Festival de Loire

The Festival de Loire: a living celebration of river heritage

Since 2003, the Festival de Loire has established itself as the unmissable event for river marine in Europe. Born from the City of Orléans' desire to promote the Loire Valley's heritage and to showcase the city on the banks of Europe's last wild river, this biennial festival has experienced spectacular growth: from a few dozen boats during its first edition to over 220 traditional vessels today.

An exceptional river heritage

The Festival de Loire continues the great traditions of navigation on the Loire, a royal river that was for centuries the major commercial artery of France. The boatmen, heirs to this millennia-old history, are the true stars of the festival. Coming from the Loire but also from the Danube, Douro, Thames, Vistula, and Dutch canals, they share their passion and expertise with an ever-growing audience.

The Loire Valley, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as a living cultural landscape, finds an exceptional showcase in this festival. The traditional boats — gabares, toues cabanées, fûtreaux, chalands — bear witness to two millennia of interaction between man and the river.

A rich and diverse program

Along nearly 2 kilometers of quays, the Festival de Loire offers a abundant program that appeals to all audiences:

• Nautical demonstrations: traditional boat maneuvers, water jousting, gabare races
• Boat trips: embark on traditional boats to discover the Loire from the river
• Performances and street arts: parades, concerts, street theater, festive entertainment
• Night parade: on Friday evening, a magical procession of illuminated boats on the Loire
• Pyro-symphonic show: on Saturday evening, a grand musical fireworks display over the river
• Discovery Village: educational and fun workshops for children and families
• Guinguettes and gastronomy: about sixty stands offering Loire and regional specialties

An international festival

Each edition highlights a river or region of the world. In 2021, the festival celebrated all the rivers invited since its creation. In 2023, for its 20th anniversary, the Saint Lawrence River (Canada) was honored. The 2025 edition opens for the first time to lake navigation by inviting the great alpine lakes of France, Italy, and Switzerland.

A popular and committed event

Free and open to all, the Festival de Loire is a resolutely popular and intergenerational event. With over 600,000 visitors in 2023 for its 20th anniversary, it stands as one of the biggest festive events in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The festival also carries a strong commitment to the preservation of the environment and the biodiversity of the Loire Valley, with awareness-raising actions and an enhanced eco-responsible approach at each edition.