Grand Ouest Festival

ℹ️ Festival discontinued. The Grand Ouest Festival (GO Festival) is no longer held. This event had two editions at Le Quai CDN Angers — a first in September-October 2021 and a second in October 2022 — and was not renewed after the departure of its initiator, Thomas Jolly. Le Quai CDN remains open and programs a full theatrical season, but without an opening festival bearing this name.

A season opening festival conceived by Thomas Jolly

Created in 2021 by Le Quai CDN Angers Pays de la Loire, then directed by Thomas Jolly, the Grand Ouest Festival was a major artistic event intended to open the theatre season in the autumn. This multidisciplinary festival highlighted contemporary creation from the Grand Ouest of France, encompassing the regions Pays de la Loire, Bretagne, and Normandie, sometimes with guest artists from more distant horizons.

Theatre, dance, circus, music, and performance

The program covered all live arts: theatre, contemporary dance, circus, music, and performance. The second edition, in October 2022, for example, offered about sixteen shows and revealed the work of several artists from the Grand Ouest, testifying to the richness and diversity of the regional artistic scene.

A festival that spread throughout the agglomeration

Beyond the two halls of Le Quai — Le Quai CDN theatre and the Centre national de danse contemporaine (CNDC) —, the festival invested several venues in the Angers agglomeration, allowing it to reach a wide audience and introduce contemporary creation in varied locations.

The end of an adventure

Thomas Jolly, director of Le Quai since January 2020 and creator of the Grand Ouest Festival, left his position — notably to become artistic director of the ceremonies for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. After his departure, the Grand Ouest Festival was not renewed. The subsequent seasons of Le Quai (2024-2025, then 2025-2026 under the direction of Marcial Di Fonzo Bo) were launched with a simple season opening celebration, without a festival bearing the name « Grand Ouest Festival ». Le Quai CDN Angers nevertheless continues to offer a theatrical and choreographic program throughout the year.