Foulpougne Festival
Traditional dance and music festival in Gond-Pontouvre, Charente
2026
About Foulpougne Festival
Foulpougne Festival — edition 2026
The 9th edition of the Foulpougne Festival, from September 18 to 20, 2026, at the Joséphine-Baker hall in Gond-Pontouvre. Featuring three folk dances with La Mézanj, Thouxazun, Skavidra, Bal O'Gadjo, and Grand Loup, a free discovery stage featuring La Bourrine, four dance, singing, and music workshops on Saturday, and a shared musical picnic on the Foulpougne island on Sunday.
Foulpougne Festival 2026 — 9th Edition
The 9th edition of the Foulpougne Festival will take place from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the Joséphine-Baker community hall in Gond-Pontouvre, along the banks of the Touvre river.
The festival hosts three folk dances: Friday at 9:00 PM with La Mézanj followed by Thouxazun at 11:00 PM; Saturday at 9:00 PM with Skavidra followed by Bal O'Gadjo at 11:00 PM; and Sunday at 2:30 PM with Grand Loup. The Saturday 5:00 PM discovery stage is free and will feature La Bourrine this year.
On Saturday, four workshops will run in parallel: folk dance, Haute-Bretagne singing with Kevin Le Pennec, ensemble music with Clément Rousse, and Swedish dance with Coline Genet and Martin Coudroy. On Sunday from 11:30 AM, a shared musical picnic will be held on the Foulpougne island, just behind the hall, featuring an acoustic open stage. Exhibitions and the 2025 retrospective video will be available throughout the three days.
Tickets have been available on HelloAsso since June 1st for members and June 15th for the general public. Presale prices are valid until September 14, 2026, at 11:59 PM; after that, tickets will be sold on-site subject to capacity.
Highlights Foulpougne Festival 2026
- La Mézanj followed by Thouxazun — opening dance, Friday, September 18 at 9:00 PM
- Skavidra followed by Bal O'Gadjo — Saturday, September 19 dance at 9:00 PM
- Grand Loup — closing dance, Sunday, September 20 at 2:30 PM
- La Bourrine on the discovery stage, Saturday, September 19 at 5:00 PM, free
- Four workshops on Saturday: folk dance, Haute-Bretagne singing, ensemble music, Swedish dance
- Shared picnic with music on the Foulpougne island, Sunday from 11:30 AM
Programme Foulpougne Festival 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Opening folk dance with La Mézanj at the Joséphine-Baker hall. A Haute-Bretagne trio formed in Rennes in 2021: Kevin Le Pennec (vocals), Coline Genet (violin), Clémence Lenoël (cello).
- 11:00 PM — Thouxazun, same dance. A duo born in 2017 between the Pyrenees and the Gers plateaus, featuring original compositions in the Occitan language: Guillaume Lopez (vocals, flutes, boha), Clément Rousse (diatonic accordion).
Saturday, September 19, 2026
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Folk dance workshop, led by association members (dance and music): keys to joining the dance floor · 8 €
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Singing workshop, introduction to traditional Haute-Bretagne singing with Kevin Le Pennec (La Mézanj) · 2h · 15 €
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Ensemble music workshop with Clément Rousse (Thouxazun), Occitan and Gascon repertoires · 5h · 25 € · please specify your instrument upon registration
- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Swedish dance workshop with Coline Genet and Martin Coudroy (Skavidra): slängpolska, schottis, polska ett och tre, and Bingsjö-style polska · 3h · 18 €
- 5:00 PM — Discovery stage, free: La Bourrine, a duo from the Breton-Vendée marsh — Léa Perbet (banjo), Elise Gatel (chromatic accordion, vocals).
- 9:00 PM — Folk dance with Skavidra, a dance music duo (Brittany, Scandinavia, Central France): Coline Genet (violin, vocals), Martin Coudroy (accordion, vocals).
- 11:00 PM — Bal O'Gadjo, same dance. A quintet formed in 2005, traditional world music and songs, album "Le poids de la terre": Lucie Gibaux (clarinet, vocals), Lucile Magnan (cello, vocals), Fabien Bucher (guitar, vocals), Paul Oliver (violin, saz, vocals), Samuel Wornom (derbouka, doholla, daf, vocals).
Sunday, September 20, 2026
- From 11:30 AM — Shared picnic with music on the Foulpougne island, right behind the hall, with an acoustic open stage: musicians are welcome to bring their instruments.
- 2:30 PM — Closing dance with Grand Loup, a violin/piano duo — Louise Legrand (violin, vocals), Patrick Chamblas (piano, vocals): waltzes, mazurkas, bourrées, chapelloises, scottishs, gavottes, and circles.
On-site throughout the three days
- Photo exhibition "Cailíní ó Éirinn (Girls of Ireland)" by Myriam Mercier, focusing on women who dance, play, and pass on Irish music.
- Painting exhibition by Anne-Gaël Vautrin, the festival's guest artist.
- Video retrospective of the 2025 edition, shown on a large screen.
- Food truck Chez Guizmo — Fournil Paysan, organic Neapolitan pizzas with vegan options, flour milled on-site: Friday evening.
- Food truck Le Kalou Pilé, Creole cuisine from Reunion Island (samosas, bouchons, rougail sausage, vegetable achard): Saturday lunch and dinner.
