We give you the Bordeaux Rock Festival, the Rock en Ville 20th-anniversary extravaganza, and a highly desirable compilation CD!

With winter more or less coming to an end, one of Bordeaux's unmissable musical highlights of the year is just around the corner: the 2026 Bordeaux Rock Festival, taking place from 11 to 14 March. As always, we can look forward to a diverse programme of artists performing over the four days, ranging from local talents to international superstars, all expertly guided by the good people of the Bordeaux Rock association, who are also behind the annual Musical Écran music documentary festival.

The festival will begin on Wednesday, 11 March at L'Inconnue in Talence with a 'Portugal Com Amor' event, featuring Ana Lua Caiano — often referred to as the Portuguese Björk — and Rita Braga. A few days later, on Saturday 14 March, the 2026 edition will come to a spectacular close at the Bordeaux Grand Parc concert hall. Headliner Marlon Magnée (of La Femme) will perform his first French date with Domenique Dumon and local band Équipe de Foot supporting.

On Thursday 12 and Friday 13 March, make way for the 20th anniversary of the slightly mad Rock en Ville initiative. This year, the event will span two evenings, with no fewer than 40 local bands performing at seven legendary venues in central Bordeaux.

The principle is simple: evening passes are available at each venue for the affordable price of €6 (cash only) and allow you to move between l’Avant-Scène, Archipop Records, l’Éther, Red Cat, Maison Allez les Filles, Pulp and Grizzly Pub.

The lineup will be beyond eclectic. So whether you're more into power pop (Gordon), skate punk (Fast Lane), dream pop (Aldo is a Dog), post punk (Souffre Douleur), grunge rock (Grenat), country folk (The Coudougnans), or indie rock (Pyramid Kiwi), you're sure to find something you like!

Full disclosure: my alt-pop band, Slowrush, whose songs are inspired by the unusual themes shared on this blog, will be performing on Thursday 12 March at L'Éther (12 Rue des Menuts), alongside the excellent grunge shoegaze band Safe Waters and the equally excellent punk rock band Cust. Join us at 7.45pm sharp for the start of our set – don't be late!

You can also purchase a collectible souvenir of these two nights in Bordeaux in the form of a double CD compilation produced by Thoineau Palis (also known as TH Da Freak and founder of the influential label Flippin' Freaks) and featuring the fine rockin' mascaron artwork by Aubérie Vantomme that can also be seen on the festival poster. The compilation will be available for €10 throughout the festival and then from all reputable record stores in Bordeaux Métropole, as well as on order from the Bordeaux Rock website. It will also be available to stream on Bandcamp. This new set joins previous Bordeaux Rock releases, which have already allowed me to travel back in time and discover the Bordeaux music scenes of 1977–1987 and 1988–1998. Check back soon for my thoughts on the 2026 vintage!... and see you at the festival! 

A Rock en Ville 20 ans compilation spotted in its natural habitat.

> Full information about the Bordeaux Rock festival here
> Full information about the Rock en Ville 20 ans compilation CD here