The Vieilles Charrues Festival (French: Festival des Vieilles Charrues ; Breton: Gouel an Erer Kozh ; Literally: Old Ploughs Festival) is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix located in the west of Brittany.

This festival is the largest music festival in France, attracting more than 200,000 festival-goers every year. This festival was created in 1992 in Landeleau, a small village in central Finistere. At that time, less than 500 revellers attended and the festival was more like a private party. The following year, the festival welcomed more than 2000 and that was the beginning of its success story. In 1995, due to lack of space on the original site, the festival moved to Carhaix city center and in 1998, for the same reason, the festival chose a site on the outskirts of Carhaix. Now the festival welcomes more than 200,000 festival-goers every year.

2009

• Thursday, July 16th : Bruce Springsteen "The Boss" and The E Street Band, The Killers, Fiction Plane.

2008

• Second edition of the spring festival "Les Vieilles Charrues Remettent le Son" :
  • Saturday, March 1st: La Rumeur and L'Épopée
  • Friday, March 7th : La Grande Sophie, Maion & Wenn and Wine
  • Saturday, March 8th : Déportivo, Sna-Fu and Hifiklub

• For the 17th Festival the program is :
  • Thursday, July 17th : Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Motörhead, Babyshambles, BB Brunes
  • Friday, July 18th : ZZ Top, Christophe Maé, Yael Naim, Gogol Bordello, AaRON, Calvin Harris, Ben's Brother, Patrick Watson, Senser, Constance Verluca, Sharko, Maion & Wenn ...
  • Saturday, July 19th : Etienne Daho, The Gossip, Matmatah, Gad Elmaleh, Camille, Yelle, Duffy, Zebramix, The Go! Team, Dub Incorporation, Simian Mobile Disco, Brisa Roché, Crystal Castles, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, SebastiAn ...
  • Sunday, July 20th : Vanessa Paradis, The Hives, The Kooks, The Dø, Asa, Thomas Dutronc, The Wedding Present (remplace The Wombats), Psy4 De La Rime, Wax Tailor, Foreign Beggars, Morcheeba

2007

• For the first time, a spring festival was held on March : Les Vieilles Charrues Remettent le Son.
  • Friday, March 9th : Miossec + Constance Verluca
  • Saturday, March 10th : Renan Luce, Brisa Roché, Babet, John Lord Fonda, Yelle, datA, Débruit.
  • Sunday, March 11th : Mayra Andrade, Ozan Trio
• In 2007 the summer festival lasted 4 days.
  • Thursday, July 19th : Charles Aznavour, Les Rita Mitsouko, Sanseverino, Philippe Katerine
  • Friday, July 20th : Peter Gabriel, Arcade Fire, Jacques Higelin, Kaolin, Ayo, Fabulous Trobadors, LCD Soundsystem, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Donavon Frankenreiter, Art Brut, DJ Zebra, Stuck in the Sound, Nelson, Fancy, Lugo, Christel Vars, Les Vedettes
  • Saturday, July 21st : Bryan Ferry, Tryo, Salvatore Adamo, Kaiser Chiefs (canceled), Emilie Simon, JoeyStarr, Gentleman, Sean Lennon, Justice, Herman Düne, Para One, Goose, Galaxie, Dj Funk, Tékël, Dr Vince, Mr Maqs, Daniel Hélin, Thomas VDB
  • Sunday, July 22nd : Yannick Noah, Scissor Sisters (canceled), Kasabian, Grand Corps Malade, Sinéad O'Connor-Pulled out, Groundation, Rickie Lee Jones, Abd Al Malik, Raul Paz, Keny Arkana, Emily Loizeau, Oxmo Puccino & The Jazzbastards, Toumast, Beat Assailant, Interzone, Thomas VDB

2006

• Fifteenth year annivarssary for the Festival :
  • Thursday, July 20th : Mauss, Les Têtes Raides, Johnny Hallyday.
  • Friday, July 21st : Placebo, Raphael, Rhesus, !!!, Yann Tiersen, dEUS, FDB, Shout Out Louds, Diam's, 113, K'Naan, Soïg Siberil feat Abstrackt Keal Agram, Didier Super.
  • Saturday, July 22nd : Madness, Cali, Jamel Debbouze, Babylon Circus, Les Cowboys Fringants, Editors, Hushpuppies, Orange Blossom, Lords of Altamont, Besh o' Drom, DJ Champion, Karkwan Plaster, Ghislain Poirier, Fest-noz.
  • Sunday, July 23rd : Pixies, Tracy Chapman, Julien Clerc, Dionysos, Da Silva, Bumcello, Rodolphe Burger, Meteor Show Extended (Gueststar Serge Teyssot-Gay from Noir Désir, Arnaud Dieterlen, Marco de Oliveira, Lionel Pierres of AKA, Johan Guillon of Ez3kiel, Black Sifi chi, David Thomas of Pere Ubu and Jacques Higelin), Olivia Ruiz, Infadels, Winston McAnuff & the Bazbaz Orchestra, Soulwax Nite Version Live, 2 Many DJ'S, Digitalism, Erol Alkan.

