The 23rd edition of the Inrocks Black XS music festival will take place in Paris, Lille, Nantes and Toulouse from November 3 to 9, 2010.

As usual, the festival’s line-up has focused on young talented artists and famous bands. The festival 2010 edition will present: Scissor Sisters, The Drums – who got famous this year with their single ‘Let’ s go surfin’-, LCD Sound System – this is the band’s last gig in France before they stop ! -, The Coral, Local Natives from California – stars of many festivals in England last summer -, La Patère Rose, previous member of Libertines Carl Barât, Anna Calvi, Monarchy and many others. This 23rd edition will also welcome special guest French artist Katerine, the man that nobody will prevent from eating bananas !

Useful Information:

Paris, Lille, Nantes and Toulouse line-up

Prices and concert halls

More information: Inrocks Black XS Music Festival – http://blogs.lesinrocks.com/festival-les-inrocks/

Source : Press release Les Inrocks Black XS

The Braderie de Lille is Europe’s largest flea market and certainly one of the most well-known events in France and abroad.

Every year, the first week-end of September, between one and two million visitors stroll up and down the streets of the city, entertained by music and the numerous performances . With a half-marathon on in the morning, Lille flea market officially starts on Saturday 4th September at 2 p.m. and ends the day after on Sunday 5th September at 11 p.m.

The city becomes a huge pedestrian area where thousands of retailers and secondhand goods dealers perpetuate both the sales tradition and celebration !

Enjoying a dish of “moules-frites” (mussels served with chips) has become a deeply-rooted tradition and is the subject of a contest between the city’s restaurants to see who can build the highest mountain of empty mussel shells. A must-see attraction !

More information: Lille Tourist Office - http://lilletourism.com

The European Film Festival of Lille, a major cultural in northern France, is back for its 26th edition. It will be held from February 26 to March 5, 2010 in Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing.

It has been 26 years since the Festival keeps on highlighting cinema, especially short films, through a large programme, prestigious jurys and a priviledged access to this kind of film, which still lacks in popularity.

This year, Aissa Maiga is to be the guest of honour of the festival. She started in French filmaker Cédric Klapish’s famous film Les Poupées Russes. Then, thanks to her role in Bamako, a film of Abderrahmane Sissako, she was one of the Most Promising Young Actress nominees for the César French Film Awards, in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

The Festival Highlights:

• The opening night will take place in UGC Ciné-Cité cinema, on Friday 26th February at 8 pm with special guest  Aissa Maiga. To honour the Spanish presidency of the EU Council, the theme of the evening will be focused on new Spanish talents. Four short films will be presented, including «Miente» by Isabel de Ocampo, who won the Goya Spanish Film Award in 2009 for the best short film. Afterwards, there will be a cocktail with tapas and other Spanish appetizers.
• The Short Film Night will take place in the Univers cinema, on Saturday 27th February. The programme : 5 screenings of 1h30, including this year’s European seclection short films.
• The closing night will also take place in UGC Ciné-Cité cinema, on Friday 5th March, at 8 pm. The winning short films will be shown and there will be a cocktail afterwards.

The Theme Nights:

Throughout the festival, themed screenings focused on “l’Europe dans tous ses Etats” will be offered. During a screening, a short film is followed by a feature film.

The theme nights programme :

• The History Boys by Nicholas Hytner -  Sunday 28th  February – Fresnoy cinema
• Sweet Sixteen by Ken Loach – Monday 1 st March – UGC cinema
• No man’s land by Danis Tanovic – Tuesday 2nd March – UGC cinema
• A casa nostra by Francesca Comenini – Wednesday 3rd March – UGC cinema
• De l’autre côté by Fatih Akin – Thursday 4th March – UGC cinema

Useful Information:

• The European Film Festival: From February 26 to March 5, 2010
• The 1st Short Film Night: on February 27 in Univers cinema, Lille’s art house
• On February 27 and 28 in Fresnoy cinema, Tourcoing’s art house
• From Marh 1 to 5 in Lille’s UGC cinema
• On March 3 in Roubaix’s  Duplex cinema

Prices:

For all screenings:

• Full price: €5
• Student and elderly peolple price: €4
• UGC cinema unlimited card holders: €2

Weekly Pass : all films, except for the closing night and the Short Film Night

• Full price: €20
• Student and elderly peolple price: €15

Opening and Closing Nights :

• Full price: €8
• Student and elderly peolple price: €7

More information: Européen Film Festival – www.filmcourt-lille.com

The Dunkerque carnival season has begun! Until March 6, the 2010 edition of the Dunkerque Carnival offers a whole lot of outstanding events. With a wild atmosphere, sometimes excessive, a genuine scenery and unique « masquelours », i.e. those who take part in the carnival floats, do not be afraid neither of the general hustle and bustle, nor of singing, laughing and having fun.

