Here’s a collection of interesting March events in France, compiled by TheLocal.fr, which provides English-language news of France. The events cover a wide range of interests and different sections of the country.
ARTS
- Banlieues Bleues Jazz Festival in Seine Saint-Denis, just outside Paris, March 18 to April 15th. Many concerts, many venues, many artists; a 4-concert pass is only €20.
- Panoramas Music Festival in Morlaix, Brittany, March 25-27. Focus is on electro, with a mix of known names and soon-to-bes.
- Italian Film Festival in Nice (which used to be Italian), March 12-26. Eight premieres, and a selection of favorites, classics and near-unknowns.
- Monte Carlo Comedy Film Festival in not-quite France, on now and continuing through this weekend. Premieres of comedy films from around the world and a juried prize.
OUTDOOR
- Paris-Nice Cycle Race March 6-13. Also called “Race to the Sun,” it includes seven stages on varying terrain. Run by the same group as Tour de France.
- Kite and Wind Festival in Châtelaillon-Plage, March 26-28. Not just amazing kites, but also aerial ballet, kite-surfing, kite-jumping and more.
- Easter Feria in Arles, one of the holdouts of bullfighting in southern France, March 25-29. Bullfights in the Roman arena, with concerts, parades and flamenco in nearby local streets.
FOOD AND MORE
- International Cheese and Wine Fair in Coulommiers, March 18-21. With 350 cheese and wine experts and producers to show and sell. Farm animals also on display and visitors invited to join in games and competitions.
- Carnaval des Femmes in Paris, March 6th. A month after the ‘official’ carnival, this women’s carnival is based on an older Washerwomen’s Carnival held mid-Lent. The washerwomen would take to the street, elect a queen and party into the nigh. That’s the plan for this year as well.
- Art and Antiquities Fair in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, March 25-28. This is the 100th time for this one, and 100,000 visitors are expected, with the entire town transformed into a flea market.
