France/ Vannes: Festival d'Arvor pioneers sustainable development
Zero waste, water fountains, the fight against gender-based violence... Prevention and sustainable development are the priorities of the Festival d'Arvor in Vannes (Morbihan).
An event dedicated to Breton traditions, the Festival d'Arvor returns to Vannes(Morbihan) from Friday August 2 to Sunday August 4, 2024, for its third edition. Thousands of visitors from Brittany and beyond will discover or rediscover the Breton language, music, dance and know-how during this fest-noz event on the port in the heart of summer.
To ensure everyone's well-being during these three days of festivities, the festival organizers have deployed new prevention and sustainable development measures . What are they?
Prevention of sexist acts
In addition to showcasing the colors of the Pays d'Arvor region, the festival's identity is based on two key principles:
Since its creation 3 years ago, we've tried to put forward a certain number of values that are important and essential to the festival. The first of these, which we've been working on from the outset, going further and further each time for the well-being of festival-goers, technicians and artists, is the fight against sexist and sexual violence.
Alex Kervadec, President of the Festival d'Arvor
The training of festival volunteers has been focused on this issue, "they took a course two weeks ago on the subject of prevention against sexist violence, and we have strengthened our tools for the public and the organizing team. We're trying to equip ourselves to be able to react, with, since last year, the violet brigade, which is identifiable everywhere on the festival site" announced the president.
New this year, a"safe zone" has been set up for vulnerable people. Not forgetting the Angela system, which is also in place at the Lorient Interceltic Festival:"People who are feeling ill or who have been attacked, most often women, can come to the refreshment bar or reception point and ask for an "Angela" beer, or "if you haven't seen Angela". With this code name, the volunteers are immediately alerted", explained the festival president.
At the same time, this year's prevention offerings were more diversified, with a stand offering earplugs, children's earmuffs, breathalysers, condoms and sanitary protection.
A relaxation area for the 250 festival volunteersis also available, with a physiotherapist on hand should they need it, and massages available on request.
2,000 meals served and zero waste
The team's second priority since the very beginning of this newcomer to the Breton festival scene has been sustainable development.
We continue to strive for the lowest possible level of waste, and our meals are totally zero-waste and made locally from fresh produce. This represents 2,000 meals for volunteers, technicians and artists, served throughout the festival. They are supplied by local caterer K5.
Youenn Le Ret, Festival Communications Manager
Water fountains have been installed again this year, for the public and artists, who are invited to bring their own water bottles.
"For the night parade, we used to provide a thousand small bottles of water, and we often found unfinished bottles all over the place. With the fountains, it's much better," continued Youenn Le Ret during the presentation.
The Arvor festival is now local in every respect, since even the printing of communications material, which was previously the exception, made in Italy, is now entrusted to the IOV printer in Arradon.
Cigarette butts are recovered and recycled by Vannes town council, as are bottle tops from the refreshment area.
Exemplarity of virtuous approaches
"This virtuous approach is a hallmark of the Arvor festival, which intends to be a pioneer in this field and, I'm convinced, will lead all the other festivals in Brittany to follow suit," insisted Youenn Le Ret.
Indeed, even if other festivals are already using some of these measures, the Arvor festival has adopted certain gestures from its very first edition, deploying to the maximum its actions in terms of prevention andsustainable development:
"We set these milestones right from the start, and in a very thorough way. We work with a number of collectives, including the Bayou Breizh festival, which has asked us to take part in what we're doing. The fact that we're a young festival undoubtedly makes it easier to lay down a few principles, compared with a festival that has already been doing things differently for some fifteen years", explains Youenn Le Ret.
Source: actu.fr/bretagne/
