A few weeks ago, I set off for Balilas, a balfolk festival in Janzé (near Rennes), Brittany (France). I had never been before, but as long as you have dance shoes, a tent, and good company, what more do you need?
From Ghent to Brittany… with Two Dutch Strangers
My journey began in Ghent, where I was picked up by Sterre and Michelle, two dancers from the Netherlands. I did not know them too well beforehand, but in the balfolk world, that is hardly unusual — de balfolkcommunity is één grote familie — one big family.
We took turns driving, chatting, laughing, and singing along. Google Maps logged our total drive time at 7 hours and 39 minutes.
Along the way, we had the perfect soundtrack:
🎶 French Road Trip 🇫🇷🥖 — 7 hours and 49 minutes of French and Francophone tubes.
🍕 A Tasty Stop in Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson
Somewhere around dinner time, we stopped at La Sosta, a cozy Italian restaurant in Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson (2300 inhabitants). I had a pizza normande — base tomate, andouille, pomme, mozzarella, crème, persil . A delicious and unexpected regional twist — definitely worth remembering!
The pizzas wereexcellent, but also generously sized — too big to finish in one sitting. Heureusement, ils nous ont proposé d’emballer le reste à emporter. That was a nice touch — and much appreciated after a long day on the road.
⛺ Arrival Just Before Dark
We arrived at the Balilas festival site five minutes after sunset, with just enough light left to set up our tents before nightfall. Trugarez d’an heol — thank you, sun, for holding out a little longer.
There were two other cars filled with people coming from the Netherlands, but they had booked a B&B. We chose to camp on-site to soak in the full festival atmosphere.
Balilas itself was magical: days and nights filled with live music, joyful dancing, friendly faces, and the kind of warm atmosphere that defines balfolk festivals.
More info and photos:
🌐 balilas.lesviesdansent.bzh
📸 @balilas.balfolk on Instagram
Balfolk is more than just dancing. It is about trust, openness, and sharing small adventures with people you barely know—who somehow feel like old friends by the end of the journey.
Tot de volgende — à la prochaine — betek ar blez a zeu!
🕺💃
Thank you Maï for proofreading the Breton expressions. ❤️