The world’s biggest Celtic festival takes to the streets taverns and quaysides of L’orient in Brittany during the first week of August. With over 20 different venues spread throughout the town and attendances at around 650,000 people. it is on a scale like no other festival in the world.

This year the town will host some 4,500 musicians, singers, dancers, visual artists, academics and film-makers, from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Galicia, the Asturias, Brittany, the USA, Canada and Australia.

The whole event costs some e3.6 million with about three quarters of this coming from the festival itself, the rest from sponsorship and also subventions. And like the EU parliament’s Presidency, there is a revolving door principal in place with each Celtic country taking its turn to be the highlighted cultural region.

This year Scotland takes that honour. The big named Scots band is Capercaillie, and there will be concerts by the The Whistlebinkies, Dunoon Argyll Pipe Band, Fred Morrison, Kintyre Schools Pipe Band The Unusual Suspects and The Vale of Clyde Pipe Band.
Irish stars who will grace the huge stages and marquees are, The Dubliners, Sharon Shannon, Sinead O’Connor and Solas.

More information available at www.festival-interceltique-2007.com