© Jean Michel Niron
Presentation
Created in 2004, La Gacilly Photo Festival has become Europe’s largest open-air photography festival, welcoming over 300,000 visitors.
Over four months every summer, the Breton village of La Gacilly is transformed into a real-life open-air exhibition gallery that is accessible to all, free of charge.
The streets, alleyways and gardens of La Gacilly become open-air galleries that are fully accessible, as the photographs featured part in the Festival are placed in the heart of a living and breathing space that is constantly in motion.
Ever since it was founded, La Gacilly Photo Festival has been committed to environmental and social issues, and its ambition to move people, raise awareness and share ideas in the hope of creating a more ethically minded world continues to grow.
A FULLY COMMITTED FESTIVAL
An open-air art gallery
Each year, a dual theme is developed, combining a focus on contemporary creation specific to a country or continent (2024 Australia) and offering a social and environmental focus.By addressing these major themes through an artistic and aesthetic approach, the Festival resonates with everyone's concerns. For over 20 years, La Gacilly Photo Festival has been a vehicle for informing, raising awareness and encouraging the
general public to actively support environmental and societal issues through its exhibitions and photographers’ work. This year, for its 22nd edition, the festival is heading to the UK.
La Gacilly Photo Festival echoes the issues that occupy all our minds, and challenges the way we look at the world by exhibiting the work of committed photographers.
Here, the work on display helps us to come up with new meanings, live differently, reinvest in our relationships and reevaluate what’s truly essential. Through a universal language and a culture rooted in images, it contributes to the development of a collective imagination and consciousness.
© Emma PESTRE / Festival Photo La Gacilly 2024
A unique and innovative concept: an open-air art gallery
Through its artistic excellence and local roots, the Festival offers each visitor an immersive and ambulatory experience as they stroll around 20 or so open-air galleries and discover large format pictures, some reaching nearly 70 meters high.
Photographs adorn the streets, gardens and alleys of La Gacilly, which is turned into a village nestled amongst imagesmétamorphosé en « village dans les images ». The town's outstanding built and natural heritage provides a perfect backdrop to the thousand or so images on display.
Public space becomes a stage, shared and open to all, free of charge. Thus the Festival can be appreciated by devoted regulars as well as complete newcomers.
© Jean-Michel Niron / Festival Photo La Gacilly 2024
© Jean Michel NIRON / Festival Photo La Gacilly
AN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Since 2018, the La Gacilly Photo Festival has incorporated an international element, finding its second home in Baden, Austria. This imperial spa town nestled in a beautiful natural landscape 30 kilometres south of Vienna similar to La Gacilly, as it embraces a sustainable outlook on the environment and a deep love of art.
© Tamara Dean / Festival Photo La Gacilly-Baden
© Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo / Lois Lammerhuber / fotomontage
THE LA GACILLY-BADEN PHOTO FESTIVAL
While the 22nd La Gacilly Photo Festival in Brittany unveils its "So British" programme this summer, La Gacilly-Baden is opening its eighth Festival
presenting the entire 2024 "Australia & Other Perspectives" programme in a brand new layout.This gives photographers a second opportunity to showcase their work and meet a new audience within a framework that guarantees their rights and remuneration.
Both Festivals are managed by associations and work together on artistic and cultural education projects. They pool their efforts to reduce their environmental impact, for example by reusing the photographs produced for both editions. Last summer, the seventh La Gacilly- Baden Photo Festival attracted around 300,000 visitors, bringing the total number of visitors across both festivals to 600,000 over two years in Europe.
Festival Photo La Gacilly-Baden
La Gacilly-Baden Photo Festival
12 June > 16 October 2025
8th edition – Australia & New World
Lois LAMMERHUBER,
Director of La Gacilly-Baden Photo Festival
Florence DROUHET,
Artistic Director of La Gacilly-BadenPhoto Festival
© Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo / Lois Lammerhuber / fotomontage
A creator of contemporary archives
Supporting contemporary photographic creation, the La Gacilly Photo Festival creates artistic content. In 14 years, it has financed 15 photographic commissions signed by professional photographers, who come to document local life in Morbihan.
The annual edition of the exhibition catalogue is part of the Festival's ambition to give artists more visibility and to leave a trace for future generations to come.
Since 2017, a digital version of the catalogue is also available. It marks the Festival's ambition to stay in tune with modern technology and new ways of communicating.
© Valentin Riaud
An association under the law of 1901
From the very beginning, the La Gacilly Photo Festival has been led by a non-profit association that employs 2 permanent full time staff members. The association also generates summer jobs (for the installation of the exhibitions, communication, cultural mediation, receiving the public etc). As a major cultural, social and economic actor of the local territory, it plays a significant part in Brittany's appeal and dynamism.
In order to fulfil its missions, and because a free festival needs friends, the Festival accepts donations from private companies, but also from visitors of the festival. It is also possible to make donations online on the Festival's website.
