Cahors Blues Festival

The oldest blues festival in France

Founded in 1982 by Master Gérard Tertre, a lawyer from Cahors and president of the Hot Club de Cahors, and Bernard Madec, originally from Cahors, the Cahors Blues Festival is the doyen of blues festivals in France. For over forty years, it has celebrated the blues in all its forms in the prefecture of the Lot, in the heart of the Occitanie region.

A history rich in international distinctions

The festival has gained international renown that extends far beyond the borders of France. In 2014, the State of Mississippi awarded it a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker, making Cahors one of the few places outside the United States to be featured on this prestigious blues itinerary. In 2016, the Blues Foundation of Memphis awarded it a Keeping the Blues Alive Award, a distinction that only nine other festivals outside the United States have received.

Legends on stage

Over the decades, the Cahors Blues Festival has hosted the biggest names in blues and African-American music on its stages: Ray Charles, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, James Brown, Nina Simone, Popa Chubby, Joe Louis Walker, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The festival features both legends and young talents, actively contributing to the discovery of new artists through the Mississippi Blues Trail Challenge.

An exceptional setting by the Lot river

Since its recent editions, the festival has been held at the Espace Valentré, a remarkable site located by the Lot river and at the foot of the Pont Valentré, a medieval gem classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This unique natural and heritage setting offers an incomparable atmosphere to the open-air concert evenings.

Blues in the City

Beyond the concerts on the main stage, the festival takes over the city center of Cahors with the “Blues dans la Ville” concept. Musicians perform for free in the cafés, brasseries, and on the terraces of the old town, creating a festive and accessible atmosphere for everyone. This mix of paid evenings on the main stage and free daytime events, established since 1996, is what makes the Cahors Blues Festival unique.

A festival committed to the blues

The Cahors Blues Festival doesn't just program concerts: it plays an active role in promoting and developing the blues in France and Europe. The festival hosts the Forum France Blues, bringing together professional players in the French blues scene, and organizes the Mississippi Blues Trail Challenge, an international competition that discovers new talents. Directed since 2006 by Robert Mauriès, aka “Crazy Bob”, the festival passionately perpetuates the legacy of its founder Gérard Tertre, who passed away in 2003.

Every summer, Cahors thus becomes the European capital of blues for three days, attracting thousands of festival-goers to share their love for this music born in the Mississippi Delta.