Between 2014 and 2023, the Celt'in Lor Festival regularly transformed Lorraine into a Celtic land for a weekend. Bagpipes, bombardes, harps, and wild dances under the stars of Frouard, Pompey, then Pont-à-Mousson: this independent festival wrote a memorable page in regional musical history, gathering hundreds of musicians and thousands of Celtic music enthusiasts.
A Lorraine festival that brought Celtic lands to life
Created in 2014 by a passionate association, the Celt'in Lor Festival quickly established itself as a major Celtic music event in Eastern France. For nearly a decade, this free or affordably priced festival welcomed over 300 musicians and dancers, depending on the edition, from Breton bagadoù to Lorraine folk-rock bands.
Festival highlights:
- ♫ The "Rue de la Soif" (Thirst Street): a street transformed into a festive route where a dozen bands simultaneously animated bars and restaurants in a druidic tavern atmosphere.
- ♫ The grand Celtic parade: between 150 and 300 musicians depending on the year, parading from the Espace de l'Ermitage to the inter-municipal stadium.
- ♫ Fest-noz: traditional Breton dances that thrilled thousands of participants.
- ♫ Introductory workshops: bagpipes, Irish dances, discovery of traditional instruments.
- ♫ The Celtic market: luthier artisans, creators, food trades celebrating Celtic craftsmanship.
Among the notable groups programmed over the editions: the Bagad de Lann Bihoué (ambassador of the French Navy), the Bagad Arduinn, Les Humeurs Cérébrales, Les Sonneurs du Lion, Titom, Celtic Sailors, and many other groups from the Francophone Celtic scene.
Artists who shaped the history of Celtic music
Beyond the Lorraine festival, Celtic music has been built around legendary figures who have preserved and renewed this ancestral musical heritage. These artists have inspired generations of musicians and continue to enchant vinyl enthusiasts.
🎵 Alan Stivell – The pioneer of the Celtic revival
With his album Renaissance de la harpe celtique (1971), Alan Stivell literally resurrected a forgotten instrument, building on the work of his father, Georges Cochevelou, who had recreated a modern Celtic harp in the 1950s.
Winner of the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros in France and nominated for the Grammy Awards, this instrumental album changed the history of Breton and contemporary Celtic music.
🎵 Tri Yann – The troubadours of the Gallo country
Founded in 1970 in Nantes, Tri Yann sings about French-speaking Upper Brittany with timeless folk-rock energy. Their repertoire blends medieval ballads and contemporary arrangements, with classics like La Jument de Michao or Les Prisons de Nantes.
With over 50 years of career and dozens of albums, the group has accompanied generations of fest-noz and helped popularize Breton music far beyond its borders.
🎸 The entire Celtic music collection
From Brittany to Ireland, from Scotland to Wales: find the vinyls that make Celtic lands vibrate, from timeless classics to hidden gems.
Discover the Complete CollectionWhy collect Celtic music vinyls?
Beyond their musical value, these vinyls represent irreplaceable cultural testimonies:
- ♫ Authentic sound: the analog warmth of vinyl enhances traditional acoustic instruments (harp, bombarde, bagpipe, bodhrán).
- ♫ Artistic covers: the visuals of the 70s and 80s are true graphic artworks that tell the story of an era.
- ♫ Sought-after editions: original pressings, picture-discs, colored vinyls that gain value over time.
- ♫ Living heritage: these albums have preserved and transmitted the traditional repertoire of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
- ♫ Ritual experience: placing the needle on a Celtic vinyl is like recreating the atmosphere of fest-noz in your living room.
From Brittany to Ireland: a universal musical heritage
Celtic music transcends borders. From the misty moors of Scotland to the wild coasts of Brittany, passing through Irish pubs and Welsh festivals, these ancestral sounds create a powerful link between Celtic peoples.
Each vinyl tells a story: that of a lively fest-noz, a gwerz (Breton lament) passed down through generations, an Irish jig that makes your feet tap, or a Scottish ballad played on bagpipes under a rainy sky.
The spirit of Celt'in Lor continues on your turntables
Celt'in Lor is no longer organized annually as it was in its early days, but its spirit lives on through music. Each time you drop the needle on a Celtic vinyl, you rekindle the flame of the fest-noz, you hear the bombardes resonating again under the Lorraine stars, you relive that unique communion that united thousands of enthusiasts.
The bagpipes have fallen silent in Frouard and Pompey, but they still resonate in the grooves of your vinyls. The tradition continues, the musical adventure goes on.
To extend this story, the old Celt'in Lor festival website now redirects to this collection dedicated to Celtic music on Vinyles.com, to continue to keep the festival atmosphere alive online.
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Discover Celtic music on Vinyles.com, from Brittany to Ireland🍀
Explore the Celtic Music Collection▸ Sources and references
- France Bleu Sud Lorraine – "Celt'in Lor: the unmissable Celtic festival of Lorraine" (2023)
- Lorraine Magazine – "Celt'In Lor, the Celtic festival made in Lorraine" (2019)
- LorraineAUcoeur – "Celt'In Lor Celtic Festival in Frouard and Pompey" (2017-2019)
- Wikipedia – "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp"
- Vinyles.com – Alan Stivell Collection
- Vinyles.com – Tri Yann Collection
- FestivalsRock – "Celt'in Lor Festival 2023 in Pont-à-Mousson"
Article carefully written by the Vinyles.com editorial team on February 21, 2026
