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| April 2, 2009 | to | April 4, 2009 |
The extraordinarily rich musical traditions of this otherwise quiet and peaceful part of rural France kick off the season with the Festival of Bandas & Penas in the town of Condom (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) on 2-4 May 2008.
The Festival website suggests this is a noisy and popular weekend with bands competing from all over France until late in the eveing - or early in the morning - crowding into the main square to hear, sing, dance and drink - it does sound tremendous fun!
There is a clear connection with wine - 3 of the bands reflect this in their names e.g. In Vino Veritas from Monestier, Dordogne - home of Chateau Grinou Bergerac Wines; Bodega Banda from the Loiret; and the local Les Trous Gascons (usually a prune and Armagnac concoction!)
The title of the event reflects the Basque influence on this area - as far as I can tell the “Penas” comes from the Flamenco dancing clubs in Spain.
Nearby you can check out the wines of Plaimont, the wines and accommodation at Domaine de Lauroux and a classy B&B (Chambres d’Hote) near Auch.
