The Open Canoe Festival is an ambitious event, and anyone who has experienced it will tell you: we pay attention to every detail — flawless welcome, high-quality meals, complimentary T-shirt and poster, and the very best European instructors…After fifteen years of experience, our expertise is well established, and the OCF has become an unmissable event […]
The song of the birds, evenings by the water, bivouacs under the stars, and the freedom to explore the last wild rivers by paddle…Do these images make you dream? Then this message is for you. The Open Canoe Festival will take place from Thursday, April 30 to Sunday, May 3, 2026, once again in the […]
Here's the program for the 2025 workshops. Please note that you will have the choice of 10 additional workshops (themed descents) offered during Sunday's grand descent. These “Grande descente” workshops will also appear in the “river workshop registration” e-mail sent out on Monday April 7. Remember that registration for the “ground workshops” takes place at […]
When you register at the OCF, you will have to indicate your level of practice: beginner, intermediate or advanced. It is not that simple. Read this article carefully before registering. The OCF's team of instructors counts 30 coaches, including some of the best specialists in Europe. They all know that OCF participants have difficulty qualifying […]
Jamie Barnes' film « A canoe Perspective » sums up the values of the Open Canoe Festival perfectly. It will open the Festival on Friday, April 18, 9:30 p.m. under the Tipi. Finding purpose, identity and perspective through canoe expeditions… In May 2022, British adventure filmmaker Jamie Barnes travelled to Scotland with Canadian long-distance canoe paddler Martin […]
You were expecting a canoe that is both very light and very durable... Esquif has done it! Esquif made a big splash back in 2015 with the development of T-Formex, the successor to its cousin, the now-defunct Royalex. Since not all paddlers necessarily need the extreme durability that traditional T-Formex offers, Esquif now presents, for […]
The emblematic brand of inflatable canoes and kayaks GUMOTEX joins the main sponsors of the Open Canoe Festival! Numerous test boats will be available, and as always, several workshops will be dedicated to inflatable boating. The OCF 2025 will also be an opportunity to showcase plenty of new products from Gumotex, including the new Scout, […]
Becky Mason inherited her paddling skills and deep love for canoes from her father, the legendary canoeist Bill Mason, author and filmmaker of the Path of the Paddle series. She carries on the family tradition by sharing her passion for canoeing through a variety of avenues, including paddling instruction, filmmaking, writing, workshops, demonstrations, and slideshow presentations. In […]
POOLIDOR is an electronic music duo that blends traditional music from Berry and North Africa. They produce a raw, hypnotic sound by combining organic timbres and percussion with the gleaming waves of electro. On stage, a hurdy-gurdy, complete with pedalboard and bicycle wheel, faces a vinyl turntable. This timeless construction is complemented by machines, violin […]
Here's the Open Canoe Festival 2024 video. This year, we wanted to show the OCF's DNA, what we want to share with this event. Only the international side doesn't stand out, but we haven't forgotten our many foreign coaches and the 13 European countries taking part. Thanks to all of you!
