"In 1974, you had to be crazy or optimistic to organize a worldwide festival of traditional cultures in Gannat", wrote Jean Roche, Founder and Artistic Director of the festival, born in a town of 6 000 inhabitants in Allier located in the Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne region in the heart of France and near Vichy.

Perhaps crazy, but great !

And thus thanks to the enthusiasm of the Bourrée Gannatoise dancers & musicians. Born in Gannat and founder of the festival, Bourrée Gannatoise is a group of traditional dance & music. Still very active and creative in its choreographies, the group is led by young people looking to pass their knowledge onto other young people. Today, this "little dash of craziness" gathers 500 volunteers all united year after year thanks to an exceptional sens of solidarity ...
For over 40 years, the "Cultures or the World" Festival has turned Gannat into the center of the world for 10 days allowing people of all cultures and age groups to meet and discover the world of over 400 artists.

Organized by the Cultures & Traditions NGO, this festival offers each summer 10 days and nights of celebration to discover what we each have best to offer: our diversity.

World music, dance, gastronomy, cinema and crafts all united in a ballet of activities and discoveries to best experience the "dash of craziness" that is a multicard festival.

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GO AROUND THE WORLD THANKS TO CULTURES & TRADITIONS
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For the 50th anniversarry of Bourrée Gannatoise as well as for the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, Cultures & Traditions has prepared the 42nd edition of its Festival which will take place from July 17th - 26th, 2015.

For this edition, we invite you to discover "Bacnare", a mix of Black Culture from Recife (Brazil), to travel through the Andes with students from the University of La Paz (Bolivia), to share the traditions of Bengal with Chhau dances, Baul chants and Patachitra, to meet the San, Kanye or Bakwena people of Botswana. These 10 days will also represent an opportunity to share the chants and music of Ireland, Slovakia and the Lithuanian children round ...