Le Festival International Folklorique d’Octodure (FIFO), celebrates 40 years of passion for world cultures during the 20th edition of FIFO, which will be held from July 31 to August 8, 2026 in Martigny – Valais – Switzerland!
From the lands of Africa to the foothills of the Balkans, from the Andes Mountains to the Rockies, from the Pacific Islands to the peaks of the Alps, FIFO invites you on a unique journey where TRADITIONAL CULTURE is expressed in all its beauty and diversity. Come and discover the emotions, songs, and dances of women and men who share their heritage with passion and authenticity.
A traditional arts festival is much more than a performance: it's a space of peace and fraternity, where exchanges take place without ethnic or religious boundaries, and where each participant opens their heart to share the best. A unique opportunity to see that it is individuals, not nations, who wage war, and that culture can unite where conflict divides.
ICH
What is Intangible Cultural Heritage – ICH?
What is meant by “cultural heritage” has changed considerably in recent decades, partly as a result of the instruments developed by UNESCO.
Cultural heritage does not stop at monuments and collections of objects.
It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and transmitted to our descendants, such as oral traditions, them performing arts, them social practices, rituals and festive events, them knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills necessary for traditional craftsmanship.
Martigny cultural capital of Valais
Martigny invites you to the Place du Manoir for the "5 Continents" world music festival, at the foot of the Château de la Bâtiaz for the big fireworks display on August 1, at the corner of town for its market craftsmen, in the middle of its vineyard for the Fête de Plan-Cerisier, at the Foire du Valais, at the Amphitheater for its battle of queens or in Le Bourg for the Foire du Lard, or even in town for the traditional Christmas Market ! Let yourself be inspired by the art of living, by the flavor of the liqueurs distilled at Morand since 1889, by the southern climate, in the shade of century-old plane trees, and by the annual art exhibitions of galleries, museums and the Gianadda Foundation in Martigny. The town also offers many sporting activities and is a starting point for wonderful excursions to Chamonix, Bovernier, Trient, Salvan, Les Marécottes, Fully, Saillon, Verbier and many more.
