Music festivals in the Dordogne Valley

‘Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything’, Plato said.

In the Dordogne Valley we make this belief our own and let the music play all around. The historic towns and villages, castles, churches, lovely landscapes, and even the spectacular caves, make a perfect backdrop to all kinds of music events and festivals.

The music festivals in the Dordogne Valley cover both modern and classical music.

Jazz music festivals in the valley

Jazz in Chais festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Jazz en Chais festival
Bergerac, March-November

Jazz en Chais offers a varied range of jazz concerts. They are organised in wine cellars throughout the Bergerac area and all year round.

Jazz concert in Dordogne Valley in France

Jazz Pourpre festival
Bergerac, May

The Jazz Pourpre festival is a jazz and blues festival organised during Bergerac’s ‘Arts in May’ event every year. It welcomes well-known artists as well as new ones to be discovered.
The ‘in’ festival offers two quality programmes with internationally known artists in the Cultural Centre while the ‘off’ festival proposes free concerts in the attractive Cloître des Récollets.

Souillac en Jazz Sim Copans festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Souillac en Jazz – Festival Sim Copans
Souillac, end of July

Fresh and unconventional, the programme of this festival always surprises audiences with the original nature of its concerts. The aim is to bring together jazz musicians from widely differing cultures to facilitate exchanges that can enrich us all.
Definitely a different approach to jazz for a different public!

Dates of the 2017 edition: 15th – 18th July 2017

Roger Biwandu for the Saint Emilion Jazz Festival in Dordogne Valley in Fra

Saint-Emilion Jazz Festival
Saint-Emilion, July

What could be better than a partnership between wine and jazz during the summer days in Dordogne Valley ?
Each year a gastronomic market and a pop-up wine bar pave the streets of the medieval city of Saint-Emilion. This Festival offers a unique experience to taste the local grand-crus while listening to wonderful jazz concerts.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 21st – 23rd July 2017

Classical music festivals in the valley

Concert for the Saint-Cere festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Saint-Céré Festival
Saint-Céré, July and August

During the Saint-Céré festival, new opera productions are staged in some of the Lot’s most beautiful venues, such as the Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux. The festival is well known for launching new talent and there is an ‘off’ programme with free concerts.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 26th July – 14th August 2017

Perigord Noir music festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Périgord Noir Classical Music Festival
Périgord Noir area, from July to October

World renowned artists love to come to play in the most prestigious classic music festival in the Dordogne Valley.
From the very beginning, the organisers wanted to share their passion for music with the inhabitants of the Périgord, and their project has grown in stature and size since 1983.
There are now concerts in some of the most beautiful settings the region has to offer, including the ‘Abbaye de Saint Amand de Coly‘ (Saint Amand de Coly’s Abbey) and the Eyrignac Manor Gardens.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 26th July – 13th October 2017

Pascal Almoyel for the Festival Vallee Vézère in Dordogne Valley in France

Festival de la Vézère (Vézère festival)
Vézère Valley area, July-August

Internationally renowned artists and young prodigies rub shoulders at the ‘Festival de la Vézère’, where everybody who is anybody in classical music is to be seen.
This itinerant festival offers a wide artistic diversity: opera evenings in the setting of a castle, choirs, poetry, concerts and music workshops for children.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 12th July – 22nd August 2017

The Ensemble Baroque of Toulouse at the Rocamadour Festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Festival de Musique Sacrée (Sacred Music festival)
Rocamadour, August

The Rocamadour Sacred Music festival proposes sublime music in a superb setting. Indeed, what better surroundings could there be for this three-week festival of sacred music than the ancient pilgrimage site of Rocamadour? There are around fifteen concerts by world-class artists, plus musical visits and an introduction to church music for children.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 5th – 26th August 2017

Modern music festivals in the valley

Musician and audience of the Brive Festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Brive Festival
Brive-la-Gaillarde, July

What began as a simple summer entertainment event has developed over fourteen years to become the top contemporary music festival in the Limousin area.
This festival is well appreciated by local people. It is urban, chic and great for all the family, with a line up including international stars, French artists and music and dance from all over the world.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 20th – 29th July 2017

Audience of the Ecaussysteme festival in Dordogne Valley in France

Eco friendly Ecaussystème Festival
Gignac, July

Every year, about 20,000 music lovers gather at the small village of Gignac in the north of the Lot, close to the Brive-Dordogne-Valley airport, for a lively rock, electro, pop and jazz festival.
The Ecaussysteme festival has grown in popularity from year to year and attracts big stars such as Iggy Pop and The Avener in 2016, The Offspring in 2017 and Manu Chao in 2015 and 2017.
It has impeccable eco-principles and everything possible is done to minimise pollution and avoid energy and resource waste with debates on ecological topics.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 28th – 30th July 2017

The band Tribal-Jâze at the Festival des Nuits de Nacre in Dordogne Valley in France

Nuits de Nacre festival (Nacre Nights festival)
Tulle, September

In Tulle, the old town has a long association with the accordion, which is still manufactured here.
The Nuits de Nacre festival was created in 1987 to pay tribute to this instrument and its story. It brings together musicians from diverse musical traditions who love accordion and offers about 90 concerts in 4 days.
In the past, the festival has welcomed internationally renowned stars such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Johnny Clegg and Juliette Greco.

Dates of the 2017 edition: 14th – 16th September 2017

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