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CULTURE

Festivals and events: What’s on around France in autumn 2023

Summer might be over, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do in France - here's our pick of the festivals and events around the country in September, October and November.

Published: 22 September 2023 15:52 CEST
Festivals and events: What’s on around France in autumn 2023
People take part in the 80th Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival parade in 2013 in Paris (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

Even though the summer holidays (and the fun festivals that came with them) are over, there are still plenty of events to attract visitors before those Christmas markets start opening in November. 

Festival du Film Britannique – September 27th to October 1st

Also known as the British Film Festival of Dinard, the festival takes place at arguably one of the most British of French seaside resorts. 

The six films in competition this year include Girl – about a mother-daughter duo who move back to Glasgow; Scrapper, about a child who loses her mother and unexpectedly is introduced to someone who calls himself her father; Silent Roar, about a teenager whose father goes missing at sea; Silver Haze, about a young nurse who finds herself falling in love with one of her patients; The Effects of Lying, a dark comedy exploring a family’s secrets; and The Trouble with Jessica, about a series of unfortunate events following one couple’s attempts to rid themselves of their financial troubles.

For more information click here

Atlantique Jazz Festival – October 6th to 22nd

Located in Brest, France’s westernmost city, one of Brittany’s favourite jazz festivals will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.

With several concerts on the docket, featuring the likes of Five 38 + Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, jazz fans are sure to enjoy music, workshops, and even a conference focused on female jazz composers. 

More information here.

The Fête des Vendanges – October 11th to 15th

Also known as the Montmartre grape harvest festival – the fête des vendages de Montmartre is an annual celebration to commemorate the harvesting of grapes from the Clos Montmartre – an urban vineyard located on the slopes of the Montmartre hills in Paris’ 18th arrondisement.

This is one of Paris’ most popular public events, and it involves five days of gastronomy, wine tasting, and grape picking.

Fête du Piment – October 28th to October 29th

Are you a fan of spicy food or chilli peppers? If so, this festival is the one for you. Though it takes place in France’s Basque country, as the picturesque town of Espelette celebrates the pepper that has made it world famous. For more information click here.

Lumière film festival – October 14th to 22nd

Not to be confused with the Fête des Lumières, which also takes place in Lyon (but in December), the Lumière Film Festival is an annual film festival held each October in the French city of Lyon. The festival is named in honour of the Lumière Brothers, who are credited with inventing cinema in 1895.

Salon du chocolat – October 28th to November 1st

You love Paris. You love chocolate. Then you need to be in Paris at the end of October for its annual chocolate fair – when over 150,000 chocolatiers, pastry chefs, confectioners and professionals from the chocolate industry, as well as producing countries, great chefs, designers and cocoa experts get together show off their skills and knowledge. It takes place at the Parc Expo at the Porte de Versailes. For more information, click here.

Armistice Day parades – November 11th

November 11th is a public holiday across much of the western world, recognising the end of World War I. In France, it is the day where towns and cities host parades and wreaths are laid at the war memorials. Virtually every commune in France has a war memorial listing the men from the local area who died for their country (mort pour le patrie).

In Paris, the French president lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.

Dijon International Gastronomy Fair – October 31st to November 11th

Each year, the International Gastronomy fair draws a crowd of over 200,000 people to Dijon, the heart of Burgundy. It features hundreds of booths from both amateur and professional chefs, with plenty of dishes to try for free. The event also includes cooking demonstrations, so you can learn delicious recipes from around the world.

Normal priced tickets are just €6.50, more information here.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day – Thursday, November 16th

Who cares if it’s nothing more than a clever marketing ploy – the third Thursday of every November is a celebration for wine lovers, as the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau is released in a party atmosphere from Beaujeu to Lyon via Villefranche-Sur-Saône… Find out more about the ‘Beaujolais Nouveau’ here.

What about Halloween?

Unfortunately, Halloween is not very widely celebrated in France, but it has become more common in recent years. Around the end of October, you will notice supermarkets selling candy and other festive items, but trick-or-treating is not the norm.

If you are looking for an official, organised event, you might consider going to the “Disney Halloween Festival.” During the festivities, the ‘villains’ take over the park, which is fully decorated for Halloween. When you enter the park, you’ll be greeted by smiling scarecrows with pumpkins on their heads, lanterns lighting up the park, and characters in ‘scary’ (kid-friendly) costumes.

During the actual Halloween weekend, the park hosts dedicated soirées. Tickets can be expensive, usually going for more than €70 a person.

