Party night in Lorient

Saturday saw us once again taking a night off to head off to Lorient for the music festival.  Although the festival doesn't really kick off until it gets dark you have to go early as parking is murder.  Thankfully there aren't  that many restrictions so basically if you can find a space your car will fit in, just put it there.  Its amazing how they park tail to bumper, how  they get out I don't know.  And I bet you've never seen people park on roundabouts before !

There is little in the way of historical monuments in Lorient as the city was flattened by the allies when they dropped 4000 tons of bombs during the war to prevent supplies from reaching German submarines based there.  But  between the first Saturday and second Sunday in August Lorient comes alive and plays host to the Interceltique Music Festival with representatives from many other Celtic countries.

It's difficult to get over the magnitude of this festival with a few pictures.  There are around 4500 artists and musicians who entertain around 300,000 visitors each year.  Young and old there is something for everyone, from the traditional Breton music and dancing, to heavy rock .

 

And food .......you name it  they've got it.   The large food hall  looks like a refugee feeding centre, with  long trestle tables  full of people eating everything from Fish and chips, moules, Indian, chinese, crepes, jacket potatoes and cornish pasties.  Just outside the hall there was also the biggest BBQ that Steve and I had ever seen.

 

By twelve thirty we felt we'd spent, ate and walked as much as we were able and headed back to the car, pushing our way through groups of teenagers just arriving and preparing to do some heavy partying.  No doubt our son was somewhere within  the huge mass of people.