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CULTURE

Don’t miss these French cultural events in June 2022

France has a jam-packed cultural calendar next month. Here's our pick of some of the best events on the agenda.

Published: 28 May 2022 18:27 CEST
The gothic basilica of Saint-Denis will host one of the best classical showcases in France this year.
The gothic basilica of Saint-Denis will host one of the best classical showcases in France this year. (Photo by PIERRE VERDY / AFP)

The month of June will huge array of cultural events across France.

Whatever your tastes, you are certain to find a couple of gems.  

  • Festival de Saint-Denis (Saint-Denis) 

Set largely in the stunning Basilica de Saint-Denis, considered one of the oldest Gothic structures in the world, the Festival de Saint-Denis is running throughout the month of June. Visitors can pick and choose from a range of world-class classical concerts as well as a number of other performances from acts such as French hip-hop veteran MC Solaar. You can find the full schedule and ticketing information here. 

  • We Love Green (Paris)

In recent years the We Love Green music festival has cemented its position as one of the best in France. Tens of thousands of people have already booked tickets to this year’s event which will run on June 2, 4 and 5. It’s line-up includes stars of the francophone world including Aya Nakamura, Angèle and Christine & The Queens, as well as international heavyweights like Tyler The Creator, Disclosure and Action Bronson. The 2022 edition will also include an ‘ideas lab’ dedicated to discussions around environmental innovation, stand-up comedy sets and special workshops for kids. You can book tickets here. 

Aya Nakamura is one of the star performers set to perform at this year's We Love Green festival.

Aya Nakamura is one of the star performers set to perform at this year’s We Love Green festival. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)
  • Rendez-vous aux jardins (Nationwide)

This will be the 19th edition of the Rendez-vous aux jardins, an annual event organised by the French culture ministry. More than 2,000 gardens across France will open up and host workshops, concerts and discussions aimed at cultivating a greater understanding of the natural world. This year the event will be held from June 3-5 – you can find an activity close to you via this interactive map. 

  • D-Day Festival Normandy (Normandy)

The Allied landings in Normandy on June 6 1944 marked the beginning of the end of the end of WW2. To mark the event, the Normandy tourism office organises a series of more than events every year, around this time, for visitors to “celebrate freedom”. There are guided walks, reenactments, swing music shows, antique fairs and many more activities to take part in. You can find our more about the programme here. 

  • 24 Heures du Mans (Le Mans)

Petrol heads will not want to miss out on the 24 hour race at Le Mans. Beginning on June 11, the 90th edition of this ultimate test of mental endurance will see drivers from around the world compete for glory – the winning car is the one that covers the greatest distance within the time limit. It is the oldest such event in the world. You can buy various ticket packages here. 

Drivers prepare for the 24-hour race in Le Mans

Drivers prepare for the 24-hour race in Le Mans (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
  • Hellfest (Clisson)

Running over two weekends in June (17-19 and 23-26), Hellfest is one of the premier metal concerts on the continent. From classic acts like Guns n’ Roses and Metallica, to more contemporary ones such as Bring Me The Horizon and Five Finger Death Punch, there is enough variety to satisfy all fans of a distorted riff and ‘drop D’ tuning. You can find a full line-up as well as ticketing information here. 

  • Versailles Masquerade Ball (Versailles) 

Been wondering what to do with that Marie Antoinette-style dress or 18th-century aristocrat’s get up? Then this is the event for you. The annual masked ball in the orangerie of the palace of Versailles is scheduled for June 18th and there are a handful of tickets are still available here. DJs, dancers and performing artists will make this a baroque party to remember. 

Revellers enjoy the masquerade ball in Versailles

Revellers enjoy the masquerade ball in Versailles (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
  • Fête de la Musique (Nationwide) 

This is a massive annual celebration in France and takes place on June 21st. It consists of tens of thousands of parties with live bands and DJs taking over the streets for hours of revelry. There is French traditional music, jazz, rock, pop, dub, electro and everything in between. Unlike previous years, this event will not be subject to Covid restrictions (as things stand). 

