The very first Impressionist Normandy Festival, is the occasion to explore the roots of one of the most important art movements of art history. This major cultural event of Summer celebrates Impressionism until September throughout the regions of Upper and Lower Normandy.

Revealing Impressionism in all its Forms

Visitors will have the opportunity to discover the exceptional cultural heritage and all the creative talent of Normandy, homeland of the Impressionist movement. Many festivities, whether directly linked to Impressionism and its time or perpetuating its avant-garde spirit, are being designed to enchant residents, summer visitors, fans and art amateurs from all corners of the world.

Painting, contemporary art, music, cinema, theatre, danse, photography, video, literature, lectures, light and sound displays, picnics in the spirit of déjeuners sur l’herbe, outdoor balls, and more: the Impressionist Normandy Festival is as rich as it is diverse. It offers a programme which is open to everyone and to all forms of artistic expression. More than 200 events in homage to Impressionism will take place in Normandy at the initiative of museums, local government councils, institutions, individuals and associations.

Heading up the festival is the much awaited exhibition, “Une ville pour l’Impressionnisme: Monet, Pissarro, Gauguin à Rouen” (“A City for Impressionism: Monet, Pissarro, Gauguin in Rouen”). The Fine Arts Museum of Rouen presents a number of outstanding works from worldwide public and private collections. Many of them are masterpieces which have never been exhibited in France.

Useful information:

Dates : From June 5 to September 29, 2010

Location: The festival takes place in the regions of Upper and Lower Normandy in tens of towns and cities.

The 2010 programme: on 2010: http://www.normandie-impressionniste.fr/en/programmation

More information: Impressionist Normandy Festival – www.normandie-impressionniste.fr

Source : Press release dp_anglais_bd

Both snoopy and hungry, full of surprises and curious, “Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats” music festival 27th anniversary promises to be a unique event !

“Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats” festival will be held on June 25 and 26, in Evreux, Normandy, and will offer two days of music, solidarity, merry-making and happiness with bare feet on the grass.  The show will be special and unique with a lot of artists to discover and filled with emotions, this is for sure.

From heavenly and cosmic rock to staggering electro music, a finger in the plug, another pointed to the sky to Michael Jackson or Patrick Topaloff, who knows…

Once again this year, the festival maintains its core values : sharing, conviviality and responsibility. Its collaboration with WWF is on the rise. The Eco-Event Label has been created and shows its commitment to reduce the environmental footprint and to keep up the festival’s eco-responsibility.

This year’s line-up : Babyshambles / Rock, Pony Pony Run Run / Electro Pop, Les Tambours du Bronx / Drums, Jeff Lang / Blues, Renan Luce / French music, Jamaica / Electro Pop, Suicidal Tendencies / Trash Metal, Infectious Grooves / Fusion Metal, Bang Bang Eche / Electro Rock, The Black Box Revelation / Rock, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 / Electro, The Black Keys /Blues, Fm Belfast / Electro Pop, The Patriotic Sunday / Pop, and so many more ! Click here for the complete line-up

Useful information:

Location: Evreux, Normandy – Hippodrome de Navarre

Dates et opening time:

• Friday, June 25 | opening at 4.30 pm, closing at 3 am
• Saturday, June 26 | opening at 3 pm, closing at 3 am

Prices:

• Pre-Booking : 1 day €35  / 2 days €48
• Reduced price : students and special FNAC members: 2 days €40
• On the festival : 1 day €39 / 2 days €52

Information please call +33 2 32 31 86 80

More information: “Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats” music festival – www.lerock.org

Source : press release”Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats 2010″

Music Day, also known in other countries as World Music Day, is held every year in France. This year, for its 29th anniversary, the event will put the spotlight on women… So let’s meet on Monday 21st June !

Be they music composers , opera singers, conductors, street singers, songwriters or DJs, the focus will be put on their creativity, their struggles and the deep and true nature of their music.

Since ancient times, women have always been an endless source of inspiration that has inspired the greatest melodies. Muses, singers or musicians, they take a leading part in the practice of this art. In order to pay a tribute to them, the 29th edition of Music Day in France will be focused on “music and women”.

This unifying theme will provide an opportunity for all artists, whether they are amateurs or professionals, to celebrate Music Day and women by interpreting compositions made by or for women … A large selection in prospect !

For one day and one night, French cities and towns will be swept away by all kinds of music, with concerts, free events and also the possibility of discovering amateur music players or singers in pubs and cafés.

