Festivals of the summer in France
As we approach the height of the summer season it’s worth having a look at some of the wonderful cultural festivals that are taking place over on the opposite side of the English Channel in the next few months.
And with P&O Ferries operating cheap deals between Dover and Calais this summer it’s easy to pack a tent, hop in your car and head to some of France’s most beautiful locations for a feast of wonderful music.
Whereas in Britain we tend to associate our summer festivals with large amounts of outdoor beer consumption whilst listening to live rock music, over in France they seem to take a much more cultural approach to the seasonal festivities.
For example, in Lyon we have a two month long festival from June to August, called Les Nuits de Fourviére, which is hailed as a demanding multi-disciplinary programme of theatre, dance, music and film.
Meanwhile in Beaune, Burgundy there is a wonderful festival that runs between 3 – 26 July called Festival International d’opéra baroque de Beaune which delivers a fantastic series of concerts featuring Opera and what is known locally as ‘sacred music’.
More classical music can be found in Nancy, Lorraine at the wonderfully named Nancyphonies – Festival de Nancy between 8 July and 5 August.
Over in Vallée de la Vézére, Limousin you’ll discover the Festival de la Vézére between 10 July and 21 August. This takes place in a pretty town along the banks of a river and features classical music including over 18 performances by renowkned soloists.
Still not satisfied? Ok then let’s move over to Normandy and the Heures Musicales de l’abbaye de Lessay in Lessay. This is quite a spectacular event that showcases some of the world’s greatest performers in both religious and secular classical and baroque music. It runs from 13 July to 20 August.
Finally, although there are many more that I could mention, a quick nod to the Festival d’lle de France, which runs between 4 September and 11 October and consists of around 30 concerts in various historic venues, featuring music from baroque to jazz.
The whole of France is alive with music at this time of year and the best way to get to them, many in rural locations, is by car – so have a look at our offers page for more information about getting a cheap ferry to France with P&O Ferries.
Image credit: Thierry
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