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Festival du Boudin - The black pudding festival
March
Mortagne-au-Perche, Orne |
The black pudding festival celebrates everything to do with the great blood sausage. |
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Marathon des Grands Crus
October 2009
Marsannay la Côte |
Following the picturesque wine routes of Dijon, the Grand Crus Marathon has to be one of the world's most scenic races, with the added bonus of a top class glass of vin at the end! |
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ASP World Qualifying Series - Rip Curl Pro
August (Annual)
Hossegor |
The Plage de la Graviere in Hossegor, one of the west coast's largest surf destinations, hosts the Rip Curl Pro, part of the ASP World Qualifying Series. The waves here are mostly beach…
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Les Belles Champenoises d'Epoque - Vintage car fair
March
Reims, Marne |
Every year, vintage car enthousiasts from across France and further afield flock to Reims' Parc des Expositions for its vintage car fair. |
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Tapis Rouge - The antiques festival
1 October
Lyon |
On the first Thursday of October, a huge red carpet is rolled out down the Rue Auguste Comte, the antiques quarter in the heart of Lyon to celebrate the antiques festival. |
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Strasbourg's Contemporary Art Fair
November 2009
Strasbourg |
Central and Eastern Europe is the theme for Strasbourg's 13th Contemporary Art Fair which takes places at the Wacken exhibition centre. The event gives visitors the opportunity to experience the rich cultural heritage of these countries along with current creative trends.
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Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
October (Annual)
Paris |
Held at the world-renowned Longchamp racecourse, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe sees equine athletes from around the world competing to take away the €4 million prize fund, making it the world's most richly rewarded turf race. |
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Festival Guitares du Monde
March
Troyes, Aube |
This annual music festival, held in St-André-les-Vergers on the outskirts of Troyes, is a showcase for guitarists from around the world. |
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Festival Vidéoformes
March
Clermont - Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme |
The Vidéoformes festival celebrates new media and digital art forms with a programme of screenings and exhibitions throughout the town. |
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Paris Gay Pride
June (Annual)
Paris |
The romantic, enchanting city of
Paris celebrates Gay Pride at the end of June with a massive parade that draws more than 500,000 spectators and participants as well as a series of parties, balls, and other lively events.
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Coupe Icare
September (annual)
Saint Hilaire du Touvet |
The oldest free flight festival in the world, the Coupe Icare, is a two-day celebration of all aircraft that rely on nature to keep them in the air.
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Montgolfière en Velay
November 2009
Le Puy-en-Velay |
The sky above Le Puy-en-Velay will be dotted with multicoloured hot-air balloons for this international ballooning event. |
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Chicken Festival Saint Sever
December (Annual)
Clôtres Jacobins, Saint-Sever |
The medieval town of Saint-Sever is very proud of its chicken population, which it celebrates every year at the Clôtre des Jacobins during Festivolailles. Visitors can taste the town's famous…
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Strasbourg's Carnival
March
Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin |
More than 40 colourful floats and 3,000 street performers will join the procession for Strasbourg's annual carnival. |
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Rallye Paris - Deauville
October (Annual)
Paris |
The Paris - Deauville rally is an annual event which sees the gathering and exhibition of pre-1940s vintage cars, cabriolets and coupés. |
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Antiques Fair
January - February (annual)
Parc des Expositions (Exhibition Park), Bordeaux |
The Bordeaux Salon des Antiquaires, held in the Parc des Expositions, is among France's finest fairs, on a par with those of Antibes, Toulouse and Paris. Some 200 top antique dealers from all… |
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The Gypsie's Pilgrimage
May (Annual)
Saintes Maries de la Mer |
The village of Saintes Maries de la Mer hosts an international gathering of gypsies, who come to honour their saint, Sara the Black.
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Twins Festival
August (annual)
Pleucadeuc |
There's double trouble in the small town of Pleucadeuc in Brittany during the annual Jumeaux festival, Europe's biggest gathering of twins. |
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Toulouse Violet Festival
February 2010
Toulouse |
Any gardeners reading will know that February is flowering season for violets, which also happen to be the emblematic flower of Toulouse. |
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Buskers Festival
November 2009 (Annual)
Quintin |
Street vendors, singers and actors recreate the ambience of the pleasure-loving Belle Epoque (1890-1914) in the beautiful half-timbered streets of Quintin. The town's Festival des Chanteurs de… |
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