More information: 2010 Music Day – www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr

Source: presse release “Fête de la Musique 2010″

Spring will soon be here and so does the festival season ! Without necessarily giving you an comprehensive list, here is an overview to our selection of France’s coming festivals…

• In April:

Printemps de Bourges, from April 13 to 18, will start proudly the festival season by celebrating its 34th anniversary. More info: http://www.printemps-bourges.com/en/home/welcome.php

• In June:

Hellfest open air, from June 18 to 20 for its 5th edition in Clisson, Western France. This 2010 edition already promises to be THE  major metal event ever organised in France! More info: www.hellfest.fr

Solidays, from June 25  to 27, at the Longchamps-Paris racecourse, this festival will bring together many artists all commited to the fight against AIDS. More info: www.solidays.org

• In July:

Eurockéennes of Belfort, from July 2 to 4 : this rock festival will bring together 80 artists on 5 different stages. The must-see artists: Jay-Z, Mika, The Hives, Charlotte Gainsbourg. More info: www.festival.eurockeennes.fr

The Avignon Theatre Festival from July 7 to 27, is a major and must-attend event of the european art life. For 3 weeks, this the festival will please theatre lovers with its 64th edition.  More info: www.festival-avignon.com

Francofolies, from July 13 to 17 , in La Rochelle, western France. New places, new names, new artists on stage to give you more fun and emotions!  The must-see artists: Phœnix, Diam’s, Émilie Simon, Cœur de Pirate. More info: www.francofolies.fr

Vieilles Charues, from July 15 to 18, in Carhaix, Brittany. The must-see artists: Muse, Mika, Indochine, Alain Souchon. More info: www.vieillescharrues.asso.fr

Musilac, from July 16 to 18, in Aix-Les-Bains, Esplanade du Lac, southern France, will celebrate its 9th anniversary. The must-see artists: Pony Pony Run Run, M, ZZ Top, Peter Doherty, Luke, Indochine, Cœur de Pirate. More info: www.musilac.com

• In August:

Route du Rock, will take place from August 13 to 15, in Saint Malo – Le Fort Saint Père, Brittany, for its 20th edition. The must-see artists: Massive Attack, The Flamming Lips, Yann Tiersen. More info: www.laroutedurock.com

Rock en Seine, will be held in the Saint Cloud gardens from August 27 to 29 for its 8th edition. The must-see artists: Blink 182, Arcade Fire, Cypress Hill, Queens of the Stone Age, The Kooks, Foals and  Massive Attack. More info: www.rockenseine.com

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day (March 8th) and the World Poetry Day (March 21st), this 12^th edition of the Poetry Festival « Le Printemps des Poètes » in France will focus on the theme of women.

The inauguration evening will take place on Monday, March 8 at the Opéra Comique, with Dominique Blanc, Brigitte Fontaine and Carolyn Carlson.

Celebrated throughout France, the event will especially highlight the work of Andrée Chedid with the 2^nd Andree Chedid’s sung poem contest with Matthieu Chedid as the  president of the jury. The actress Dominique Blanc will be the sponsor of the event.

An original exhibition, entitled “au fil des mots”, will present a selection of poems having a focus on the theme of hope, body and love. These poems have been reinterpreted by designers and artists who bring their own graphic layout of a short text. The set will be embroidered by women of Swaziland, sick of HIV. This work will give them an income. About thirty works will be exhibited throughout the year 2010.

More information:

2010 Poetry Festival: www.printempsdespoetes.com

The Castle-Museum of Dieppe presents until February 28^th, 2010 a major exhibition that has brought together for the first time renowned painters who traveled throughout the Dieppe region from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.

This major exhibition shows works of art which depict the city and its surroundings with well known artists: Corot, Isabey, Garneray, Renoir, Boudin, Pissarro, Monet, Braque and many others.

Paintings, watercolors and ink drawings have been brought together to show the town of  Dieppe in all its different lights through a selection of paintings. These aim at showing the changing styles and looks over the city from the eighteenth to the twentieth century: the activity of the fishing harbour, the view from up the cliffs or the typical fishermen’s area. The surroundings such as Arques-la-Bataille as well as the villages of Pourville and Varengeville will also be shown.

Renowned Western artists will be represented: from Joseph Vernet to the Impressionists such as Claude Monet, who used to go to Pourville beach, without forgetting the Symbolists like René Ménard, who spent much time in Varengeville and Georges Braque who set up his studio.

