Folkolor
For five days every August, Montréjeau becomes a Folkolor capital! The streets and squares are alive with music and dance , thanks to performersfrom all over the world. The Montréjeau Festival is open to all. It is designed to encourage cultural exchange between spectators and artists.
Every summer, Montréjeau comes alive with the Folkolor festival, a festive and colorful gathering dedicated to world music, where artists from different countries share their traditions through concerts, dances and entertainment. From open-air shows to parades, workshops and exhibitions, the festival offers something for everyone.Folkolor is an invitation to travel and discover new cultures. In a friendly atmosphere, young and old alike can enjoy a richly emotional experience, mixing traditional and modern sounds.Committed to and open to the world, the festival celebrates diversity, sharing and encounters between peoples.An unmissable event to experience summer in a different way and discover the colors of the world in the heart of Montréjeau!
Festival Folkolor de Montréjeau
The Festival Folklorique de Montréjeau was born in the 1950s. The first events took place on Boulevard de Lassus, with groups from neighboring towns. But it was in the large hall on Place Verdun (now a listed 19th-century architectural building), where it quickly took root, that the festival really took off. In the early years, under the municipality of Paul LESTRADE, then François BOUCHE, regional groups from the Ariège, Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers regions continued to participate. In 1956, Raymond LIZOP, a well-known félibréen and friend of François BOUCHE, organized the “Cours d’Amour”, with artists from Languedoc taking to the stage, dancers and above all storytellers, poets and tellers in the langue d’Oc.
A growing success every year…
Mr. BOUCHE, Baron DE LASSUS, Mr. Paul CAU CECILE, Mr. Henri LASSERE, Mr. Marcel PENE, numerous volunteers and Mr. CLEMENT, developed the Festival into what it is today. The first foreign groups appeared, attracting an enthusiastic and ever-growing audience.
Anecdote that speaks volumes about the growing success:
Some years, the Grande Halle on Place Verdun proves too small (one August 15, over 2,000 people took their seats). From a single day of entertainment (August 15), it took three to four days to amaze audiences from neighboring départements and holidaymakers vacationing in the region. Various events were added to the Festival, which took the name of International: color ceremony, town parades, flame ceremony…
The Montréjeau Folkolor Festival: A Journey to the Heart of Music and Culture!
Every summer, Montréjeau is transformed into a veritable crossroads of cultures, colors and rhythms with the Folkolor festival. A vibrant celebration of world music, this unique event attracts artists and enthusiasts from all horizons, who come to share the soul of their traditions and creations.
Dancers from all over the world perform on the stage of the Great Hall. The Festival Folklorique International de Montréjeau ranks among the best, alongside festivals (some of them more recent) in Oloron Sainte-Marie, Confolens, Amélie-les-Bains, Sarlat, Épinal…
Every year, the Festival International de Folklore de Montréjeau welcomes some twenty groups from all over the world. For a few days, Montréjeau becomes the world capital of youth and friendship between peoples. The shows now take place outdoors, allowing the public to be welcomed in the best possible conditions.
Folkolor is a committed festival showcasing artists from different continents, defending the values of solidarity, respect and openness. Audiences young and old come together in a friendly, festive atmosphere, where collective energy blends with traditional and modern sounds.
Contact:
www.festivalmontrejeau.fr