Famous accross France and in other countries, the sound of the 2010 Dunkerque Carnival’s bands and balls has already rung out throughout the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. For two and a half months, carnival people get together. Age, work and social class do not matter in what is called the « bande », i.e. the carnival float. The carnival is a big family and people cannot possibly miss such an event. Nevertheless, it is important to know what you are letting yourself in for:respect for tradition, knowing the songs and the  “rules” are crucial to gradually find your costume and take part in the parade.

Balls and Carnival Floats : a colourful programme !

Saturday 6^th February:

• Nuit de l’Escadre : organised by Les Corsaires, people like it for its « wild » atmosphere and its unique decor.

• Bande de Mardyck : « back from the beach » gathering, leaving at 4.15 pm.

Saturday 13^th February:

• Nuit de l’Oncle Cô : organised by Les P’tit Louis, this is is the official « Trois Joyeuses » opening ball since it takes place the night before the Bande de Dunkerque starts.

• Bande de la Basse Ville : meeting at Paris street corner and Verrerie street, leaving at 3 pm.

Sunday 14^th February:

• Nuit des Acharnés : organised by Les Acharnés

• The Dunkerque Fishermen Bande: meeting Place Vauban, leaving at 3 pm. Being the most impressive float of the Dunkerque carnival, this is a key moment of the « Trois Joyeuses » time.

Monday 15^th February:

• Bande de la Citadelle : meeting Quai de Risban, leaving at 4 pm.

Tuesday 16^th February:

• Bande de Rosendaël : meeting Place de l’Abbé Bonpain, leaving at 3 pm. More confidential, it is affected with the fact that it is traditionnaly organised on Shrove Tuesday and that many people work on that day ! In spite of this, every year thousands of people attend the event, especially after 6 pm.

Wednesday 17^th February:

• Bal enfantin des Chevaliers : organised by Les Chevaliers du XX^ème siècle (i.e. The 20^th century Knights), since its firts edition in 1984 it has been highly successful.

Saturday 20^th February:

• Bal des Gigolos et Gigolettes : organised by La Jeune France. Since 1921, this  ball has  been organised by the male choir society, which has about 60 members.

• Bande de Petite-Synthe : meeting Place Louis XIV, leaving at 3 pm.

Sunday 21^st February:

• Bal de la Violette : organised by the local firemen.

• Bande de Malo-les-Bains : meeting Place Ferdinand Schipman, leaving at 3 pm. Being close to the beach is the reason why people like this float.

Saturday 27^th February:

• Bal du Sporting : organised by Le Sporting, founded in 1864, this is certainly the carnival’s oldest ball.

Saturday 6^th March:

• Spring Ball : organised by Les Snustreraer, this is the closing ball of the carnival.

More information:

2010 Dunkerque Carnaval – http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/fr/je-vis-adunkerque/carnaval-dunkerque/index.html

Until February 22, 2010, The Fine Arts Museum of Lille presents the E.Motion Graphique exhibition, which makes the link between classical drawing and international contemporary graphic art.

For this occasion, nearly 160 drawings taken from the renowned collection of the Fine Arts Museum of  Lille will be shown, some of which have never been presented before to the public.

This exhibition focuses on genres and subjects found in painting such as portraits, decors, academic nudes and draperies in order to reveal the aesthetic and technical links between classical drawings and animated films.

The originality of drawings from the sixteenth to the twentieth century (such as Raphael, Watteau, David, Delacroix, Fantin-Latour, Matisse, but also anonymous artists …) will be highlighted by contemporary graphic design (such as video-clips illustrating the music of Radiohead, Antony, David Bowie, Björk…, films of graphic designers’ associations H5 Blackheart Gang, Blip Boutique, Squint Opera…) and will show what the art of the twentieth and twenty-first century owes to the act of drawing itself.

More information:

Lille Fine Arts Museum: www.pba-lille.fr

Lille Tourist Office: www.lilletourism.com

Come and attend one of the numerous Christmas festivals.

To access some of them the entry fee can be a toy so that the most disadvantaged children can have a present for Christmas. Others will even make your toys. Others will make you dance (metal, rock, etc.).

Let’s discover our selection !

« Les rockeurs ont du cœur » Festival in Nantes…

… is a three day concert festival taking place in three different places. The entry fee is a €10 toy. The toys collected will be given out to the region’s disadvantaged children by French charity « Les Restos du Cœur ».

The programme : well known French artists and bands such as Jeanne Cherhal, Chasseloup, Monsieur Mouch, Lili Marto, Le mystère des voix de garage and a guest star…

More information:

« Les Rockeurs ont du Cœur » Festival : www.lesrockeurs.com

For toys lovers…

« Noël au Pays du Jouet » Festival in the Jura region

« Noël au Pays du Jouet » is an artistic, educational and playful event especially dedicated to children and takes place from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th December.

This event conveys the cultural identity of the region with an original programme : more than 30 shows with a focus on tales, music, puppet shows and creations from a dozen artists (Zic Zazou, Carton Louf, 7Zarts, Les Zanimos, Gérard Dalton, etc.).

Educational and playful workshops for children (from 4 years old) will stress on discovering, creating and experimenting. At the end of the workshop session, the children will be able to take their work with them as a souvenir of this memorable event.

