Still Light and Bright at 10 p.m....
in the City of Light During Fête de la Musique (2009)
Parler Paris Nouvellettre®
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 • Paris, France
Paris seems to be every bit as cold and 'gloomy' as Los Angeles this same time of year. In fact, every "Fête de la Musique" ends up a bit chilly and damp, much to everyone's dismay. Let's hope this year's event is different.
The festival is the highlight of the ensuing summer, kicked off on the longest day of the year -- Summer Solstice, this coming Monday, June 21st. This year's sundown in Paris will take place as late as 9:58 p.m.! This is the 29th edition, having begun in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, and is now held in more than hundred countries in Europe and over the world.
If you've never experienced it, it's a public event where musicians are asked to perform for free, and all the concerts are free for the public. Venues can be open air on the streets, in the parks, in public buildings and of course, in all sorts of private venues, such as cafés, bars and clubs. Regardless, it's definitely an evening where the entire population takes to the streets, plans on wining and dining on route along the way and generally enjoys the festive atmosphere. (Let's hope for better weather!)
To fully enjoy the festival, the best is (in my opinion) to choose an area which offers a variety of concerts that suit your tastes and then 'do the rounds' -- strolling from one to the other just to take it all in. Traditionally I end up in Le Marais, not only because it's my own neighborhood, but because it is endlessly packed with possibilities -- concerts of all types of music in all sorts of different venues.
Select your favorite route from the official Web site at: http://www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr ...but don't assume this is ALL there is to offer. These is just the official program, but the unofficial program means just about anything and everything could be presented to you along the way. ANYONE can come out and sing or play, just for the fun of it.
The Mairie de 3ème kicks off its annual "Soirs d'Eté" very year on the 21st of June with free open-air concerts in front of the district's City Hall, ending this year on July 14th with a "Bal du 14 Juillet" on the dance floor with "Dial." Take special note of the special events including "Disco Fiesta" and "Wake Up Your Phone." For the entire program, visit: http://www.mairie3.paris.fr/
As we get closer to Bastille Day (July 14th), you'll want to take note of the "Bals des Pompiers" -- the Firemen's Balls that take place across town in various fire stations and other venues on the 13th and 14th of July (what could be so bad about dancing your toesies off surrounded by handsome young men?) and then following all of the open-air cinema offerings, not to mention Paris Plage, the city's very own stretch of sand.
So, stay tuned for a fun-filled summer in the City of Long Lasting Light. If you haven't already made your plan to visit between now and the end of August, perhaps you should!
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(At last year's PSI Summer Institute, photo by Antonio Meza)
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P.S. Before it's too late, sign up for PSI Communications' Paris Summer Institute 2010 where you will be able to certify in NLP modeling! July 2 - 13 here in Paris. To learn more and to register visit adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/conference/
P.P.S. After the summer, I'm heading west to the good old U.S. of A. for a tour of some of my favorite cities, where I will be speaking about "Living the Dream to Live in France": Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland (with more perhaps to come!). Scroll down to learn more, mark your calendars to be there and make your reservations.
