Tours sur Loire

Tours sur Loire: The Guinguette That Brings the Banks of the Loire to Life

Every year from May to September, the banks of the Loire in Tours transform into a vast space of culture, conviviality, and celebration thanks to the Tours sur Loire festival. This multidisciplinary guinguette, organized by the association Le Petit Monde in partnership with the City of Tours, has become an unmissable event in Tours' cultural life, offering a rich and eclectic open-air program for nearly five months, with over 150 free events each season.

Five Sites for a Cultural Season Along the Water

Tours sur Loire extends its offerings across five sites located along the banks of the Loire and in the city's neighborhoods:

• The Main Guinguette (1 quai de la Loire, at the foot of Pont Wilson): open 7 days a week, it features a bar, the restaurant La Petite Embarque (cuisine by chef Pauline Carasco), and a large stage hosting concerts, shows, and entertainment throughout the season.
• Chez Dupont (at the foot of the municipal library): a guinguette with an electro focus, a space for musical discoveries and artistic encounters with a varied food offering.
• Le Foudre (near the Tanneurs faculty): the guinguette's “rock” bar, dedicated to contemporary music and sound discoveries.
• Tours-sur-Plage (north bank of the Loire): a relaxation area on the banks of the Loire with leisure and entertainment, open from May to August.
• Le Bar à Mômes: a space dedicated to families with a young audience program, creative workshops, and activities for children.

A Multidisciplinary and Popular Program

The Tours sur Loire season is organized around thematic routes that unfold over several weekends: Dérives (surprises along the water), Arts de la rue (Street Arts), Concerts plein air (Open-air Concerts), Ciné plein air (Open-air Cinema), and Faire ensemble (Doing Together) (yoga, juggling, swing dance, art workshops). It features concerts of all genres (jazz, rock, electro, world music, French chanson), theater and dance performances, open-air cinema screenings, Loire wine tastings, culinary and creative workshops, as well as the famous “Sunday Boom”.

The Peuple de Loire Festival

A highlight of the season, the “Peuple de Loire” festival is an artistic proposal linked to the river and its ecosystem, organized around three long weekends scheduled between May and August. This festival within a festival invites artists, scientists, and river workers to explore the relationship between the Loire, nature, and the city through aerial circus, eccentric cabaret, floating concerts, acrobatic performances, and immersive sound installations.

A Place for Life and Social Connection

Beyond its cultural program, Tours sur Loire is a true popular living space. The guinguette brings together diverse audiences: families with children at Le Bar à Mômes, music lovers at Le Foudre, Sunday strollers, passing visitors, and loyal residents of Tours. Access to the site and all concerts, shows, and screenings is free and open, in line with the popular and accessible nature of this event.

Tours sur Loire also contributes to enlivening the city's neighborhoods through events in the “moving neighborhoods” (Sanitas, Maryse Bastié, Place de la Tranchée), bringing culture and conviviality closer to the residents.