or window shopping or simple wandering… La Tranche-sur-Mer awaits you, your shopping bag and your purse of course!

Jazz and fine wine…

This three-day event will be spectacular musical weekend. The programme includes:

15 concerts with over 60 musicians
20 wine-producers who will be only too ready to let you sample their fine muscatels
Jazz-cocktails, free of charge, with performances by up and coming jazz musicians
And a promenade through the vineyards on Sunday afternoon with free improvisation performances.

The beat goes on!

The Angers d'été festival will have the Toussaint Abbey Cloister invaded by a horde of talented, prestigious and highly entertaining performers!

The team of organisers (from the local council) are attempting to turn the long, warm summer evenings into a series of fantastic musical experiences. Additionally, the Jazz Pour Tous association ("Jazz for All") has also been working hard to bring you literally itinerant jazz performances. The "Jazzambar" and the "Summer Jazz Workshops" are a series of vagabonding concerts and workshops meant to break the elitist mould associated with this jazz music in general.

Open your ears!

Some of the most beautiful homes of Coutances Country will open their doors to the public for a series of exceptional concerts. These convivial evenings will close with a cocktail. Each soirée will begin with a tour of the property with a licensed tour-guide.

This 5th edition of the Musique a Demeure will be a window into the architectural riches of the Coutances area. Furthermore, it will be an opportunity for locals and visitors, young and old, to experience a range of quality music at very affordable prices.

Soaring notes, sailing music…

The History and Heritage of Ile d'Yeu association is organising this classical music concert as part of the 2008 festival. New York - New York is a chamber music piece which will be performed in the beautiful Notre-Dame du Port church in Port Joinville.

The foundations of a city…

The Thomas Dobrée Archeological Museum in Nantes will for the duration of this exhibition become a gateway allowing you to travel back in time. Discover the history of Nantes and the region, from prehistory to the year one thousand.

From the apparition of humans to the first settlement, witness the birth and evolution of a city.

Street art and music in the streets.

For this 15th edition, "La Déferlante" Festival takes over 8 major towns of the Atlantic coast: Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, Barbâtre, Notre-Dame-de-Monts, Saint-Jean-de-Monts, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Les Sables d’Olonne, and La Tranche-sur-Mer.

Enjoy an intense, rich festival program which swings from street performances to concerts. Everyone will find something that tickles their fancy.

Pictures of a floating world…

This exhibition is an invitation into the world of Japanese printmaking - this journey will be fuelled by the Angers museum's collection of unique art prints. Au Pays de l'estampe is focused on the period between 1760 and 1840 which was the golden age of Ukiyo-e (or "pictures of a floating world"), the classical Japanese woodcut tradition.

The exhibit will be organised around 4 themes: women's prints; "surinomo" or prints for the Japanese new year, theatre actors, and Japan through the eyes of Hokusai and Hiroshige, two of the nation's greatest Ukiyo-e masters.

Gardening on film.

A number of middle school students will be displaying their photographis work at the Est Floresca Guepin Multimedia Library in Nantes.

The students had been working in the park of the Grand Blottereau Horticulture School and have created a fresco revolving around 6 imaginary locations.

El Forro!

The Orquestra do Fubá is of that rich musical tradition of North-East Brazil.

With the traditional accordion, the cavaquinho (small guitar) and rébeca (crude violin), the band brings the Brazilian legacy to its blend of Samba, Bossa, Nova and Funk. The result is an irresistible urge to dance, which is ideally suited to the original spirit of the bals forró or Brazilian popular balls.

Art, Music and Fun!

Once again this year the [F]Estivales is back. The now-famous "café de l'été" (or "summer café"), which has been going for 19 years, is a series of free concerts every Thursday and Friday (July 3rd to August 15th) on the lush lawn of the town hall's garden.

Another great event, the "terrasses Nap" (or "Nap terraces", short for Napoleon): 7 concerts by talented local performers, completely free of charge, taking place every Friday (July 11th to August 22nd) on the place Napoléon.

That's already quite a programme, but there's more: theatre, exhibitions, open-air dancing balls, outdoor movie projections, a fireworks display, guided tours… The [F]Estivales isn't just an event, its a whole season of art, music and fun!

Pragmatic art.

Wolfgang Winter et Berthold Hörbelt have been an "artistic duet" since 1992.

They work mostly with resine, plastic and metallic materials and their sculptures are often created with industrial processes in mind. It is in this way that the Winter-Hörbelt team made a name for itself with Crate Houses, architectural projects that were inspired by the aesthetic and structural properties of plastic crates made from recycled bottles.

These artists are ever-concerned with the notion of breathing new life into public spaces. Subsequently their projects, both indoor and outdoor, represent an effort in aesthetic improvement and practicality from a social point of view. Usage and pragmatism are central to their artistic ambitions, which is why we see their works taking the shape of purely functional complexes: bus stops, newspaper kiosks or movie theatres…

The Winter-Hörbelt creations represent an invitation to experience and question the dual concept of inside/outside.

