April 24, 2024 · By Armelle Hillairet

32 years of Vieilles Charrues posters

Les Vieilles Charrues have existed for more than 30 years... Their creation dates back to 1992, when a group of friends organized a fair with the program: music, grills and friends. From 500 people that year, to 2000 the following year, then 5000 the year after that. Today, more than 346,000 people come together each year to celebrate music in Brittany. A look back at the 32 editions via their superb posters 🫶🏼

1993

The first posters did not yet have the name “Les Vieilles Charrues” yet the design of the poster was clearly visionary 🔮

1994

The 1994 poster represents one of the notable events of this edition: camel races took place in the middle of the concerts of the Satellites, Dolly and 4 other rock artists of the time. 🐫

1995

Taraf de Haïdouks Junior, Red Cardell, Soul'Cactus, A bout de souffle, La Fleche à l'oreille were the groups present on this 4th edition of Vieilles Charrues. This is the first time we discover the accordionist on the poster 🪗

1996

The accordionist changed instruments and opted for a double bass! This year, 1996, it welcomes Bernard Lavilliers, Frank Black, Les Innocents, Maxime Le Forestier and others... The festival is starting to welcome nationally known names! 🎤

1997

1997 marked a turning point for Vieilles Charrues with big national and international headliners like Simple Minds, Claude Nougaro, James Brown and Jane Birkin! Those who were there particularly remember the James Brown concert 🤭

1998

Iggy Pop and Louise Attaque headlined that year’s “Gouel Vras An Erer Gozh” (Festival des Vieilles Charrues in Breton). We will remember that at 2 a.m., one evening of this edition, it is also the first time that Matmatah plays on stage.

1999

Ben Harper, Massive Attack, Stephan Heicher, Eagle Eye Cherry, Faudel, Hubert-Felix Thiéfaine, Jacques Higelin… Another varied program for 1999 which celebrates the 7th anniversary of the Brittany festival 🫶🏼

2000

3 years after the arrival of animals on the posters, 2000 welcomes a guitarist / blue rabbit, hosted by big groups of the time like Joe Cocker, Louise Attaque, The Cranberries, Eddy Mitch, Beck, Muse and M.. 💙

2001

What musician wouldn't dream of flying away on their guitar? The year 2001 marked the increase in the attendance at Vieilles Charrues. It was then Ben Harper, Manu Chao, Noir Désir, Henri Salvador, Vanessa Paradis, Placebo, Saint-Germain, Têtes Raides, Matmatah, Maceo Parker, Ska-P, Gilles Servat, Denez Prigent, Arno and many others who welcome more than 70,000 people per evening. 🎟

2002

The little Breton musical cow of Vieilles Charrues 2002 will have welcomed more great artists with on the same stage, the same day, The Cure, Louis Chedid, De La Soul and De Palmas or even Iggy Pop? 🐮

2003

With a top line-up this year (Zazie, Rem, Laurent Voulzy...), we especially remembered the Wampas and their joyful chaotic show (crowd baths and groupies on stage) 🤩

2004

Kings Of Leon, Iam, M, Muse, Patti Smith, Tété and Alain Bashung are names that we will not forget for this 2004 edition! Mark the occasion with the 2004 poster of Vieilles Charrues 🦘

2005

The musical elephant sets the mood in 2005 with various artists like Michel Delpech, Mickey 3D but also Franz Ferdinand, and The Stooges with Iggy Pop. It must have been slow that year 🎸

2006

The fifteenth edition of Vieilles Charrues brought together incredible artists such as: Johnny Hallyday, Madness, Placebo, Pixies, Raphaël, Tracy Chapman, Jamel, Cali, Diam's, Julien Clerc, Yann Tiersen... Hence the piano on the poster . Do you know Amélie Poulain's waltz? 🎹

2007

What better way to represent a horde of singers and musicians than a tree full of birds ? 🦜 Birds are nature's musicians, right?