British painters who came to Dieppe, first seaside resort in France, will be represented, including Clarkson Stanfield, Walter Sickert and other more recent artists such Nicholas Horsfield and David Morris.

However, along with internationally renowned artists, the exhibition is also the opportunity to discover less known painters but who left worthwhile works of art: Elodie La Villette, Francis Auburtin, Théodore Broutel and Victor Gilbert.

Plus d’informations :

Office du Tourisme de Dieppe : www.dieppetourisme.com

]]> http://www.toorismag.com/en/painting-exhibition-in-dieppe/feed/ 0 http://www.toorismag.com/en/autumn-in-normandy-festival/ http://www.toorismag.com/en/autumn-in-normandy-festival/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:55:16 +0000 Toorismag team http://www.toorismag.com/en/?p=472

Until November 26, 2009, the fourth annual Autumn in Normandy Festival (Automne en Normandie Festival) will be November’s key cultural event in Haute-Normandie region. Nearly fifty music, theater and dance performances will be organised. During this festival you will have also the opportunity to explore the world of circus and visual arts.

Autumn in Normandy and is an invitation to discover the creations of today’s great artists. The festival’s programme holds many surprises and will be diversified : Bartabas horses, the “Transatlantic” recital of female singer Ute Lemper, dance performances from Germany, a remake of William Shakespeare’s plays and many more ! The festival is a chance for associations and amateurs in the region to show their talent and creativity, especially during festive occasions such as the Grande Veillée in Evreux, and the A Bon Port weekend, in Dieppe. Many debates will be also part of this cultural event and you will get to meet artists and to discover the festival’s backstage.

More information:

Automne en Normandie festival : www.automne-en-normandie.com

]]> http://www.toorismag.com/en/autumn-in-normandy-festival/feed/ 0 http://www.toorismag.com/en/haute-normandie-focus-on-veules-les-roses-a-lovely-town-seine-maritime/ http://www.toorismag.com/en/haute-normandie-focus-on-veules-les-roses-a-lovely-town-seine-maritime/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:30:08 +0000 Toorismag team http://www.toorismag.com/en/?p=287

Since the 4th century, the town of Veules-les-Roses, in Seine-Maritime area, has been located in the hollow of a valley, which ends on a cliff and leads to the sea. You will be definitely seduced by its charming seafront, its rich heritage and its forest, which is crossed by France’s smallest river: the Veules. Along the river Veules, you will find remains of its history carved in stone with a varied architecture: mills, resort-style villas, flowery cottages and a registered historic church. And, at the river’s mouth, there is a wide beach, which, at each low tide, offers an endless leisure area with an amazing landscape of cliffs under the light of Normandy skies.

All year round you will be able to enjoy beautiful walks along the river Veules (1194 meters), which used to drive the wheel of 11 mills. From the river sources, you will walk along the watercress beds, which hide many birds and you will pass the bridge to observe trouts. You will also discover the local oyster (huître veulaise), first oyster in Seine-Maritime region to be raised out at sea.

More information:

Veules-les-Roses Tourist Office: www.veules-les-roses.fr

Seine Maritime Tourist Office: www.seine-maritime-tourisme.com

Less than 2 hours from Paris in the Eure area, the Vernier swamp is one of the most picturesque sites in Normandy. In the Natural Regional Park of the Norman part of the river Seine, this former dry meander offers a unique natural landscape over nearly 12,355 acres. Thanks to its microclimate, this environment is prone to an exceptional abundant fauna and a wild flora. Many species and migratory birds can be observed. Thus, ospreys, grey herons, white storks and peregrine falcons live alongside Scottish cows and Camargue horses, all which act as natural gardeners in the swamp. Apple trees full of flowers, cows in the meadows, … The months of April and May are ideal to take the Thatched Cottage Route, which criss-crosses the Vernier Swamp, and discover Normandy’s most beautiful landscapes. Along a 53 kilometre signposted route, either on foot, by bike or by car, while taking a look at “Courtils” (small garden of a peasant’s house) and beautiful orchards, the Thatched Cottage Route has the most beautiful examples of typical architecture cottages, i.e. thatched and timbered cottage houses, blooming reeds and iris on thatched roofs, etc.

On May 1st, the Festival of Stamping takes place in the village of the Vernier Swamp. This traditional festival, which dates back to the 18th century and still exists nowadays, consists in marking the animals’ hooves with red iron, before being put out to pasture.

More information:

Eure Tourist Office: www.eure-tourisme.fr