Are you in Nantes and don’t know how to spend your evenings? Let’s find out more about the events and festivals taking place here this summer and how to spend a pleasant evening full of music.
Every year there’s a big opening party called “Le voyage à Nantes”: there are festivals in the city featuring music and visual arts.
On the first of July, there’s La Nuit du Van, which, along with La Nuit des Tables de Nantes, is an active and festive way to discover the city.
Shopkeepers are organising gourmet itineraries, restaurants are welcoming you until 10pm, and top schools and art galleries are opening their doors. VAN night has fun with the summer tour of Nantes.
In 2023, the third edition of La Nuit des Tables de Nantes, Nantes’ restaurateurs are hard at work, with 80 restaurants preparing more than 30,000 local dishes for the evening.
En 2023, pour la troisième édition de la Nuit des Tables de Nantes, les restaurateurs nantais sont à pied d’œuvre, avec 80 restaurants qui préparent plus de 30 000 plats locaux pour la soirée.
The choreography of this match-show is based on the rules and functions of football matches, with the difference that the participants have to invent a choreography with infinite possibilities for improvisation. The only rule in this game is no running. The only way to play is to dance, so the aim is not only to score goals, but also to be as creative as possible to do so and entertain the crowd.
You can find more details on the https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/evenements/le-voyage-estival/ website.
FESTIVAL: LE SCÈNES VAGABONDES
From 30 June to 2 July there’s a festival in the Parc de la Roseraie called “les scènes vagabondes”, where you can find music, dance, theatre, street arts, live performances and shows for young audiences.
On the first night, Friday 30 June at 6.30pm, there are local musicians: the supersun collective (a rap group of 12 female artists); next up: the hypnotic Miet, Middle child (a trio from Nantes who create minimalist folk music) and Bacchantes who celebrate rock, choirs and sounds from elsewhere.
On Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July you’ll find music, dance, poetry, circus arts and theatre… with lots of new activities.
FESTIVAL: SUMMER HOURS
From 4 July to 4 August 2023 there will be the Cultures d’ici et d’ailleures festival: every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm there will be a concert in the castle moat; on Wednesdays at 4pm there will be a show for children in Val de Chézine and at sunset there will be an open-air cinema in the various parks of Nantes; on Fridays at 1pm there will be a reading aloud in the plant garden.
Visit https://www.auxheuresete.com/ for full details of the programme.
FESTIVAL: THE COOL LOIRE
The Loire Islands are once again hosting “La Loire Cool”, summer in Saint-Sébastien” from June to September at the Station Nuage, which opens the doors to Nantes and offers guinguette-style restaurants. This cultural venue illustrates the influence of the city on the metropolis thanks to its exceptional setting, but also to a diversified cultural programme.
As not all the inhabitants of Sébastien leave the town during the summer, we naturally decided to make our Loire islands a place of discovery and free events. There will be no fewer than 9 live performances on the islands on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in July and August.
Last summer’s popular nature activities are back again this year! These events, which fit in perfectly with the green setting of the islands, are a good illustration of the “nature city” policy that Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire has been pursuing for several years. They are designed for the very young and are a great family experience.
New features include original sports mornings open to senior citizens and an open-air cinema session organised by the Children’s Municipal Council: an opportunity to relive a legendary film with family and friends.
This rich programme will once again be multi-disciplinary and will enable the residents of Sébastien to get together for a variety of intergenerational events. In the company of guest artists, the islands will come alive this summer, free of charge, for all to enjoy. Station Nuage has become the place to be in fine weather on Forget Island. In mid-April, the restaurant-guinguette reopened its doors to the delight of the people of Seville. Throughout the spring and summer, the resort offers a packed programme of events to be enjoyed without moderation!
THE PROGRAMME
Every weekend at Station Nuage there’s “Blue Friday” (aperitif-mix); from May to September there’s “Balapapa” where the Station Nuage team will be there to shake your ears! A musical event where generations come together to immerse themselves in the music of the 50s and 80s. If you want to dance, relax, march and celebrate the Pride March, it’s at Station Nuage, which has become ‘Station Queer’ for the evening. On the after-party programme: DJ sets and lots of other surprises prepared by artists from Nantes’ queer scene. At the end of June, there’s the electronic party on Forget Island: Parc O Tyson is the must-attend event of the early summer, with regional, national and international DJs: 5,000 people are expected on the city’s biggest open-air dancefloor.
On Thursday 14 July, the bank holidays, there will be a dance and fireworks display in the Station Nuage, and after 11pm there will also be a fireworks display.
Every Thursday, have fun with friends or family with new wooden games every week (Chinese billiards, table football, balance).
As well as the festivals, every Wednesday at 5.30pm, you can enjoy some fantastic shows:An ecological fantasy, if you’re not afraid of laughing at serious things, come and see “Bill Tcherno Show”: he’ll transform himself into a snake trainer, storyteller, musician, singer, magician and puppeteer. The Bill Tcherno Show is a burlesque duo whose shows successfully blend fiction and reality on environmental issues.
There’s also a burlesque theatre where two cruise crew members, Loïc and Nicole, are hired as assistants to Richard, the chief engineer and musician. In difficult circumstances, they offer the public an extraordinary journey.
Cinematic mime theatre: a show in the style of “silent cinema”. This theatrical genre combines mime with music, amplifying the emotions conveyed by the actors and those felt by the audience. The themes of this show are friendship, abandonment, family, difference and, of course, love.
An improvisational theatre: “portes” is an improvisational cabaret theatre: the show is created in front of your eyes, the artists manage to draw inspiration from the audience. Through three doors that open onto your imagination, the actors perform unique and crazy scenes in a new setting each time.
There’s also an acrobatic circus where the wheel of death, thanks to its movement and size, is the symbol of the traditional circus. Suspended in the air, this object inflicts death on anyone who tries to go too far. Even the audience is overwhelmed by emotion, as the acrobat arouses fear and admiration in them. The artist tries to capture this symbol of the circle as a metaphor for life in a very physical and sometimes comical way.
Participatory theatre for children: Angevine company Lez’Arts Vers invites children to a miniature racecourse, with an exaggerated setting and a wild atmosphere guaranteed to delight.
In July and August, the town offers a range of cool sports activities on the islands! They are organised and supervised by the town’s sports instructors. You’ll find laughter yoga (a method combining laughter and yoga breathing); jogging on the islands, orienteering, gentle gymnastics and stretching (respect for the body and cardio control); Poull Ball (where 2 teams compete with a huge ball); Pétanque (play in a relaxed atmosphere); Spikeball: a sport inspired by volleyball with a trampoline; Lâcher-prise and Biathlon running (individual or team running and skill tests).
You can find more details on the https://www.saintsebastien.fr/la-ville/decouvrir-la-ville/nos-grands-evenements/la-loire-cool/ website.
I hope you find this information useful and that you won’t be bored during your stay in Nantes. Pour plus d’informations sur Nantes, cliquez ici