Festival des Hautes Terres

A festival rooted in mountain cultures

Since the year 2000, the Festival des Hautes Terres has transformed the medieval city of Saint-Flour into a fantastic crossroads of mountain cultures every year. Perched at an altitude of 881 meters on its basalt promontory, in the heart of the Cantal region, the upper town hosts a unique event for three days: a completely free festival that celebrates the richness and diversity of mountain traditions, from here and elsewhere.

Three days of celebration and discovery

The festival unfolds in the streets and squares of the historic center of Saint-Flour. The Place d'Armes, the beating heart of the upper town, hosts the main stage where headliners perform in large open-air concerts. The evenings continue with music and dance with the balls organized under the large trees of the Allées, where young and old gather to dance polkas, mazurkas, and bourrées.

The Esplanade Georges Pompidou, at the entrance to the historic center, houses the market of mountain flavors and crafts, set up in the shade of chestnut trees. Local producers and artisans offer the best of mountain terroirs: cured meats, cheeses, honeys, jams, wooden objects, knives, pottery, and textile creations.

Music from the Massif Central and beyond

The musical programming of the Festival des Hautes Terres is resolutely eclectic, festive, and colorful. While traditional music from the Massif Central holds a prominent place—with its hurdy-gurdies, cabrettes, diatonic accordions, and Occitan songs—the festival is widely open to sounds from around the world. Music from the Balkans, Latin America, Africa, Ireland, or Scandinavia dialogues with Auvergne repertoires, creating unprecedented musical encounters and joyful sonic fusions.

Dance workshops allow both beginners and experienced dancers to learn or perfect their practice of traditional dances. The streets of the upper town come alive to the sound of roaming bands that move their music from square to square, creating a festive and warm atmosphere.

Luthiers, literature, and know-how

The Festival des Hautes Terres goes far beyond music. An area dedicated to luthiers and know-how allows visitors to discover the making of traditional instruments—hurdy-gurdies, cabrettes, accordions—and to interact with the artisans who perpetuate these exceptional crafts. An area dedicated to mountain literature invites the discovery of books and stories related to mountain regions, in the presence of specialized authors and publishers.

A unifying and free event

Supported by the City of Saint-Flour with the backing of local authorities, the Festival des Hautes Terres is a unifying event that brings together several thousand spectators each year. Its complete freeness makes it an accessible event for everyone: families, young people, music enthusiasts, or the simply curious. The festival contributes to the cultural and tourist influence of the Saint-Flour region and the Cantal department, by promoting the mountain identity of the Massif Central in all its diversity.

Three days dedicated to promoting the identity of the Massif Central, three days of encounters between mountains from here and elsewhere, three days of festive exchanges and discoveries: this is the promise kept, year after year, by the Festival des Hautes Terres.