Les Gasconnades

Les Gasconnades: Gascony Celebrated with Fervor

Les Gasconnades is the unmissable event for traditional Gascon culture in Lectoure, a medieval town perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Gers valley. Every year at the end of August, the festival brings together lovers of age-old traditions, the Occitan language, and legendary Gascon conviviality for a weekend of celebration, discovery, and intergenerational sharing.

Dance, Song, and Preservation of the Occitan Language

The festival highlights the essential disciplines of Gascon identity: the Occitan language in its Gascon variety, the generous gastronomy of the Southwest, traditional dance, and Gascon music inherited from past centuries. Workshops on traditional dance (rondeau, bourrée, congé), polyphonic Gascon singing, and an introduction to the Occitan language are offered throughout the weekend by passionate and experienced instructors.

Lively Parades and Popular Festivities

The medieval streets of Lectoure come alive with colorful parades featuring traditional dances and songs performed by folk groups from all over Occitania. Giant wooden games for families, grilled dinners cooked over embers in the open air, and lively traditional balls extend the festivities late into the starry night.

A Free, Popular, and Unifying Festival

All events at Les Gasconnades are completely free, except for specialized workshops and meals. The festival is open to everyone, whether Gascon by birth or adoption, simply curious, or deeply passionate about the richness of Occitan culture and the living traditions of Gascony.