Let yourself be spirited away…

France and Japan have at least one thing in common: a passion for cartoons, comics and animation. The art of animation has become a major and respected form of expression in which realism and fantasy touch upon each other in ever-evolving alternate realities.

Three great names stand out on the animation landscape: Paul Grimault, Takahata Isao and Miyazaki Hayao. These artists, from completely different parts of the world, are nevertheless connected at a higher level and speak the same artistic language. The curator for this expo, Jean-Pierre Pagliano, is an expert critic of Paul Grimault's art and is also familiar with Japanese animation and cinema.

This unique exhibition will be a journey into parallel universes, those of Grimault's Le Roi et l'Oiseau ("The King and the Mockingbird"),Takahata's Pompoko and Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. To complement the exhibits there will be a full programme of workshops, discussions and outdoor film screenings in the Abbey gardens.

Never-seen-before…

This year the event will be dedicated to cultural heritage and the issue of disabilities. The Nuits Romanes will featrure an exceptional circuit which is a completely new sensory experience, degustation sessions in pitch darkness, and a totally innovative type of concert…

The acorguituba Trio.

"Here is a Trio that works with acordion, guitar and tuba. Three instruments, three chefs, ten fingers each… A tuba like a beating heart, the hum of a guitar harmonic, hesitant, sober, and yet moving...

"Strangely, this musical nuance is distinctly Mediterranean. One would picture that as a music of excess, of extremes - well, in this case, it isn't. The notes, the melodies, are frail, fragile as can be. It's hand-crafted music, knitted, in a way, except instead of needles there are fingers. They do it for the love of details, of a job well done. Even though a simple texture, it works, and this trio isn't bothered about being at the cutting-edge of fashion. They just want to do it properly, how it should be done.

"Theirs is popular music, produced with the kind of skill and dexterity it takes to lick the salt from the crest of a wave without falling into the water. That's it, the best possible description of this album."

Magyd Cherfi

A garden that jumps off the page.

The Chantenay library will be displaying a collection of art-photos signed Jean Renaudineau for this exceptional "Couleurs et saveurs du jardin" exhibition.

Over 30 works will be on display and all are focused on a bucolic, refreshing theme: tomatoes! The visitor will be drawn into a lush green and red world full of summertime flavours…

Boxes dedicated to Life.

Living Box is a unique vision of contemporary art - it is focused on a number of artists who have begun to question the political, economic and ecological frameworks of the world today. This event is an invitation to rethink one's conceptions of architecture and fashion, furniture and everyday objects…

The exhibition is a collection of liveable spaces, "Living Boxes", small-scale architecture (a room, a cell) which brings to mind the eponymous work of Patrick Van Caeckenbergh (a space in which he lived for five years). Also, we are reminded of Absalon's cells, and the rooms of Sylvie Fleury or Dominique Donzalez-Foerster.

The space between 2 and 3D.

The city council in Laval is once again this year organising an art biennial in collaboration with the Regional Contemporary Art Fund (locally known as FRAC) in the Pays de la Loire. The focus of this new edition will be the relationship between painting and sculpture.

The exhibition will thus gather a number of artist programs that work on the fringes of these art forms, in the artistic no man's land so to speak.

The local FRAC will graciously be lending a number of pieces alongside those of guest artists Marcel Dupertuis, Edouard Prulhière and Emmanuelle Livard. Additionally on display will be a variety of artwork lent by the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum in Toulouse, and the LAAC in Dunkirk.

Tasty art…

The Espace Faience museum welcomed Baptiste Ymonet for the first time in 2006. The award-winning artist is back and will be working with plastic artist Vincent Jousseaume to present a unique exhibition.

Both artists will be working with the local tradition of luxury tableware to create an innovative set based on the theme "Whip Cream".

Everyday life in empty spaces.

Tatiana Trouvé, winner of the 2007 Marcel Duchamp award, has been working on a series of projects at the FRAC (a regional contemporary art fund). This recent work tells us a great deal about her rapid artistic evolution.

Trouvé's landmark installation is the Bureau of Implicit Activities (Bureau des Activités Implicites or BAI). Set up since 1997, this expansive piece is made up of complex architectural modules each of which is a spatial representation of different components of her everyday life ("Administrative Module", "Waiting Module"…). Over time the BAI was added to with Polders (Dutch word for artificial islands or land expansion) - these elements defy normal scale and are grafted to the BAI like so many new "compartments" or activities in one's life.

More recently, her work has been focused on a functional space with no function, a meaningless, nameless sculpture, drawing or installation that is nevertheless filled with a sense of potentiality...

Gorillas in today's world.

The Museum of Natural History in Nantes, working together with the Rennes Espace des sciences and the Palais de la découverte, is organising an expo dedicated to the king of primates, the elusive, mysterious gorilla.

This animal, born out of the African forest, is an important symbol for many faiths and religious systems. The exhibition will be broken into two sections, both of which attempt to reveal the true nature of these fascinating creatures.