- Food truck Le Moulin d'Emilette, vegetarian buckwheat galettes and crepes, using flour from a farm in northern Charente: Saturday evening.
- Refreshment bars on-site.
Prices Foulpougne Festival 2026
3-dance pass: 35 € presale, 36 € on-site · reduced rate 29 €
Friday, September 18 dance (La Mézanj, Thouxazun): 15 € presale, 16 € on-site · reduced rate 11 €
Saturday, September 19 dance (Skavidra, Bal O'Gadjo): 15 € presale, 16 € on-site · reduced rate 11 €
Sunday, September 20 dance (Grand Loup): 11 € presale, 12 € on-site · reduced rate 9 €
Saturday 5:00 PM discovery stage: free
Workshops: ensemble music 25 €, Swedish dance 18 €, singing 15 €, folk dance 8 €
Promo code MOINS26: 2 € discount on all workshops for those under 26
Reduced rate: association members, students, youth aged 12-18, job seekers (with proof)
Foulpougne Festival association membership: 8 €
Individual dance tickets available on-site subject to capacity.
Practical information — Foulpougne Festival
Practical Information
Location
Salle des fêtes Joséphine-Baker, 16160 Gond-Pontouvre. GPS coordinates: 45.6672 / 0.16127. On Sunday, the shared picnic takes place on the Île Foulpougne, located just behind the hall along the banks of the Touvre river.
Getting there
- By car: Gond-Pontouvre is 5 km northeast of Angoulême. Free parking is available on-site.
- By bus: Use the STGA network from Angoulême.
- By train: Angoulême station is 5 km away.
- By camper van: Free parking at 14 boulevard Besson-Bey, 16000 Angoulême.
Schedule
- Friday: Dance at 9:00 PM
- Saturday: Workshops from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, discovery stage at 5:00 PM, dance at 9:00 PM
- Sunday: Shared picnic starting at 11:30 AM on Île Foulpougne, dance at 2:30 PM
On-site
- Food trucks and refreshment bars available on Friday and Saturday.
- Showers in the sports changing rooms: Saturday from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Sunday from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Public restrooms available.
Accommodation
- Camping du plan d'eau, Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, mobile home rentals available — 05 45 92 14 64
- B and B, 4 rue de la Croix-Blanche, 16160 Gond-Pontouvre — 0 890 10 67 04
- Au Moulin Neuf, 34 rue du Moulin-Neuf, 16160 Gond-Pontouvre — 05 45 94 50 29
- Les Hauts de Chalonne, bed and breakfast, lieu-dit Chalonne, 27 rue Corneille, 16160 Gond-Pontouvre
- Hôtel Saint-Antoine, 2 rue du Gond, 16000 Angoulême — 05 45 68 38 21
- Hôtel F1 Angoulême, 210 rue des Meneaux, 16430 Champniers — 0 891 70 51 62
- Ibis budget Angoulême Nord, 172 rue des Meneaux, 16430 Champniers — 0 892 70 09 41
- Kyriad Angoulême Nord Champniers, 184 rue des Platanes, 16430 Champniers — 05 45 68 03 22
Contact
- Organizer: Association Foulpougne Festival
- Email: [email protected]
- Ticketing: HelloAsso
A festival dedicated to traditional dance and music
The Foulpougne Festival is an annual event dedicated to traditional dances and music, held every third weekend of September in Gond-Pontouvre, a town bordering Angoulême in Charente. Founded in 2017, the festival takes its name from the island of Foulpougne, located on the Touvre river behind the community hall, an emblematic site of the town that hosts the Sunday shared picnic.
Three folk dances, the heart of the festival
The heart of the Foulpougne Festival lies in its three folk dances, one for each evening from Friday to Sunday. Each dance features different bands, offering a panorama of French and European traditional music. In 2024, the audience danced to the sounds of Trio Bonnin Campino Laplanche and Arbadétorne on Friday, before discovering other groups on Saturday and Sunday. In 2025, the dances featured Gascon artists Duo des Cîmes and Bretons Fahrenheit on Friday, artists from Landes Clica Drona and Flemish artists Snaarmaarwaar on Saturday, and Les conteuses de pas on Sunday.
Workshops, open stage, and exhibitions
Beyond the dances, the Foulpougne Festival offers a rich program of workshops: dance workshops (introduction, Gascon dances, Béarnais jumps), ensemble music workshops (accordion, other instruments), and singing workshops. An open stage allows amateur musicians to perform in front of a supportive audience. Photographic exhibitions showcase images from previous editions, and the shared picnic on Sunday at the island of Foulpougne creates a moment of conviviality on the banks of the Touvre.
Salle Joséphine-Baker and the island of Foulpougne
The festival primarily takes place at the Salle Joséphine-Baker, the community hall of the Amicale Laïque de Gond-Pontouvre, located on Route de Vars. This spacious hall hosts the dances and workshops. On Sundays, the festival extends to the island of Foulpougne, a natural area on the banks of the Touvre located behind the hall, where the shared picnic with live music is held, creating a bucolic and festive atmosphere.
Where does it take place — Foulpougne Festival
Foulpougne Festival in brief
Other festivals near Gond-Pontouvre
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