The Terres d'Oh! association—“Tourism Region of the Saar and Marne-to-Rhine Canals”—presents its traveling festival, *Au Fil de l'Eau*, in its new cross-border format.
Set in the heart of five regions in the Grand Est: Saulnois, Sarrebourg Moselle Sud, the Pays de Phalsbourg, Alsace Bossue, and Sarreguemines Confluences, the festival transforms the canals into true spaces for artistic expression and community gathering.
This year, the route extends beyond the border with an additional stop in Saarbrücken, Germany.
The Au Fil de l’Eau festival offers an artistic journey along the canals and rivers, inviting the public to move from one stop to the next and explore places that are close by but rarely experienced as a whole.
It appeals to a diverse, cross-border audience, bringing together local residents, passing visitors, and tourists. The festival is designed to be intergenerational and inclusive, fostering connections through a shared cultural experience.
On the program:
Saturday, August 1 – Saarbrücken - Theaterschiff Maria Helena, Willi Graf Ufer.
- Starting at 7:00 p.m. - Cie Calligraff takes to the streets; perched on their stilts and accompanied by accordion music, they take over the docks and engage with the audience. Combining music, juggling, and improvisation, their colorful characters engage passersby and bring a festive spirit wherever they go.
- From 9:30 p.m. to 10:40 p.m. - Richard B Brown: blending folk, jazz, and ballads, Richard B Brown is an authentic and vibrant band that mixes festive, catchy, and intense melodies. Through their original compositions and unique chemistry, this band invites you on a musical journey that touches both the mind and the heart. They’ll offer a special experience by performing on a floating stage—an unusual setting that echoes the wandering, poetic spirit of their music.
Saturday, August 8 – Sarralbe – River Stop.
- Starting at 7:00 p.m. - Saxs’Union, a group of five saxophonists from various wind bands in Alsace Bossue and Lorraine, enthusiastically share a common passion for the saxophone. Through an eclectic repertoire, they create a dialogue between styles and eras.
- 9:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. - Fire on the Water: Showflamme returns with a new production in collaboration with the Moving Fire Arts company and their show Fire on the Water. This Belgian company—some of whose members have previously performed with Showflamme—brings together fire artists and acrobats. The artists perform on boats gliding like floating islands across a mirror-like surface, amplifying the fire effects. With their mesmerizing presence, they will draw the audience into their magical world.
Friday, August 14 – Lutzelbourg – Canal Quay.
This festival event will take place at the heart of “Lutz en fête,” a major summer festival organized for the past seven years by the Inter-association de Lutzelbourg. Throughout the evening, residents and visitors alike can enjoy the village’s festive atmosphere, explore the artisans’ market at the school grounds, and share a convivial moment by the water as night falls.
- Starting at 7 p.m. - Déclic. To kick off the evening, the renowned local band Déclic will immerse the audience in a festive and friendly atmosphere with a setlist blending must-hear covers, popular hits, and current tracks. You can catch them again after the Cie Eklabul performance to keep the evening going with more music.
- 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM - Only a Dream, Cie Eklabul. The Maralpine-based company will transport the audience into the spellbinding world of Only a Dream, a stunning show combining live music, fire jugglers, and aerial trapeze acts—all set on the water. Together, they’ll transport us to the world of dreams, where something is going awry. Morpheus, guardian of this fragile universe, embarks on a journey through the realm of dreams to unravel its mystery. But the further he goes, the more blurred the line between dream and reality becomes.
Saturday, August 15 – Lagarde – Port de Plaisance.
- Starting at 7:00 p.m. – DJEFF, singer, rhythm guitarist, and composer. His musical style draws its roots from the Gypsy music inherited from his heritage, which he enriches with influences from rumba. On stage, he performs as a duo with a musician whose mastery of solos and improvisation perfectly complements his rhythmic playing and vocal delivery. Driven by a deep passion for performing and a desire to share the richness of Romani culture with as many people as possible, DJEFF shares a part of his story, his roots, and his world through each of his performances.
- 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. - Only a Dream, Cie Eklabul.
- A fireworks display will take place at nightfall.
Sunday, August 16 – Harskirchen – Marina.
- Starting at 7:00 p.m. – Tangerine Mist, this guitar-and-vocals duo, blending sounds from both Ireland and the southern United States, offers a warm and powerful musical experience. Blending jazz-rock, funk, rock ’n’ roll, and country, their music draws on a variety of influences to deliver an energetic experience.
- 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. - Only a Dream, Cie Eklabul.
Saturday, August 22 – Mittersheim – Marina.
- Starting at 7:00 p.m. - Les P.D.G. aren’t corporate executives—no, they’re simply the initials of their first names and their instruments… P for Patrice, D for Davis, and G for the two guitars that accompany them on stages across the region. This friendly, cheerful duo has more than one string to their guitars: French songs, of course, an Anglo-Saxon folk repertoire, and even a few original compositions woven into their setlist.
- 9:00 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. - Le Piano Bulle, presented by Le PianO du lac. The Hautes-Alpes-based team from Le PianO du lac sets sail once more with a new creation full of poetry and lightness: Le Piano Bulle.
As ethereal as a soap bubble, this floating piano seems delicately poised on the water’s surface, enveloped in shimmering glass spheres. In this setting suspended between the sky and its reflection, the musicians invite the audience on a sensory and immersive journey.
Refreshments and food will be available on site throughout the Festival.
How to get there ?