Charente-Maritime: August in Saintonge, events not to be missed

From the first weekend of August, the festival Les Ondes s'en mêlent (July 31-August 2) , organized by the RurH'Art association, will set the rhythm with music in Saint-Hilaire-de-Villefranche. On Thursday, July 31, Shaolin Rocker's, Équipe de foot, Sidi Wacho and Suprême Tagüeul Simone are the artists announced for the opening night of the eighth edition of the festival. Rap and punk will be in the spotlight on Friday, August ¹ (Syland, Radical Kitten, Vyryl) while the closing night on Saturday, August 2 will be more eclectic (Picon mon amour, Okali and Balaphonik). Entrance is offered at a free rate for festival-goers (minimum 1 euro per person per evening) and must be paid on the website helloasso.com "Les Ondes s'en mêlent"

Organized by the Guillaume de Conchamp association, the Fontdouce Festival returns for its ^28th edition, Wednesday, August 6 and Thursday, August 7. In Saint-Bris-des-Bois, a wine-growing village between Saintes and Cognac, the abbey will travel between jazz and classical music. The concert by the Franco-British singer Georgie Brown Quartet will precede the duo composed of Antoine Hervier, on piano, and Maxime Plisson, on vocals.

The evening of Thursday, August 7, dedicated to classical music, will be hosted by the 2024 laureates of the Gautier Capuçon Foundation: violinists Clarissa Bevilacqua and Léon Haffner, cellist Francesco Tamburini and pianist Mirabelle Kajenjeri. The concert starts at 25 euros for adults and 15 euros for 13-18 year-olds and job seekers. All prices can be found on the festival website: festival-fontdouce.com .

Two nightclub evenings and a concert banquet in the Saintes arena. This is the program for the second edition of Viva Saintes, from Thursday, August 14 to Saturday, August 16, as part of the Sites en scène shows of the Charente-Maritime Department. Saintes celebrates its Gallo-Roman history every day in the city's streets with reenactments and entertainment, allowing the public to travel back two thousand years.

The amphitheater will also be there on Thursday, August 14 and Friday, August 15, with the children's ball and then the DJ evening "Dance with History" (5 euros for children over 12, 3 euros for children 3 to 12, and free for children under 3). Reservations are required at the tourist office. On Saturday, August 16, the Gallic banquet and the 1980s "Nostalgia" evening, both free of charge, will bring Place Bassompierre to life. ville-saintes.fr

4 Blues in Saintes on August 17

Still in the Saintes arenas, the second edition of the Blues in Saintes festival will take place on Sunday, August 17. Organized by Blues Event, the event will take place from 6 p.m. The program features guitarist Yarol Poupaud as the headliner. The artist, who collaborated with Johnny Hallyday from 2012 to 2017, paid tribute to him with the album "Fils de personne" , with 12 covers of songs. Guitarist and singer Gaëlle Buswel will also be present. Price: 39 euros. my.weezevent.com/yarol-concert-les-arenes .

In Les Gonds, near Saintes, the Young Farmers of Charente-Maritime are organizing the Earth Festival on Saturday, August 16th and Sunday, August 17th, a festive family weekend to discover the agricultural world. The ^16th edition features a modified combine harvester race and a plowing competition. And new this year, the French Tractor Pulling Federation will host an event. Tractors will have to pull the heaviest load possible. Fifteen thousand people are expected to attend this festival, for young and old. Admission: €4. Free for children under 12.

6 The Atlantic Transe Festival from August 21 to 23

On the heights of Saint-Louis, the Franco-Quebecois festival Transe Atlantique welcomes big names for three evenings: Thursday, August 21, Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23, 2025! Peter Doherty, Louis Chedid and Vendredi sur mer are on the bill for the fourth edition of the festival among the 12 artists announced. Every day, access to the site is free from 12 to 6 p.m.: the festival village is open with food trucks, entertainment and soundchecks by the artists. From 6 p.m., access is reserved for people with a ticket to attend the concerts. Tickets range from 25 to 95 euros and are available on the website my.weezevent.com/festival-transe-atlantique .