  • Medieval Festival of Provins (Provins)

The medieval town of Provins, which is less than two hours from Paris by road or rail, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It regularly hosts various historical reenactments with sword fighting, banquets and the like. But the real spectacle happens once a year during the medieval festival. On June 25-26, thousands of people descend upon Provins to witness jousting competitions, street performances and a large parade. If you come in fancy dress, you can even get tickets at half price (€6). Children under 12 and disabled people can enter the festival for free. 

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CULTURE

Can Costner lead the revenge of France’s much-mocked Kevins?

In 1990s France, amidst the Pierres and the Jean-Claudes, a Hollywood hero with all-American good looks inspired a new name craze.

Published: 19 May 2024 16:52 CEST
Can Costner lead the revenge of France's much-mocked Kevins?

The era of the Kevin — or Kev-een as the French pronounce it — had arrived, ushered in by the passions unleashed by a moustachioed Kevin Costner in his epic directorial debut, “Dances with Wolves”.

Suddenly, little Kevins were to be found the length and breadth of France.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for these young ambassadors of Americana.

As Kevin Costner, now aged 69, prepares for his much-anticipated comeback at the Cannes Film Festival, AFP looks at how his French namesakes went from hero to zero and back again:

Je m’appelle Kevin

Celtic in origin, hailing from the Irish name “Caoimhin” after a hermit monk who lived in a stone cell in a glacial valley, the Kevin craze was sparked by not one but two huge Hollywood films.

In 1990 two million French people flocked to see the antics of a young boy called Kevin battling to defend his family home from burglars in “Home Alone”.

A year later, “Dances with Wolves”, which scooped seven Oscars, topped the French box office, pulling in a whopping seven million viewers.

The impact on birth certificates was immediate — that year Kevin was the most popular boy’s name in France, chosen for just over 14,000 newborns, according to data compiled by AFP.

The wave continued with over 10,000 baby Kevins a year until 1995 when it dipped to some 8,000 and progressively dwindled thereafter.

Mocked and shamed 

By the time the Kevins hit adolescence in the early 2000s, Costner’s star power had faded and the name had become shrouded in stigma, associated with lower classes picking exotic-sounding names drawn from pop culture.

Sociologist Baptiste Coulmont studied the social determinism of French names by comparing the names with the childrens’ exam grades.

Between 2012-2020 four percent of Kevins received the top “very good” grade for the baccalaureate exam taken at the end of high school, compared with 18 percent for the classic bourgeois name Augustin.

For director Kevin Fafournoux, who grew up in what he calls an “ordinary” family in central France and is making a documentary called “Save the Kevins”, the name “spells redneck, illiterate, geek, annoying” for many in his country.

“All this has impacted my life and that of other Kevins, whether in terms of our self-confidence, professional credibility or in relationships,” he says in its trailer.

In Germany, which also saw a wave of Kevins in the early 1990s, the negative stereotypes conferred on parents who give children exotic-sounding names from other cultures has a name: Kevinismus.

“Kevin is not a name but a diagnosis,” said one teacher scathingly in a 2009 article by Die Zeit newspaper about little Kevins, Chantals and Angelinas being labelled problem children.

Shedding the stigma

As the years pass, Kevins have become doctors, academics, politicians and much more — and attitudes have shifted.

“There are tens of thousands of Kevins in France, they are everywhere in society and can no longer be associated with one background,” Coulmont told The Guardian newspaper in an interview in 2022.

That year, two Kevins were elected to parliament for the far-right National Rally (RN).

“Will the Kevins finally have their revenge?” asked Le Point magazine.

The RN’s president is himself a fresh-faced 28-year-old, who grew up in a high-rise housing estate on the outskirts of Paris. He also carries a name with clear American overtones: Jordan Bardella.

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