THE GUIDE FESTIVALS 2018 Discover the best of the fests…


Above: The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence Right: Chaumont Festival (see page 153)


PERHAPS YOU enjoy nothing more than kicking back to classical music – or maybe it’s jazz that sets your soul on fire. What if you’re a foodie, or gaga over gardening? No matter what tickles your fancy, France has a festival for everyone. From the biggest shindigs to lesser-known gems, we’ve rounded up the best of the fests for this summer and the year ahead.


MUSIC Chorégies d’Orange June 20 – August 4, 2018 Possibly the oldest festival in France, the Chorégies d’Orange can be traced back to the 1860s. What started as an event glorifying Rome gradually became a space for classical music to be enjoyed by thousands. The town’s famous ancient theatre, a perfect Roman


140 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2018


leftover boasting UNESCO World Heritage Site status, provides excellent acoustics for the opera belted out here every summer – one of many reasons to visit this historical city. www.choregies.fr


Festival 1001 Notes July 18 – August 9, 2018 Popping up in towns across dreamy Limousin, Festival 1001 Notes (a playful riff on the One Thousand and One Nights compendium of Arabian folklore) takes guests on a musical journey from medieval times to the modern day. Look forward to appearances from Barbara Hendricks, Philippe Jaroussky, Jean-François Zygel and Rosemary Standley this year, in some of the most attractive venues in this neck of the woods. A food truck will also be on hand


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