A rock’n’roll fest…noz
‘Yaouank’ is Breton for ‘young’, and since 1999 this festival has done its utmost to inject new blood into the Breton tradition. And it seems to be working a treat, because every autumn over 15,000 people converge on Rennes to listen to music that combines kan ha diskan singing with beatbox, biniou (bagpipes) with oud, punk with bagad…And the highlight of this fantastic festival is the last night, which takes place at the exhibition park and is considered to be the biggest fest-noz (which, after all, translates well as ‘party-night’) in the world. Hardly surprising, when you come to think about it: from 5pm on Saturday to 5am on Sunday adds up to 12 hours of nonstop music and dance, which is enough to give even the keenest folk dancers cramp in their little fingers! But Yaouank is also sine Yaouank, showing films made in Breton along with American blockbusters translated into the preferred language of the famous Breton poet and playwright, Pierre-Jakez Hélias. The programme hasn’t left out the children either; they have their own special show called Yaouankiz. So you thought Breton culture was a bit outdated? – a good avant-garde play in Breton will soon change your mind! And then head for one of the bisTROs, to hear some of the very latest Breton sounds being played in Rennes’ big city bars. Yaouank: where tradition is bold and daring!