© Brassage Photographique
of La Gacilly-Baden
Photo Festival
DRAC - (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de Bretagne)
Région Bretagne
About the Regional Council
Being useful in the daily life of Bretons and Bretons, investing for their future and that of the territory, this is the meaning of the action of the Brittany Region. Its fields of intervention are numerous; in particular, it accompanies numerous associations and events and thus supports the cultural, sporting and linguistic vitality that makes Brittany a welcoming and open region. It also ensures that the cultural offer is balanced throughout Brittany.
Why support the La Gacilly Photo Festival ?
Brittany is at the forefront of the regions where festivals and artistic and cultural events are born. The Region supports and encourages this vitality. It supports ambitious projects that are anchored and innovate in the territories, from performing arts to the visual arts or photography.
By focusing on promoting contemporary creation, supporting emerging talents, investing in many professional networks and developing artistic and cultural education as a strong axis, the La Gacilly Photo Festival converges with cultural, artistic , environmental and societal issues that are at the heart of regional policy.
It is in the name of these shared values that the Region supports it.
Our common values for a sustainable future
In 2017, the Region chose to collectively build a future project for a sober and sustainable Brittany in 2040. From this approach was born the Breizh COP. Today, fully committed to this dynamic, the Region works with cultural actors around three sustainable development issues: ecological transition, equality between men and women, consideration of cultural rights.
Issues shared by the La Gacilly Photo Festival which, through its manifesto, attests to its desire to act in favor of ecological and societal transition.
Facebook: @regionbretagne.bzh
Instagram: @region.bretagne
Twitter: @regionbretagne
LinkedIn: @region-bretagne
Rocher Participations
About the Regional Council
ROCHER PARTICIPATIONS is the investment holding company of the ROCHER family.
It is held exclusively by the members of the ROCHER family, whose shareholders are the direct descendants of Mr Yves Rocher.
It is a French holding company, solidly established in its home territory, La Gacilly, in accordance with the wishes of its founder, Mr Yves Rocher, and with its purpose.
We are a Breton family holding company, convinced that well-rooted trees are more resistant to the vagaries of time.
Since 1959, our family adventure has been part of the world's changing times.
As early as 1971, Mr. Yves Rocher was already giving pride of place to Art by developing the establishment of numerous craftsmen in order to develop the economic growth of the commune of La Gacilly. More than fifty years later, these craftsmen are still present.
Why support the La Gacilly Photo Festival ?
By becoming a partner of the Photo Festival, ROCHER PARTICIPATIONS has perpetuated this commitment, using the photographic medium as a tool to bear witness to social and environmental issues addressed to the general public.
Our common values for a sustainable future
ROCHER PARTICIPATIONS also cultivates authentic encounters with its local partners, to support the Breton ecosystem and offer events accessible to everyone.
Morbihan - Conseil Départemental du Morbihan (56)
Who are we?
An actor of proximity, the Department supports its inhabitants daily in almost every aspects of life: family, education, environment, culture, social matters… The Council is a guarantor of a harmonious development of the territory.
Why support the La Gacilly Photo Festival?
More than a financial partner, the Department of Morbihan is the sponsor of this Festival. Every year, the Council gives a free pass to a photographer who goes and meets men and women who, like the Department, participate in building the territory.
Facebook: @departementdumorbihan
OBC - De L'Oust à Brocéliande Communauté
Who are we ?
“De l’Oust à Brocéliande communauté” (OBC) covers a geographical area gathering nearly 40,000 inhabitants and 26 communes around Malestroit, Guer and La Gacilly. In consultation with them, OBC proposes and develops proximity and valorization missions.
Why support the festival ?
One of our main objectives is to promote the territory, by accompanying and encouraging cultural activities for example. The Photo Festival totally reflects our educational ambition. It offers a high-quality exhibition, with famous photographers and selected works that convey an artistic and educational discourse that we adhere to and support. By its originality, the beauty of its setting and its free entrance, it also represents one of the main spearheads of our tourist offer. OBC is proud to be part of the public partners of the Photo Festival and wishes that this meeting rich of discoveries keep on questioning us many years.
Facebook: @oustbroceliande
LinkedIn: @de-l-oust-à-brocéliande-communauté
Commune de La Gacilly
Who are we ?
Since January 1, 2017, the three towns of Glénac, La Chapelle Gaceline and La Gacilly have become one: the new town of La Gacilly.
Why support the festival?
It seems indispensable to us to help one of the biggest Outdoor Photo Festival in Europe. Created 17 years ago, the La Gacilly Photo Festival brought together millions of visitors around the world's leading photographers. More than 1000 large format photographs displayed in the streets, gardens, alleys of the village of La Gacilly. It gives a cultural access of exception free family, between friends in our rural setting.
Facebook: @Unispourbienvivreensemblealagacilly