2005

• Friday : Deep Purple, New Order, Buena Vista Social Club presents Ibrahim Ferrer, LCD Soundsystem, Ba Cissoko, Luke, Erik Marchand Vs Rodolphe Burger, Jane Birkin (invité : Alain Chamfort), Jeanne Cherhal, Sheer K, Ghinzu, An Pierlé, Hollywood Porn Stars, Dj Morpheus, Sold Out
• Saturday : Iggy and The Stooges, Mickey 3D, Ridan, Amadou et Mariam, The Sunday Drivers, Louis Bertignac, Jamie Cullum, Devendra Banhart, The Kills, Laetitia Shériff, Vitalic, Swayzak, La Phaze, Nils Petter Molvaer, Missill
• Sunday : Franz Ferdinand, Bernard Lavilliers, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Laurent Garnier, Tinariwen, Blues Explosion, Michel Delpech, Rachid Taha, Nosfell, Florent Marchet, Kool Shen, TTC, Busdriver, Goldie Lookin' Chain, Psykick Lyrikah

2004

• Friday : Rokia Traoré, The Coral, Texas, The Divine Comedy, Pleymo, New Paulette Orchestra, Fabulous Troubadours, Starsailor, Alain Bashung, Ralph Myerz, Iration Sleepers, Little Axe, Junior Delgado, Adrian Sherwood

• Saturday : Tété, Paul Personne, Patti Smith, -M-, The Streets, AS Dragon, Jim Murple Memorial, Cali, Girls in Hawaii, Blood & Burger, Erik Truffaz, Emilie Simon, Abstrackt Keal Agram, X-Makeena

• Sunday : Lhasa, Thomas Fersen, IAM, Muse, Freestylers, Sonic Machine, Hugues Aufray, Ilene Barnes, Kings of Leon, Horace Andy, Clotaire K, Svinkels, Buck 65, La Rumeur

2003

• Friday : Salif Keïta, Pretenders, Renaud, Arno, Röyksopp, Hocus Pocus, Enrico Macias, Israel Vibration, Flogging Molly, Stupeflip, Monsieur Orange, EZ3kiel, High Tone, Interlope

• Saturday : Nada Surf, Carlos Núñez, Zazie, Tricky, Gotan Project, Arthur H, Massilia Sound System, Les Wampas, Mickey 3D, Le Peuple de l'Herbe, DJ Vadim & Russian Percussions, The Herbaliser, Hexstatic, Amon Tobin

• Sunday : 22 Pistepirkko, Laurent Voulzy, Bénabar, Supergrass, R.E.M., Ceux qui marchent debout, Karin Clercq, Bikini Machine, Rodolphe Burger, Calexico, Ganga, Tony Allen, DJ Maüs, Gnawa Njoum Experience

2002

• Friday : Buju Banton, Cheb Mami, Les Rita Mitsouko, Tarmac, Big Soul, Spook & the Guay, Joseph Arthur, Paris Combo, De la Soul, Patrice, Rodolphe Burger, Abstrackt Keal Agram, Robert le Magnifique, Gonzales

• Saturday : Louis Chedid, Miossec, Asian Dub Foundation, The Cure, Jimmi Luxury, Les Caméléons, Dionysos, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Dominique A, Hawksley Workman, Aqua Bassino, Fred Galliano & African Divas, Llorca, Youngster

• Sunday : Sanseverino, Yann Tiersen, Gérald De Palmas, Iggy Pop, Youssou N'Dour, Susheela Raman, Brigitte Fontaine, Sergent Garcia, Marianne Faithfull, US3, DJ Seb the Player, Dreadzone, Bauchklang, Greg Dread

2001

• Friday : Black Uhuru feat Sly & Robbie, Henri Salvador, Ben Harper, Denez Prigent, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Mickey 3D, Hooverphonic, Georges Moustaki, Arno, Le Peuple de l'Herbe

• Saturday : Java, Claude Nougaro, Têtes Raides, Noir Désir, Saint Germain, Klatonclown, Gnawa Diffusion, Zenzile, K2R Riddim, Rubin Steiner

• Sunday : Kat Onoma, Matmatah, Placebo, Manu Chao, Gilles Servat, Dupain, Occidentale de Fanfare, Maceo Parker, Ska-P, Vanessa Paradis

External links

• Official site