Another option, particularly if you have older kids looking for a scarier Halloween, might be Parc Asterix. Each year, usually for the entirety of the month of October, the park is decked out in autumn colours with pumpkins, corn, and even straw bales. If you want to take younger children, you can go to the ‘Petit frisson’ (small scare) section. 

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CULTURE

Why is the Mona Lisa so famous (and why is it even in France)?

Being lauded as either the greatest artwork in the world or the most overrated tourist attraction in France, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa does not struggle to get attention. But why is this small portrait so famous?

Published: 17 May 2024 17:47 CEST
Why is the Mona Lisa so famous (and why is it even in France)?

Paris’ Louvre museum has recently announced that the Mona Lisa painting is to get its own room, a move that is at least partly in reaction to increasing complaints about the artwork being overrated, while tourists struggle to see it in the small, crowded space.

There aren’t many paintings that get a room of their own, so just what is it about Mona Lisa (or La Joconde as she is known in France) that attracts so many millions of tourists each year – and should you bother going to see her?

Why is it in France?

Let’s start with why the painting is in France in the first place, since both painter and subject are Italian (although Italy at that time was still a collection of city states which would not be unified into the modern country until 1861). 

In short, Mona Lisa is in France because her creator Leonardo da Vinci travelled with her, and he was in France when he died in 1519. The reason that he was in France is that he spent the last years of his life working on special commissions for king François I. He died at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, in France’s Loire Valley. 

Upon his death Mona Lisa was taken into the French royal collection and various descendants of François I hung her in their palaces until the French Revolution happened in 1793.

After the Revolution, with the exception of a brief stint in Napoleon’s palace, the painting entered the collection of the newly-created Louvre gallery which – in the spirit of revolutionary equality – was opened up to the people so that they too could enjoy great art.

Various requests over the years – some polite, others less so – from Italy to return the painting have been firmly declined by the French state. 

When did it get famous?

In the 18th and 19th centuries Leonardo’s painting was a popular exhibit among museum visitors, but didn’t have any particular fame and wasn’t regarded as any more special than the numerous other artworks exhibited there.

Although some academic interest in the painting’s subject – most commonly thought to be Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo – stirred in the 19th century, her real fame didn’t arrive until 1911.

This is when the painting was stolen from the Louvre, a crime that became a sensation and a cause celèbre in France, even more so when the painting was finally found in 1913 after the thief had attempted to sell it in Italy.

The fame of the painting and the crime inspired contemporary artists such as Marcel Duchamp who created a playful reproduction of Mona Lisa (complete with beard and moustache) which in turn enhanced the painting’s recognition. The artistic trend continued with everyone from Andy Warhol to the ubiquitous student posters of Mona Lisa smoking a joint.

Former chairman of the French Communist Party Robert Hue views moustachioed Mona Lisa by dadaist painter Marcel Duchamp, lent out by his party for the first time for an exhibition in January 2002. Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP

A tour of the painting to the US in 1963 and to Japan in 1974 further enhanced the celebrity status.

21st century

These days it’s perhaps accurate to say that the painting is simply famous because it’s famous. As the best-known piece of art in the world it’s automatically on many tourists’ ‘must see’ list when they come to Paris – and a lot of tourists come to Paris (roughly 44 million per year).

Meanwhile the Louvre is the most-visited museum in the world, attracting roughly 9 million visitors a year.

Although some visitors find the painting itself disappointing (it’s very small, just 77cm by 53cm) the most common complaint is that the room is too crowded – many people report that it’s so jammed with visitors that it’s hard to even see the picture never mind spend time contemplating the artwork.

Should I go and see it?

It really depends on what you like – if your taste in art is firmly in the more modern camp then you probably won’t find that this painting particularly speaks to you. You will, however, find a lot in Paris that is much more to your taste, running from the Musée d’Orsay (mostly art created between 1848 and 1914) to the Pompidou Centre (featuring contemporary and experimental art) and much, much more.

If, however, Renaissance art is your bag then you’ll struggle to find a finer example of it than Mona Lisa, with her beautiful brushwork, detailed and intriguing background and realistic presentation.

If you do decide to visit, then be prepared for the gallery to be crowded – the Louvre now operates on a pre-booking basis but even having a pre-booked ticket won’t save you from the crowds.

If possible try to avoid the summer and school holidays and prioritise weekdays over weekends – the early morning or late evening slots tend to be a little quieter than others, but you’re going to have to be prepared to share her with many other art-lovers.

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