IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, MÉDIÉVALES DE PROVINS
FESTIVALS 2023 THE GUIDE
Château Fort de Sedan, this festival celebrates all things medieval, including sword fighting, banquets, fire-eating, wrestling and a children’s party. Perfect for peasants, wenches and nobility alike.
www.chateau-fort-sedan.fr
Feria de Nîmes May 24–29 & September 15–17, 2023 It’s one of the only opportunities to see bullfighting on French soil. The Feria de Nîmes, staged in early summer and autumn, may be divisive but it’s very much part of this Languedoc- Roussillon city’s heritage. There are also parades, fireworks, outdoor bars and nightclubs, concerts and bull runs, all centred around the Roman amphitheatre.
www.nimes-tourisme.com
Fêtes de la Saint-Louis Late August 2023 (tbc) Two enormous rowing boats full of strapping young
festival in the Loir-et-Cher town of Chaumont-sur-Loire as a “laboratory for contemporary garden and landscape design worldwide”. The festival director asks: “An artwork? A nourishing vegetable garden? A therapeutic space? A showcase for organic cultivation? Can the ideal garden unite all our expectations and requirements, whether philosophical, aesthetic, ecological or gustatory? “Can it be beautiful, good, organic, healing, comforting, innovative, and water- and energy-efficient all at the same time, and above all glorify harmony and taste, and generate wellbeing and happiness?” To find out you’ll have to join the many thousands of green-fingered enthusiasts who visit this festival’s fabulous gardens, exhibitions and art installations every year.
domaine-chaumont.fr
“THE BEAUTIFUL MEDIEVAL TOWN OF PROVINS IS THE BACKDROP TO ALL THESE CELEBRATIONS”
La Nuit des Chimères July 1–September 9, 2023 Some of France’s very best light artists shine brightly at La Nuit des Chimères, the annual light show in Le Mans’ Cité Plantagenêt. Wander round the old town after sunset and you’ll be treated to moving light projections on the walls, staircases and façades of the glorious buildings. Don’t miss the Saint-Julien cathedral and the Gallo-Roman city wall, which are especially impressive.
www.sarthetourisme.com
Les Médiévales de Provins June 10–11, 2023
“The biggest medieval festival in France,” is how the
organisers describe it. That’s a bold claim, but when you see the knights, wenches, dancers, musicians, minstrels, acrobats, jousters,
troubadours and fire-eaters, all of whom bring this joyous festival alive, you’ll see why. The beautiful medieval town of Provins (a UNESCO World Heritage Site southeast of Paris) is the backdrop to all these celebrations, including a concert, a ball and a parade through the streets with 700 people in medieval costume.
provins-medieval.com
Festival Médiéval de Sedan May 2024 (dates tbc) Centred around the magnificent and enormous
oarsmen and women row full speed towards each other while one brave soul on each boat tries to dislodge his counterpart into the water with a long jousting pole. It’s called water jousting and it’s been going on in the Languedoc-Roussillon town of Sète since the 1600s. It’s the focal point of the annual Saint-Louis Festival, whose festivities also include street shows and bodegas.
en.tourisme-sete.com/la-saint-
louis.html
GARDEN FESTIVALS Festival International des Jardins April 25–November 5, 2023 The organisers describe this
MUSIC FESTIVALS Festival Django Reinhardt June 22–25, 2023
Named after the legendary Belgian jazz guitarist (who famously damaged his playing fingers in a fire in his Romani caravan), this festival in the park at the Château de Fontainebleau features artists such as Gregory Porter, Thomas Dutronc, Fatoumata Diawara and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Day passes start at €34; four-day tickets €110. www.festivaldjangoreinhardt. com
Yesterday & Today Festival July 20–22, 2023
The third edition of this classical music festival ❯❯
Jun/Jul 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 123
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