Five themes underpin this event: "Brute or BFG (Big Friendly Giant)?"; "Gorilla and man, a common heritage"; "Gorillas and the tropical forest"; "Watching Gorillas"; and finally "Gorillas in Danger".

This last theme will be a stepping stone onto the next section of the exhibition which aims to discuss what is affecting the life and habitat of the gorilla and what the future holds for this awe-inspiring animal.

A musical playground…

Jean-Jacques Metz, trumpet professor at the Nantes Conservatory, is once again organising a Fanfare éphémère this year especially for the Rendez-Vous de l'Erdre festival (dedicated to Jazz and leisure boats).

With the help of fellow professors Julien Périer (tuba) and Laurent Crinière (percussions), this new fanfare will be made up of 60 or so music students from the area, aged 7 to 13.

Another development this year: the Fanfare des Grands or "Grownups Fanfare", for students aged 13 to 20 with more experience.

The programme includes compositions signed Metz and Périer, with some highly-festive funk, a tango or two, rumbas and waltzes, and of course some good ol' blues…

The World takes over the Saint-Nazaire harbour.

Saint-Nazaire's Les Escales festival is two full days and nights dedicated to world music - it is all about traditional or modern music steeped in the lives and culture of its origins. Each year, a different part of the world is chosen as a main theme.

The festival rests upon a great deal of research and prospecting and thus gives visitors an accurate (if limited) vision of music culture within the selected countries. The 40 000 or so visitors that come every year will be able to enjoy performances by celebrity artists as well as young up-and-coming talents.

The venu, the Saint-Nazaire port, is steeped in history, built upon the memories of some of the world's greatest construction projects. Indeed, some of the largest cruisers were assembled in this very spot. During the festival, the port seems to reclaim its origins as a place of cultural exchange, travel, trade, and hospitality.

Over 250 artists will be performing in a forest of cranes and hangars, with a nearby submarine base and old auctionary zone, to the delight of an enthusiastic public. Expect 25 concerts per day but also street performances, exhibitions, children's activities, video installations, a selection of films and conferences, a bookshop and a food-court.

Young and old can enjoy the World rushing by in a riot of colour…

Desire, rage, hatred, despair…

Set in Rome in 1800, this story is about the consequences of the Battle of Marengo and the collapse of the Roman republic. Giacomo Puccini stages a love story between a passionate, jealous singer and a dreamy, selfless painter - he avoids the soppy romantic cliché by setting the story in such a turbulent context.

Yet a nefarious figure lurks within the shadows cast by churches and palaces, in the dark tunnels of religion and politics. Scarpia is a chief of police, a corrupt individual with a taste for torture… Rather than love he would possess, and the two young lovers, star-gazing into each other's hearts with an artist's sentimentality, do not inspire him or move him… They only serve to become his prey.

Take a trip down the Mayenne and discover the Loire Valley.

Once upon a time the Mayenne was overrun by commercial activity. Nowadays, however, it has become a unique site where objects and creatures of ecological importance are preserved while at the same time allowing for a number of leisure pursuits.
Perfect for a walk or bike ride, the 85km towpath can be taken in sections but is suitable for a continuous cycle ride.

Nantes, a modern, contemporary city.

From industrial architecture like the Batignolles plant or the famous Lefèvre-Utile (LU) factory, now home to the Nantes national theatre, from religious buildings like the parish church of Sainte-Thérèse, from modern housing or offices (Le Corbusier's Delamarre building) to post-war reconstruction, from Art Nouveau (villa Jeannette) to Art Déco (CGA building), Nantes is chock-full of an exciting urban contemporary architectural heritage most of which was built during the "Trente Glorieuses", the heady years of post-war expansion from 1945 to 1975.

The heart of Nantes beats again.

After 15 years of restoration and 3 years completely closed to the public, the Château des Ducs de Bretagne has once again opened its doors. The city of Nantes launched a massive restoration programme to revive this outstanding heritage site in the city centre, a living monument to the history of the city and of Brittany. The restoration of this 15th, 16th and 18th century building paved the way for the opening of a new museum, classed as a Musée de France, dedicated to the history of the chateau and the city.

Over 800 exhibits from the musem's permanent collection will be presented as part of an historic and themed series of 32 rooms covering over 5,000m². Extensive multimedia resources, a total revamp of the museum design and modern architectural features will make the museum fully accessible to all visitors.

An outstanding example of architectural and artistic heritage to be rediscovered, the setting for and witness to the history of Nantes and Brittany.

Art gallery and historical museum.

The art gallery and museum is divided into two sections:

- The Galerie d'Histoire
- The Galerie d'Art, featuring a selection of 18th and 19th century works on mythological, historical or religious themes and including both landscapes and portraits (C. Van Loo, J.-M. Nattier, N. Hallé). The collection of 20th century paintings offers a panorama of geometric abstract works, from Cubism to the present day, with works by A. Gleizes, G. Valmier, A. Herbin, F. Kupka, V. Vasarely, F. Morellet, M. Jouet, A. Nemours, J. Gorin, J. Dewasne, etc., illustrating all the major artistic movements of our time.