If you would like to spice up your holiday by going to a few shows, then the famous Avignon Festival will be perfect for you! In fact, it is the most famous festival in the world, being renowned for theatre and contemporary live shows. For the first three weeks in July every year, Avignon is transformed into a town of theatre! The streets are full of life and decorated with a thousand colours and hundreds of posters that attract over 150,000 visitors. Join in the excitement as you step into a parallel world with a cool and friendly atmosphere!
There are two versions of the festival: the IN and the OFF. The IN festival is the one with all the well-known traditional theatre plays, where the shows take place in the most attractive places around town (Palace of the Popes Courtyard, theatres, chapels, gardens, cloisters, etc.); there are so many places to enjoy the theatre, music and dance!
The OFF festival consists of all the vaudeville shows with a very relaxed and casual atmosphere, which are on the fringe of the IN festival. They can be seen in several places throughout the town centre, as well as at our 4-star Camping du Pont d’Avignon on the island of La Barthelasse. The fringe OFF version has become very popular due to the wide diversity of its shows. (There are more than 100 events including theatre, dance, one-man shows, magic, etc.)
If you intend to see a few shows, it is a good idea to look at the complete programme on the festival website and maybe get a festival pass that will give you discounts for many of the shows.
The liveliest areas are Rue de la République, Place Pie, Rue des Teinturiers and Place des Corps Saints, where you will find numerous free street shows. Many famous comedians perform in the small halls, which enables the audience to truly share the moment! So you see, there are lots of great times just waiting to be had…
And if you feel hungry, there are dozens of eating places with tasty dishes at reasonable prices! According to the bloggers, the most well-known is Bistrot Ginette & Marcel.
If you enjoy relaxing over a glass of wine in the evening, we can recommend the Côtes du Rhône Festival that is held at the same time. Simply go to the Maison des Vins to taste the best Côtes du Rhône, served with a small platter of cheeses or cold meats, for only ten euros or so!
As July is the most popular month to be in Avignon, we advise booking your camping pitch or air-conditioned mobile home as early as possible in order to benefit from the best rates.
