The Traversées Tatihou, in Normandy

Between August 23 and September 1, 2019, the 25th edition of the Traversées Tatihou (a festival that dances to the rhythm of the tide on Normandy's Tatihou Island, in the English Channel), will feature, as every year, a mix of the worlds of music, cinema, dance, photography and nature.

Musicians from French Canada, from Brittany—such as the great Alan Stivell, celebrating 50 years of a musical career–Normandy, Algiers, Argentina, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Iberian peninsula, Ireland and Scotland will be in attendance. This international crowd will gather over 10 days once again this year, on Tatihou Island in Normandy.

Odes, a fine mist and music

The program will feature concerts, cinema, exhibits and events scattered around the island and in its most representative venues. The music of the open sea and the images of the world will be showcased between the twin Vauban towers of Tatihou and Vaast-la-Hougue, part of UNESCO’s world heritage list, in the the lazaretto, an old hospital turned into maritime museum, and in the majestic gardens featuring a recently opened Moroccan patio.

The theme of the festival will be a tribute to women's engagement, with a beautiful mix of Celtic and Saharan traditions. For the first time, instrument makers will also be part of the event, and the village where the festival is held will bring people together to share their experiences.

An intermittent island

The Traversées Tatihou is a one-of-a-kind event. The big tides of the month of August dictate the schedule of concerts, rendering them accessible by foot when the tide is low.

The ocean pulls back to the point where the small island of La Manche, nestled in the harbor of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, becomes a peninsula, like the nearby Mont Saint Michel.

You can make it there after a 20-minute walk, crossing through oyster farms. This beautiful salty promenade can also be done by truck/amphibian boat—already an adventure, before you even get to the festival!

Getting to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, in Normandy