Brittany's Inter-Celtic Festival

The largest celebration of Celtic culture in the world takes place in the Brittany city of Lorient every August. If you're lucky enough to be staying in one of the many gites in Guebernez, Dinan, Morbihan or any other Brittany area at the time of the festival, it's well worth a visit to join in the celebrations. The festival lasts for ten days and this year runs from the 2nd to the 11th of August. Performers, artists and spectators from all Europe's Celtic regions flock to Lorient to celebrate, entertain or just soak up the atmosphere. This year, there are countless performers from Britain, including Rivers, Gria, the Keltica Highland Dancers, Kemper Celli and many, many more. Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Cornwall are all well presented at the event, along with groups from Brittany, Galicia and Asturias. As well as theatre and street entertainment, there are championship competitions held in several fields so there is always something to see. The city streets are transformed into a mass celebration of Celtic heritage, with the main areas of focus the harbour and the Place Jules-Ferry. If you can only make it into Lorient for one day of the celebrations, make it the 2nd August. The opening day of the festival culminates in a spectacular firework display at midnight and is a sight not to be missed. As you might expect, there are food stalls and street vendors in abundance during the festival and many of these will be located in the Celtic Village that pops up for the ten days of celebrations. Situated behind the city's convention centre, the village welcomes traders from all the Celtic regions. You'll find a spectacular variety of snacks and meals here, including specialist sausages, mussels and chips, artisan sandwiches and, of course, plenty of crepes. The village is open from lunchtime until either 11pm or midnight every day of the festival (except the first day when it doesn't open until 7pm) and is a great place to stop of for a snack in between events. The festival attracts in excess of 500,000 people every year so it can be tough to book accommodation in the region close to the event. If you're staying in one of the rustic gites in Guebernez or another rural area, you'll probably be glad to get back to peace and quiet after the excesses of the celebrations.