aixcentric

The annual Rencontres d’Arles photography exhibition is taking place 4 July – 26 September, with some modifications: 10 sq m of space will be allocated to each potential visitor.  So they will be reviewing all their venues.  Fortunately they have the new arts complex, LUMA, to spread into, and will also be using gardens for exhibiting.  Actually part of the fun of visiting this sprawling summer show is exploring the venues, so this promises to be a positive and creative solution.

The Festival d’Aix which will take place 30 June – 25 July is also going ahead with booking and seating modifications, read here: https://festival-aix.com/en/information/covid-19-safety-charter

Pierre Audi writes, “We are proposing eight new productions and a concert-version of one opera, covering a wide range of eras and styles, from Monteverdi, Cavalli and Rossi to contemporary creations, and including Mozart, with The Marriage of Figaro; the two giants of nineteenth-century opera—Wagner, with Tristan und Isolde, to be performed for the first time at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and Verdi, with I due Foscari and Falstaff—and the twentieth century and the Russian repertoire, thanks to Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel”.  Read on for details of the free music events which will take place in June throughout the town. https://festival-aix.com/en/editorial-pierre-audi.

Over in Avignon, the main festival is going ahead 5 – 25 July, working on the basis of 65% seats being occupied, in line with official guidelines, and like Arles, they are making full use of outdoor venues where they can.  Things are less certain with ‘Avignon Off’, the fringe festival which is normally France’s biggest. ‘On est toujours dans l’incertitude’, they say.  Fewer companies have signed up to perform and there will be 90 venues rather than the usual 140, but they hope to open their programme on 7 July.

Local restos, cafés and shops will be keeping their fingers crossed that all this goes ahead – they do 30% of their annual business in July.

Meanwhile the Cannes Film Festival is happening, all being well, 6 -15 July.

As ever, check before travelling….