What is the Festival Interceltique de Lorient?
Lorient is a port town on the south coast of Brittany, in western France. Every August, it hosts the largest gathering of Celtic cultures in the world: the Festival Interceltique de Lorient. For ten days, musicians, singers and dancers from the Celtic nations, from Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to Galicia, Asturias and Acadia, fill the town with bagpipes, fiddles, harps and dancing, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors, with around 950,000 counted in 2025.
The festival was founded in 1971 by Polig Monjarret, a leading figure of the Breton music revival. Its roots go back to a championship of bagadoù, the Breton pipe bands, first held in Brest in 1953, which moved to Lorient and grew into a celebration of all the Celtic cultures. Today it is one of the biggest festivals in France, with hundreds of concerts and shows.
The festival has something for everyone. The Championnat national des bagadoù, the national pipe band championship, is held on the first weekend. On the first Sunday, the Grande Parade des Nations Celtes winds through the streets for about four hours, with some 3,500 musicians, singers and dancers in traditional costumes, before ending in the Stade du Moustoir. Throughout the festival, concerts take place in halls, marquees and the open air, from traditional music to Celtic rock, with fest-noz, Breton dance nights, open to all.
Each year, the festival honours a Celtic nation or a theme, and the town fills with pubs, markets and stalls selling food, crafts and music from across the Celtic world.
What to expect
The festival runs for ten days at the beginning of August, with events from morning until late at night.
First weekend
Bagad championship
The best Breton pipe bands compete in the national championship, a spectacle of bagpipes, bombardes and drums.
First Sunday
The great parade
The Grande Parade des Nations Celtes brings thousands of musicians and dancers from every Celtic nation through the streets.
Every day
Concerts and dances
Concerts, workshops, markets and nightly fest-noz fill the town until the final weekend.
Traditional dance on stage in Lorient
Photo by mat's eye / flickr · CC BY 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Lorient is about three hours from Paris by high-speed train, with direct TGV and budget OUIGO services. Lorient Bretagne Sud airport is nearby, and Nantes and Rennes have larger airports with more connections.
Where to stay
Lorient's hotels fill up months ahead for the festival. Campsites, rentals and hotels along the coast, in towns like Larmor-Plage and Port-Louis, are good alternatives, and many visitors stay in Vannes or Quimper and travel in by train.
What it costs
Many street events and the parade are free, with tickets needed for the main concerts and the stadium shows. Brittany is moderately priced, with crêpes and cider cheap and plentiful.
Go like you know
- Find a spot early for the Grande Parade on the first Sunday.
- Eat crêpes and galettes with a bowl of Breton cider.
- Visit the pavilions of each Celtic nation for music, food and crafts.
- Watch a bagad, a Breton pipe band, up close; the sound of bagpipes, bombardes and drums is unforgettable.
- Take a boat to the island of Groix, a short crossing from Lorient, on a quieter day.
- Visit the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly, a sailing museum in the old submarine base.
- Try a kouign-amann, the rich Breton butter cake, from a local bakery.
- Learn a few words of Breton, such as degemer mat, welcome, and trugarez, thank you.
- Check the programme each morning; many of the best concerts are free and announced on the day.
- Wales's National Eisteddfod, in early August, is another great celebration of Celtic language and music.
- Scotland's Braemar Gathering, in September, brings pipes and Highland games to the Cairngorms.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Festival Interceltique in 2027?
The 56th festival will run from July 30 to August 8, 2027, according to the festival's website, with the theme of women of the Celtic nations. The festival usually runs for ten days in the first half of August, with the great parade on the first Sunday.
Which nations take part?
The festival brings together the Celtic nations and regions: Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Galicia and Asturias, along with Celtic communities abroad, such as Acadia and Cape Breton in Canada. Each year, one nation or theme is honoured.
Do I need tickets?
Not for everything. The parade route, many street concerts, the markets and much of the town's atmosphere are free. Tickets are needed for the main concerts, the stadium shows and the seated areas for the Grande Parade. Book the most popular shows in advance.
