A warm edition by the atmosphere … but very cool in the sky. For their 33rd edition, the Vieilles Charrues tasted rain and wind. But the festival based in Carhaix especially returned to success. After a historically low 2024 edition with 250,000 spectators, the largest musical event in Brittany attracted 264,000 people for four days and 85 concerts, including three closed counters. Nearly 7,500 volunteers have enabled the event to be held in a usual ambition of a great fair.
The success of this 33rd edition allows the festival to regain financial balance. The success of a cultural event “very large, carried by an independent organization, 100 % associative and without public subsidy”, recall the organizers. Last year the association had a deficit of one million euros due to a drop in attendance.
Despite the rain and the wind, tens of thousands of people responded. Some of them were even able to take advantage of the final concert in Martin Solveig’s career. Saturday evening, the famous French DJ author of the tube Hello announced that he had retired on the big stage of the Breton festival. “It was a surprise when we were told, a few weeks ago, that the Vieilles Charrues would be her only date this year, and that she would be her last. It is an immense honor, ”said director of the festival Jérôme Tréhorel.
Keep an “accessible” price
This last evening completed with Zaho de Sagazan, Damso and the legendary sex pistols. Before that, the festival had seen very large stars, French artists and discoveries: Macklemore, Alanis Morissette, Damiano David but also Julien Doré or Ben Mazué.
The festival claims to have done everything possible to maintain an “accessible” entry price from 52 euros per evening. “Let us make sure that culture does not become a luxury product,” insists the director of the festival. The next edition will take place from July 16 to 19, 2026.