13 to 18 august
Alan Stivell, The Silencers, Jean-François Quéméner and Denez Prigent… And of course the 2500 traditional Celtic musicians, dancers and artists who all come to feed the fires of this fabulous festival, 60 years old and still hungry for more despite its age. It seems such a very long time since this festival in Saint-Loup was nothing more than a musical get-together in a meadow near the Château de Runvarec, which is where the festivities begin before heading for Guingamp town centre. The first festival took place at breakneck speed in 1863, in honour of the new Paris-Guingamp railway line, and the next went sky-high to celebrate the opening of a new gasworks, in 1893. It may now be the 21st century, but the Saint-Loup festival has not forgotten how it started, and in mid-August, every year since 1957, the festival has hosted the national Breton dancing championships organised by the Kendal’ch association for Breton arts and culture. There’s no denying that for over 60 years the Saint-Loup festival has been kept in the loop!