2008

Were the Vieilles Charrues pirates of 2008 a historical reminder that two of the main privateer ports in Europe in the 16th century were in Morlaix and Saint Malo? In any case, we love the theme and the poster! 🏴‍☠️

2009

The extra-terrestrials on the 2009 poster brought many impressive shows for this edition: Moby, Izia, Bruce Springsteen but also Francis Cabrel and Charlie Winston. 👽

2010

Perhaps you remember the Muse concert in the torrential rain ? It was a consecration, having revealed itself to the public of Vieilles Charrues in 2000. The poster nevertheless represents a pretty desert, the height of it! 🌵

2011

The 2011 Vieilles Charrues program is notable for its diversity ! Rock, Rap, French Variety, Soul, Electro are on the program. We find in particular Scorpions, Snoop Dog, Yelle... This year's poster well represents the diversity of styles! 🌈

2012

2012 brings together the superheroes of music including very pretty names like Bob Dylan, Sting, Portishead, The Cure, justice, Metronomy... 🦸🏻

2013

The Gallic poster for Vieilles Charrues is surely inspired by the many Gallo-Roman remains of Brittany... And like in a famous comic strip that we know well, there is a strong battle (in music)! 🦃

2014

Les Vieilles Charrues had everything planned again with a poster under the theme “Fantasy” decorated with a pretty dragon playing the guitar with the end of the first day on Thursday hosted by Indochine which ends with “L'Aventurier”! Well, we know that in the lyrics, it's more like “The adventurer against every warrior, Bob Morane against every jackal” but we tell ourselves that he could also fight a dragon (or sing along with it). 🐉

2015

2015 will be marked by a number of artists as impressive as the public that year! Lionel Richie, Flume, the Brigittes, David Guetta, Joan Baez... It was not “Alice in Wonderland” but “Les Vieilles Charrues in Wonderland” (See the theme of the poster) 🐰.

2016

The 25th anniversary of Vieilles Charrues in 2016 exclusively hosted Lana Del Rey (the only date in France that summer)! An edition which was successful since more than 268,000 festival-goers participated (record broken from the previous year). Like the video game inspiration of the poster, the Vieilles Charrues love to beat their own records. 👾

2017

The flowers and doves on the poster can only represent one message: peace & love. In 2017, the theme was Woodstock (famous hippy festival from 1969) and the participants, dressed in elephant legs, flower crowns, colorful bandanas and round glasses, were able to listen to Manu Chao and Justice at the opening of the festival. ✌🏼

2018

The 27th season of Vieilles Charrues, under the theme “Bollywood”, opened with the group Olli and The Bollywood Orchestra that year. The participants particularly appreciated the theme that year since some came in saris and bindis! Have you been there? The poster is a nice souvenir! 🥻

2019

The 2019 poster surely represents one of the most famous carnivals in Brittany : the Starry Moon Carnival which takes place every year in Landerneau but also in around ten Breton towns, not far from the festival town. 🎡

2021

What does the marine inspiration of the poster represent in your opinion? Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (born in Nantes, but hey, we still don't know if it's in Brittany or not)? The sea that surrounds Brittany and its marine animals ? 🐟

2022

The 2022 edition was the 30th anniversary of the festival ! An important moment notably celebrated by a unique Matmatah concert that year . The poster was created by the graphic designers from the My fish is fresh studio with a view to paying homage to the 90s by mixing vintage and modern aesthetics. 🎨

2023

Those who were at Vieilles Charrues 2023 remember: the musical festival has become a real funfair! On the program: rides, old-fashioned games, face painting, slingshot shooting... Everything was there to have fun and have a crazy edition! And the poster represents it well! 🎡

2024

The themes come one after the other and this year, it’s time for witches! In recent months, witchcraft has fascinated social networks, but Breton witchcraft has been fascinating for several thousand years... This year is the opportunity to make a very aesthetic poster for the Vieilles Charrues! 🧙🏼‍♀️

In any case, if you attended one of the editions of Vieilles Charrues, you have the possibility of keeping a material memory thanks to the posters that you can frame. 🤩 And if one of your loved ones participated, it's a nice gift for all occasions 💕