From bagpipes to bicycles: up and coming arts and culture in france

WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS COMING UP THIS SUMMER 1. CELTIC CELEBRATIONS This year’s epic _Festival Interceltique de Lorient_, the annual celebration of eight Celtic

countries’ music and traditions, takes place from August 4 -13 in the Morbihan coastal town. The chosen “country of honour” for 2023 is Ireland, with Clannad among the headliners, along with

Suzanne Vega and other big names from the folk and pipe worlds. The festival’s statistics are impressive: 850,000 festival-goers will attend 300 concerts, with 5,000 artists performing

across 12 stages. The event, first held in 1971, is made possible thanks to some 1,500 volunteers. Expect much bagpiping, parading, flag waving, dancing and serious Breton partying. Book

tickets HERE. READ MORE: CELEBRATE HAGGIS, WHISKY, AND THE AULD ALLIANCE IN FRANCE 2. POLICE AND THIEVES Fans of gritty French TV _policier_ series (crime dramas), or those perhaps mourning

the demise, after eight seasons, of the superb _Engrenages (Spiral)_ will welcome _BRI_, which has recently aired on Canal+. The show follows members of Versailles’ BRI _(brigade de

recherche et d’intervention_, or investigation and intervention unit) that tracks gangs of serious criminals engaged in armed robbery, kidnapping and hostage-taking, as well as terrorists.

The show differs from _Engrenages_ in that the police officers are much younger and come from more diverse backgrounds, giving it a fresher feel with more contemporary slang dialogue. READ

MORE: MAKE SENSE OF FRENCH TELEVISION’S ROLE IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE 3. A VERY TASTY EXHIBITION A wide-ranging exhibition for history-loving gourmands amid the splendid Gothic naves of

the Conciergerie in Paris (birthplace, lest we forget, of the restaurant, the _baguette_ and the _croissant_) runs until July 16, showcasing the role the French capital has played in the

development of gastronomy over six centuries. Paris, _capitale de la gastronomie, du Moyen Âge à nos jours_ (Paris, Capital of Gastronomy, from the Middle Ages to the present) is curated by

François-Régis Gaudry, author and food journalist for France Inter and presenter of the programme _Très Très Bon_ on Paris Première. The visitor tour takes in objects, rare documents,

original menus, paintings, photos, videos and reconstructions – some loaned from the likes of the Louvre Museum, the BnF, the Carnavalet Museum and Château de Fontainebleau – with subjects

ranging from the memorable banquet of Charles V (pictured) when the court still resided in Paris, to the contemporary success of the capital as a culinary hub. More details at

WWW.PARIS-CONCIERGERIE.FR. READ MORE: WHAT HAS BEEN VOTED FRANCE’S FAVOURITE REGIONAL DISH? 4. LE TOUR GETS NETFLIX TREATMENT Sports fans – notably those of the armchair variety – are in for

a treat this month with the release on June 8 of Netflix’s big budget documentary series about the Tour de France. The eight-part series, called _Au coeur du péloton_ in France and

_Unchained_ in English speaking territories, was filmed from March to July 2022 and follows the fortunes of several teams as they prepare for and ride in the world’s most gruelling cycle

race. Previous Netflix shows that documented Formula One (_Drive to Survive_) and golf (_Full Swing_) attracted swathes of new fans to the sports thanks to high production values and

dramatic narratives based on inter-team and inter-personal rivalries, as well as casting light on the hitherto secret worlds of elite sport. The documentary is released in time to tease fans

prior to the 2023 race, which will take place from July 1-23. READ MORE: TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 ROUTE UNVEILED: WILL IT PASS NEAR YOU? RELATED ARTICLES NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE IN NEW DICAPRIO

FILM HAS LINK WITH FRENCH TOWN FRENCH HISTORICAL THEME PARK TO HOST INDIAN CHEROKEE SHOW IN THE US WHERE IN DORDOGNE WILL THE TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 PASS THROUGH?