Festival Celtes en Ouche

Celtic culture at the heart of Normandy

The Festival Celtes en Ouche is a unique event in the Norman cultural landscape. Since its creation in 2009, this festival dedicated to Celtic music has established itself as a must-attend event for lovers of Celtic, Breton, and Irish culture. Every November, for three days, Conches-en-Ouche resonates with the sounds of harps, bagpipes, bombards, fiddles, and bodhráns.

A rich and varied program

The festival unfolds over three days with a dense and diverse program:

On Friday evening, a musical cabaret opens the festivities at the Salle des Fêtes with three groups performing one after another, offering a musical journey through Celtic traditions. The intimate atmosphere of the cabaret allows for discovering artists in a warm setting.

Saturday is the highlight of the festival. The afternoon offers Breton dance initiations, allowing beginners to learn the basic steps of traditional dances (an dro, hanter dro, gavotte, plinn). In the evening, the Grand Fest-Noz electrifies the Salle des Fêtes with four music groups that get the audience dancing until the early hours in a high-energy atmosphere.

Sunday features more intimate concerts: a recital of Celtic harp, guitar, and singing in the church of Conches-en-Ouche, whose sublime acoustics enhance the Celtic sounds, followed by a concert at the Salle Jean-Pierre Bacri.

A fest-noz in Norman land

The Grand Fest-Noz on Saturday evening is undoubtedly the most anticipated moment of the festival. This great Breton traditional dance party, inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, transports participants to the heart of Celtic culture. Dancers, experienced or beginners, mingle in circles and lines to the sound of the musicians, creating a unique communion between artists and the public.

The association En un Élan

The festival is supported by the association En un Élan, a collective of Celtic culture enthusiasts who work throughout the year to keep this tradition alive in Pays d'Ouche. Thanks to their volunteer commitment, the festival has grown and retained an ever-larger audience, making Conches-en-Ouche a center for the influence of Celtic culture in Normandy.

A unique atmosphere

The originality of the Festival Celtes en Ouche lies in the encounter between the medieval heritage of Conches-en-Ouche and Celtic culture. The concerts in the parish church, the fest-noz in the village hall, and the events in the town center create a special atmosphere, between tradition and conviviality, which has earned the event its reputation.