Hibernarock — Contemporary Music Festival of Cantal

A bold venture born in 2007

In 2007, the Cantal Departmental Council launched a venture that many deemed insane: creating a contemporary music festival in the middle of winter, in a rural area, in one of France's least populated departments. Nearly twenty years later, Hibernarock has become an essential cultural event that warms the heart of the Cantal winter each year. Supported by the Department's Cultural Action Directorate and over 35 partners — intercommunalities, municipalities, cultural associations, and music schools — the festival irrigates the entire Cantal territory for nearly two months.

A touring festival close to the inhabitants

Hibernarock's uniqueness lies in its touring and decentralized nature. Each edition unfolds in about fifteen communes, from small mountain villages to the department's main towns: Aurillac, Saint-Flour, Mauriac, Murat, Maurs, Vic-sur-Cère, Pierrefort, Condat, Naucelles, Salers, Saignes, and many others. Community halls, municipal theaters, cultural centers: each concert venue becomes the epicenter of Cantal's musical life for an evening.

To ensure accessibility, the festival provides free shuttles departing from Aurillac and Saint-Flour, allowing spectators to attend concerts with peace of mind, even in the most remote communes.

An eclectic and demanding program

Hibernarock champions a broad vision of contemporary music, mixing rock, pop, electro, French chanson, world music, hip-hop, folk, soul, and funk. The program combines national and international headliners, emerging artists, and the local Cantal scene. Over the years, the festival has hosted artists as diverse as Charlie Winston, Deluxe, Jupiter & Okwess, Fatoumata Diawara, Naïve New Beaters, Papooz, Orange Blossom, Hervé, Vaudou Game, Ko Ko Mo, Léonie Pernet, and Yoa, a revelation from the Victoires de la musique 2025 awards.

Since 2024, the Les Agités du Local initiative has highlighted the Cantal scene by offering a 100% local evening to bands from the region like The Howlstage and Les Z'Arpenlus.

Much more than a concert festival

Hibernarock goes beyond being just a music festival. Each edition offers a rich program of complementary events: photographic exhibitions (such as Frank Loriou's retrospective dedicated to Jean-Louis Murat), screenings, conferences, blind tests, traditional dances like the Bal de la Caneta, shows for young audiences, educational workshops in schools, and concerts in nursing homes. The festival pays particular attention to environmental responsibility with collective transport, reusable cups, local products, and hearing protection awareness.

With prices ranging from free to 20 euros and its deep roots in the rural fabric of Cantal, Hibernarock embodies a unique model of a rural winter cultural festival, proving that music knows no geographical borders or seasons.