The Christmas market remains a must-see attraction with local foods and items, brass bands, cultural exhibitions and many other surprises.

More information:

Office de tourisme Jura Sud : www.jurasud.net

Contact : office.tourisme@jurasud.net

Adresse : 2, place Robert Monnier – 39260 Moirans-en-Montagne

Phone : +33 3.84.42.31.57

And also…

Limoges 17^th Christmas Festival :

This festival, organised by the execution management association and the local cultural centre, is dedicated to discovering metal music on December 18^th and 19^th at the John Lennon cultural centre.

The programme:

December 18^th: let’s rock with local groups such as Dark Night, Exorciser, Unsafe, Land of Unicorn and Jam’s année 80

December 19^th: Top billing folk-metal band ELUVEITIE will make you tremble as well as progressive trash modern band HACRIDE, trash death metal band DESTINY and also two guest stars !

Prices:

€20 full price

€17 with a booking and for the members of the cultural centre

More information:

Cultural Centre: +33 5.55.06.24.83

The « Jeune Public » Festival in Serre Chevalier, from December 21^st to 25^th

For one week, the town of Serre Chevalier will be fully decorated for Christmas and will give way to imagination, dream in relation with the theme of Santa Claus. The « Jeune Public » festival, this year focused on « the Wonderful World of Christmas », is the opportunity to discover every year renowned artists for children.

More information :

Serre Chevalier Tourist Office: www.serre-chevalier.com

Phone: +33 4.92.25.55.00

Rock for Christmas, December 19^th in Berck sur Mer

The Rock en Stock association offers an international programme with 4 bands: PAPERBACK FREUD, a heavy rock’n'roll Swedish band ; DEE’N DEE, a French band ; JOHN CARRIE, an Irish band (mix of rock, pop, blues and roots) ; LES SPLENDIFICS, a French band.

Entry: €5, on-site booking

Phone: +33 6.48.71.38.79

More information:

Association Rock en Stock : www.rockenstock.org

]]> http://www.toorismag.com/en/christmas-festivals-let%e2%80%99s-dream-let%e2%80%99s-help/feed/ 0 http://www.toorismag.com/en/nord-pas-de-calais-the-calais-lace-and-fashion-museum/ http://www.toorismag.com/en/nord-pas-de-calais-the-calais-lace-and-fashion-museum/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:00:38 +0000 Toorismag team http://www.toorismag.com/en/?p=329

The Lace and Fashion Museum of Calais, which recently opened in June 2009, presents lace-making know-how and techniques, its economic and social history, use, but also its most contemporary aspects.

The museum is located in one of Calais’s largest 1870s factories. The architects, Moatti and Rivière, chose to show the project’s modernity by building a swaying modern glass silkscreen printed front wall on the factory, thus being similar to lace. Its design reminds indeed the Jacquard cartons of the Leavers weaving looms. More than 7.800 m2 will be dedicated to lace making.

The 2.500 m2 permanent exhibition presents five areas:

• Hand lace making
• Calais lace industry
• Jobs related to mechanical lace making and the production workshop with four operating Leavers weaving looms
• Fashion and lace in the twentieth century
• Lace of today and tomorrow

An auditorium, a fashion show area and a documentation centre are available.

There are also several workshops for learning lace making techniques, fashion and design or how taking good care of lace. The Lace Museum also offers workshops for younger ones, a shop, a restaurant and an area dedicated to the profession. Regular exhibitions will be scheduled for both amateurs and professionals.

More information:

Calais Lace and Fashion Museum: www.citedentelle.calais.fr

Pas-de-Calais Tourist Office: www.pas-de-calais.com

]]> http://www.toorismag.com/en/nord-pas-de-calais-the-calais-lace-and-fashion-museum/feed/ 0 http://www.toorismag.com/en/nord-pas-de-calais-unusual-event-sand-sculptures-in-touquet-beach/ http://www.toorismag.com/en/nord-pas-de-calais-unusual-event-sand-sculptures-in-touquet-beach/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:38:48 +0000 Toorismag team http://www.toorismag.com/en/?p=282

Until 30 August 2009, dozens of sculptors from all over the world will work on a specific theme for the year 2009: the History of France. The TOUQUET ROYAL is an exhibition of sand sculptures on the Touquet embankment, which will make visitors travel through France and the secret history of its kings. This will be the opportunity to discover an amazing portrait gallery with sometimes people having a funny destiny, often tormented and always unique. From the coronation of Clovis in 481 to 1848, when Louis-Philippe I abdicates, this exhibition shows nearly 1400 years of monarchy and is structured around four major periods of French History: the Middle Ages, Renaissance, the Bourbon’s monarchy and finally the period going from the Empire to the Republic.

New in 2009:

The “workshops” will enable you to build your own sculptures in a team! A sculptor will show you how to create a sculpture according to a theme you will have chosen.

Prices:

Adults: € 7.50
Seniors / Students: € 6.50
Children 6-11 years old: € 4.50

More information:

Pas de Calais Tourist Office: www.pas-de-calais.com