A tsunami of events is rolling in to brighten up the summer season in Alès: we take stock of the programming

Le voile a été levé sur le programme, ce vendredi 7 juin, à la mairie d'Alès. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Musique, élection de Miss Languedoc, cinéma, divertissements, toros piscines, etc. Jusqu’au 31 août, les rendez-vous sont légion dans la capitale des Cévennes.

"On the evening of June 19, we couldn't sleep anymore. Here we go!" Max Roustan, the mayor of Alès, thus begins the presentation of the festivities which will be offered in his city, during the summer period. A stream of animations brought together under the banner of Estiv’Alès which he himself has difficulty detailing as they are so numerous. "All the events, as usual, are renewed…", he smiles.

Pool bulls and a foam bull at Tempéras

While his first deputy Christophe Rivenq, also president of the Agglomeration, recalls that "90% of the activities are free" and when Alès Plage resumes service from June 21 to August 31, the chief magistrate stops on this meeting on June 19, at Tempéras: the first of eight swimming pool toros, to which will be added a foam toro. "You noticed that this year, during the feria, the bullfighting events were packed into the arenas", he congratulates il.

Where to go to take part in the Music Festival ?

Then, following the calendar, the mayor stops on June 21, the day of the Music Festival. Of course, everyone will be able to settle wherever they wish, but the municipality decides to establish "seven places" where to meet: Espace André-Chamson, Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance, Place Jan-Castagno, Place de la Mairie, Place de l’Abbaye &quot ;brand new", at the Évêché and rue du Docteur-Serres.

Three open-air cinema screenings in sight

Max Roustan then unfolds, talks about the three open-air cinema screenings which will be offered in the Bosquet public garden. "Films still showing!", immediately specifies Raphaël Vasquez, the head of the festivities department. "There will be "Kung Fu Panda 4", "Wonka" and "Retirement Home 2"." The Alesian summer program continues to unfold at full speed. It is about concerts (read below), the semi-final of Miss Languedoc on July 29, in the presence of Diane Leyre, Miss France 2022, the final of the Grand Prix de la chanson, on August 23, the Challenge humor, etc.

Louane, Vianney, Lio, Sabine Paturel, Jeane Manson, Lartiste and the others

Several stars of French song will stop in Alès this summer. We have already known the names of some of them for several weeks, even months. For the record, Vianney is the guest of Les Fous Chantants (from July 20 to 27). Moreover, the two concerts which will close this 2024 opus are already sold out, and the quota of choristers has been filled for a long time. On the other hand, there are still places left for the arrival of Louane on July 12, also announced in the Tempéras arenas. For the record, Lartiste is expected on the evening of June 29, at the Prés Saint-Jean festival. This being said, other concerts will take place over the next few weeks. Thus, on Thursdays intended to be musical, "tributes", that is to say tributes, will be paid, in the public garden of the Bosquet, to U2, to Johnny Hallyday and to Mike Brant . The latter will even be provided, on July 18, by Amaury Vassili. On August 22, the Bosquet will also serve as the setting for Jeane Manson's performance. And that’s not all! As proof, on August 15, after the fireworks display on the banks of the Gardon, i.e. at 11 p.m., the town hall square will be propelled into the 80s, on the occasion of the Fréquence 80 concert, which will bring on stage the singer Lio, Sabine Paturel, known for her "Bêtises", Jean-Pierre Morgan, from the group Les Avions, made famous with "Nuit sauvage", and Raft, who owes its notoriety to the titles "Yaka Dansé" and "Women of Congo".

Of course, some dates are more significant than others. July 14 is one of those. In addition to fireworks and a musette ball, the Alésiens will find their flower parade, "with a super-nice, topical theme", laughs Max Roustan. It will be "the Olympic Games", says Raphaële Navarro, deputy mayor in charge of the festivities. "The procession will be much denser", continues Raphaël Vasquez. "There will be more people , because sports associations will participate."

Which municipalities will be in the running for Entrevilles ?

Then comes the turn of Entrevilles, which is based on the principle of Intervilles, of being highlighted. The third edition is scheduled for August 28 and, "every year, the arenas are full", rejoices the deputy delegated to the festivities . "We are in the process of training the teams", explains the director of the department concerned. "There will be six, compared to five last year." The names of the municipalities in the running had to remain confidential, but the secret is revealed during the presentation. That evening, spectators will be able to choose to cheer on Alès, Bagard, Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas, Salindres, Saint-Privat-des-Vieux and Saint-Christol-lez-Alès. In 2023, the Salindrois left with the trophy…

Attention is already shifting towards autumn…

The summer season has not yet started, yet the mayor is already planning well beyond, with one of the highlights of autumn in mind, namely the now unmissable Cévennes Week: "We don’stop the construction sites. Let's take a breath, and let's go again!"

The complete Estiv'Alès program can be consulted on the website www.estiv-ales.fr.