Festival Anne de Bretagne

Festival Anne de Bretagne: Breton culture celebrated in Loire-Atlantique

Created in 1994 by the association Festival Anne de Bretagne, this cultural festival was born from the desire of its founders to reaffirm Loire-Atlantique's belonging to the historic five-department region of Brittany. Named in homage to Anne of Brittany, the last sovereign duchess of the duchy whose main residence was Nantes, the festival has become a key player in the preservation, transmission, and promotion of Breton intangible cultural heritage in the department.

A nomadic festival across Loire-Atlantique

The Festival Anne de Bretagne is a traveling event that moves each year to a different town in Loire-Atlantique, alternating between coastal and inland communes. Since the first edition in Guérande in 1995, the festival has crisscrossed the department: Clisson (1996), Pornic (1997), Châteaubriant (1998), Ancenis (1999), Blain (2000), Nantes (2001), Herbignac (2002), Pornichet (2005), La Turballe (2006), Le Croisic (2010), Vallet (2014), Pornic (2023), Châteaubriant (2024), and Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu (2025). Its duration varies from one to five days depending on the host town.

A rich program of Breton and Celtic expressions

The festival offers a multidisciplinary program highlighting all facets of Breton and Celtic culture:

• Concerts of Breton and Celtic music, featuring renowned artists and local groups
• Fest-noz and fest-deiz, the traditional Breton dancing festivals
• Irish dance performances with invited companies
• Commented parades of traditional costumes from the Comté Nantais, showcasing fashion from the mid-19th to the 20th century
• Concerts by Breton choirs performing songs in Breton and French
• Parades of bagadoù (Breton traditional music ensembles with bombards, bagpipes, and percussion)
• Exhibitions on the heritage, photography, costumes, and traditions of Brittany
• Activities for young audiences and discovery of traditional Breton games

A mobilized Breton associative network

The association Festival Anne de Bretagne, chaired by Sylvie Boisnard, federates the Breton cultural associations of the department: Celtic circles (traditional dance groups), bagadoù, choirs, and associations for traditional Breton games. The festival thus mobilizes hundreds of volunteers—dancers, musicians, singers—who keep Breton culture alive in Loire-Atlantique throughout the year. The event is part of the Fête de la Bretagne (Gouel Breizh), an annual highlight of Breton cultural life celebrated in May across the five historic departments.

The Géantes de Kenleur: a living heritage

Since the 2024 edition in Châteaubriant, the festival has hosted the Géantes de Kenleur, five giant figures 4 meters tall dressed in traditional costumes representing the five historic regions of Brittany. This spectacular parade, presented for the first time in Loire-Atlantique, adds a festive and heritage dimension to the festival's procession.