Feria de l’Ascension, in Alès: “Wednesday will already be a busy day!”

The municipality revealed, on the morning of Thursday, April 18, the details of the Ascension Feria program. FREE MIDI – CHARLES LEDUC

The festival will take place from May 8 to 12, in the capital of the Cévennes. with some new features. Here is what you need to remember from the presentation of the event.

"It's still a feria as we know it…", cowardly, this Thursday, April 18, Raphaële Navarro, during the presentation of the celebrations expected from May 8 to 12. Perhaps, but the 2024 edition of the Ascension Feria, in Alès, is different from the previous ones because it will open on a public holiday. Consequently, the kick-off will not be given in the evening, with the pégoulade, but in the morning, with, at 10 a.m., an encierro in the bed of the Gardon. "Wednesday will already be a busy day !", smiles the deputy mayor, delegate to the festivities. Because the entertainment will then follow one another until the pégoulade, which will leave at 9 p.m. from the Place Gabriel-Péri and will take the public to the Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance, where is scheduled the Collectif Métissé concert, before fireworks, at 11 p.m.

The bodega will be closed on Sunday

On the other hand, this year, if they will have opened their spaces earlier, Max Roustan, the mayor, explains that"on demand Generally, the wine merchants have decided to close on Saturday, at the end of the evening". On Sunday, only that of Lou Regain should remain, on the town hall square. Because, he points out as if it were obvious, everything will not be over that day: "There are bullfights!"(read below) Speaking of bodégas, in addition to the private ones, Alès will have sixteen associative structures: twelve on Boulevard Louis-Blanc, two on Rue Albert-Ier and as many in front of the town hall. And for everyone, the closing times will be the same: 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 1 a.m. on Thursday evening.

In the arenas of Tempéras, bulls and… Maurice André

Obviously, the Ascension Feria also takes place in the Tempéras arenas. In addition to a bullfight scheduled for Thursday evening, the bullfighting festivities will begin, once again, with the Camargue races: Trophée des As, on Thursday afternoon, then the Trophée de l’Avenir, the next afternoon . The presentation of the cartels, two months ago, already lifted the veil on these meetings. If Sunday will be carried by an unstitched novillada, in the morning, then by the corrida of remembrance (with the bullfighters Morenito De Aranda, Luis Gerpe and Tibo Garcia), in homage to Hubert Yonnet, a figure of breeding French bullfighter who died in 2014, Saturday will be the day of the culture bullfight, honoring the internationally renowned trumpeter Maurice André, originally from Alès and died in 2012. In this regard, May 11, < em>"in arenas decorated for the occasion", the three maestros (El Rafi, Carlos Olsina and Isaac Fonseca) will fight with three blue capes , white and red, created in homage to the musician by Laurence Magnanelli, known for creating the costumes for the Cévennes Week. "A raffle will be organized the next afternoon, in the arena, before the bullfight, to allow people to leave with these capes", announces Ysabelle Castor, the municipal councilor responsible for bullfighting affairs. Tickets will be sold at Tempéras, of course, but also at various locations throughout the feria.

Reservations, from May 8, at the Tempéras arena ticket office. Online at www.arenesales.com. Rentals, until May 7, at the Campanile hotel in Alès. Information on 06 27 60 77 70.

The great classics of the Alesian feria will be there. Musical performances will follow on the podium installed in front of the town hall. Provençal mass, presided over this year by the bishop, and abrivados competition will mark May 9. The Abrivados festival and the Gardonnenque race, in the Gardon, "which brings a lot of people", will be there on Friday. And, on Saturday, release of anoubles, in the bed of the river, and Cévennes paquito will make their return. The Sevillian mass will be said on Sunday morning. All this without forgetting a lot of cow entertainment spread over the first four days.

Why should we say "a beautiful prayer" ?

"It takes a nice prayer for the weather to be nice", says Max Roustan, in the process of presentation. So that the party could not be more beautiful and so that the public also fully enjoys the new features. Because even if "it remains a feria as we know it", there will be ! "Every year, we try to bring some and try things", explains Raphaële Navarro.

A guardian race is created

Thus, for the first time, Thursday May 9, at 3 p.m., in the Gardon, the race of the gardians will take place.  "And we will deliver the first trophy", explains Raphaël Vasquez, the head of the festivities department. "We said that we would take advantage of their presence at the abrivados competition to organize a race between them and give a little more character& hellip;"

The “dress code” is still in effect

For the third consecutive year, the City invites aficionados to adopt a “dress code”, i.e. clothing specific to the Feria d’Alès: blue T-shirts and white scarves. "People, little by little, are starting to get used to it…", assures Raphaële Navarro. The municipality explains that some are bringing out the bandanas collected in past years, but specifies that others will be distributed during these days of festivities. "There will be a thousand", says Raphaël Vasquez.

On Saturday morning, around 10 a.m., the municipality will also innovate, just before the release of anoubles, with a breakfast in the fields offered free of charge to the public under the bridge -Old. "We thought it would be friendly to get people involved with the manadiers", says Raphaël Vasquez. "In the countryside, with lunches in the meadow, it works well…", adds the chief magistrate.

A calud race offered to the bravest

Finally, the most daring, necessarily adults, will be able to test themselves during the caluds race, on Saturday afternoon. On the encierro course, "with obstacles and bales of straw", you will have to be the fastest and the most brave to finish the race with the bull. Thrills guaranteed for both participants and spectators!

Complete program on the website www.feria-ales.fr.