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ANGELA
BIRD'S |
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Northern France |
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WHAT'S ON IN NORTHERN FRANCE |
July 2012
(entries in red indicate new additions)
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PLEASE NOTE This website
is a supplement to Angela Bird's guidebook, Northern France: What to do and see within 90 minutes of Calais (left),
which gives full details in its 176 pages of hundreds of interesting and
off-beat tourist sites throughout the region. |
The listings on this site are supplied in
good faith, gathered by the author from various sources. However it is always wise to check
details with organisers or tourist offices before making a special journey. Official county identifications: |
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Until 1 July 2012 |
Main
Square Festival Simple Minds, The Kooks, Revolver and The
Maccabees are among those appearing in concert at this town-centre music
festival. Bizarrely – consideringits name – the event is not held
in either of the town’s magnificent squares, but in the mighty citadel. Admission 59€ per day; 3-day pass 135€ |
Citadelle, Arras, 62 |
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Until 3 July 2012 |
Le Jardin des Boves The
annual three-month summer period when the tunnels beneath the tourist office
of Arras take on a new air, being filled with growing plants and strange
music. This year’s theme is the
Gardens of Versailles. |
Office de Tourisme, Hôtel de Ville, Place
des Héros, Arras 62 |
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Until late July |
Les Soldes / Sales! This
is the official period for which French shops are authorised to hold
sales. Make the most of it! |
Throughout France |
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Until 3 Sept 2012 |
Paris-Plage et les Etaplois au Siecle Dernier Exhibition celebrating 100 years of the
existence of the resort of Le Touquet, examining its relationship with the
nearby fishing port of Etaples. |
Maison des Phares (lighthouse), Avenue des
Phares, Le Touquet 62 |
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Until 9 Sept 2012 |
Jaume Plensa, 2000-2011 Exhibition
of works on paper by a Spanish-born artist who has been working for a decade
on the subject of language, the human body and collective memory. |
Musée du dessin et de l’estampe originale,
Gravelines, 59 |
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Until 15 Sept 2012 |
« Amiens, la cathédrale en couleurs » The summer light show,
at nightfall, bringing to colourful life the wonderfully-carved medieval sculptures
on the West Front of the cathedral. Not to be missed! Daily:
June 10.45pm; July 10.30pm; Aug 10pm; Sept 9.45pm. Free; no booking required. |
Cathedral, Amiens, 80 |
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Until 15 Sept 2012 |
Centre Pompidou Mobile Paris’s famous museum of modern art takes
some of its works on tour to the provinces. Presented here in a temporary structure
on the old ferry port is an exhibition entitled “La couleur”, which includes
works by great modern masters such as Léger, Braque, Matisse, Picasso ou
Calder. Tues-Fri 4.30-7pm (from 7 July,
noon-7pm); Sat, Sun 9am-7pm. Admission free. |
Gare Maritime, Boulogne-sur-Mer, 62 |
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Until 16 Sept 2012 |
Dessiner-Tracer Museums throughout the region are runnigng exhibitions
linked to the theme of drawing.
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LAAC, Dunkerque, 59 (car parking on
Rue des Chantiers de France). Tel : 03 28 29 56 00. |
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Until 17 Sept 2012 |
14-18 : Les Femmes Sur Un Autre Front Exhibition about the role of women in Etaples during
the Great War. Photographs and archaeological material show the large extent
to which women worked, in the many British military hospitals sited here and
the redoubtable training camp that existed here for Allied soldiers on the
way to the Front. |
Musee Quentovic, Etaples 62 |
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Until 30 Sept 2012 |
La marine étaploise, vues d'artistes
(1880-1914) Exhibition of paintings by some of the
artists that have fallen under the spell of this fishing village since the 19th
century. The railways made
Etaples accessible to an international set of painters from Paris, who
congregated here in a group known as the Ecole d’Etaples. Works from the museum’s collection
include paintings by Balande; Maillart, Koopmann; Hallez; and the group’s
most famous member, Tattegrain. |
Musee de la Marine, Etaples 62 |
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Until 7 Dec 2012 |
Albert Siffait de Moncourt et l'éloge du
Patrimoine Moncourt, born in 1858, was a specialist
in historical painting, especially subjects featuring the heritage of the
nearby region of Ponthieu. Wed-Sat
10-12 & 2-6. Closed Tues. Admission 4 euros. |
Musee Roger Rodiere, Pl St Walloy, Montreuil,
62 |
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Until Jan 2013 |
Babel Exhibition demonstrating the artistic
richness based on the theme of the Tower of Babel – the most celebrated
architectural allegory in art. Painting and photography, film and comic
strips illustrate multiple facets of the Babylonian myth. |
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille, 59 |
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Until 10 Nov 2013 |
Roulez
Carosses! Exhibition of royal carriages and other
grand conveyances from the magnificent collection of the Chateau de
Versailles. They include paintings, sculptures, sleighs, sedan chairs,
harness. Wed-Mon 11-6; closed bank
holidays such as 14 July. Admission 7 euros |
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Abbaye St-Vaast, Arras,
62 |
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1 July |
Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme A moving ceremony is held each year at Lochnagar
Crater, starting at 7.30am – the time of the British attack. |
La Boisselle, near Albert, 80;
also Thiepval & Beaumont-Hamel. 80 |
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1 July 2012 |
Comice Agricole Agricultural
show, with farm animals, poultry, local food and customs. |
Enguinegatte, near St-Omer 62 |
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Early July |
Son
et lumière on the Somme
Since 2006 the village of Pozières
has mounted a night-time sound and light show on a WWI theme. Many
thousands–particularly Australians–died in the area between 1916
and 1918. |
Pozieres, near
Albert, 80. |
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30 June-1 July 2012 |
Fêtes Guillaume Two
days of festivities throughout this medieval town to celebrate the memory of
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who set off from this port to
conquer England in October 1066. |
St-Valéry-sur-Somme 80 |
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1 July 2012 |
Rederie de Longpré Brocante/car-boot
fair, with more than 100 stalls, in an attractive village on the south side
of the rivedr Somme. |
Longpré-les- Corps Saints, nr Amiens 80 |
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8 July 2012 |
Brocante de Godewaresvelde
Junk fair in this attractive Flanders village, near the Belgian
border.
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Godewaersvelde, near Steenvoorde 59 |
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7-15 July 2012 |
Folklores
du Monde World music and colourful performances by
dancers and musicians from many lands. |
Bray-Dunes, near Dunkerque. 59 |
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14 July |
FETE NATIONALE |
Throughout France |
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14 July |
Vide-grenier
Enormous annual
Bastille-Day car-boot sale throughout the streets of Montreuil. |
Montreuil, 62 |
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14 July |
Brocante
Annual junk fair in
this pretty little town near Desvres. |
Samer,
near Desvres 62 |
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21, 22 July 2012 |
Fête Médiévale
Medieval festivities and
activities on the site of the Battle of Agincourt. 10am-6pm. |
Azincourt, near Fruges, 62 |
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27-30 July, & early
Aug 2012 |
Son
et Lumière “ Les Misérables à Montreuil-sur-Mer” Enjoyable open-air show within the walls of the
citadel, telling the story of Victor Hugo’s visit to the town and of his epic
novel “Les Misérables”. Book tickets in advance through Montreuil tourist
office. Starts 10.30pm. Admission 15
euros, children 9 euros. |
Montreuil 62 |
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29 July 2012 |
Cortege Nautique sur l’Aa Water-borne
procession of traditional boats in the picturesque district of Haut-Pont,
along the river Aa to the west of St-Omer’s railway station. |
St-Omer 62 |
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