©Fest Deiz - Kérity - Penmarc'h |E. Cléret

Fest-noz and traditional festivals

There are legends in Brittany, but the legend of the party is not one of them! It’s a fact that the Bretons have a rather festive temperament.

The summer calendar is proof of this: fest-deiz, fest-noz and traditional festivals, pardons, sea suppers and other festivities take place all summer long.

Fest-noz get dancing!

The fest-noz, or literally “night party” in Breton, is a must in Brittany.

Dancing has always been an important part of rural society. People danced for weddings, feast days and pardons, they danced after work in the fields or to tamp down a new dirt floor… They danced while waiting for the sea to return and even on the boat!

The fest-noz was launched in the 1950s, initially in central Brittany, then more or less everywhere in the country from the 1970s onwards, at the time of the “Breton revival”.

Before this period, each small part of the country had its own dance, and the Bigouden gavotte was not danced in Vannes, just as the Bigoudens did not dance l’an dro.

Today, at fest-noz dances, we dance everything! The great classics are the mountain gavotte, the an dro and the hanter-dro, the ridées, laridés and other pach pi. It’s not unusual to see dances that are a little more ‘exotic’, such as the scottish, mazurka, waltz or polka.

Pardons

Penhors , Tronoën, Treminou… A pardon is a religious festival honouring the saint of a chapel or church. These ancient festivals are highly ritualised, with a procession, mass and blessing.

Today, pardons can also be dedicated to materials, equipment or people, such as the pardon for surfers at Tronoën, where people come to bless their boards. Since 2025, the pardon at Tréminou has been dedicated to bellringers.

While the religious part of the pardons remains very solemn, it should not be forgotten that they were also secular festivals of sorts… The great fair or funfair was also a way, once a year, of relieving the pressure of everyday life and having fun. Tréminou is the funfair par excellence in the Bigouden region, bringing together young and old alike to enjoy the merry-go-rounds and the croustillons (fried doughnuts).

From May to September, there is a succession of pardons in the Bigouden region. Don’t miss the one at La Joie overlooking the sea on 15 August (Penmarc’h) or the one at Penhors (Pouldreuzic) on the first Sunday in September!

©Pardon in the Bigouden region|Office de tourisme Pays bigouden

©Pardon de Penhors in Pouldreuzic|Office de tourisme Pays bigouden

Maritime dinners and parties

You don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy maritime festivals… Although they often end with a fest-noz, so if you’ve got your sea legs, all the better.

Sailors’ suppers are often organised by the SNSM, with mussels and chips and sea shanties.

Nautical festivals, on the other hand, are events based around sea-related leisure activities (sculling races, short sea tours), with music, tastings and demonstrations of all kinds.

These events often take place in summer, and are particularly popular with holidaymakers, who enjoy the Breton atmosphere.

Events calendar