In Northern France, enjoy the trip tips : visit our land of numerous local festivals, belfries, beer, mussels, mills, giants, sand-yachts and art…The welcome is always warm and hospitable, so join us and feel at home.

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MAJOR EVENTS

An international gathering of kites, 2,000 motorcyclists labouring across the sand, an adventure film festival, a musical rendez-vous on the coast, the legendary Paris-Roubaix cycle race.

In terms of cultural and sporting events, the region is like a crazy inventory by the French poet Jacques Prévert (1900-1977).

Everything is an excuse for going out, and if you haven’t got an excuse, invent one!

Because folks round here have a real taste for partying, really!

Where comradeship knocks down social barriers and removes masks. Wild carnivals, gigantic flea markets, processions of 10-metre tall giants!

All these public festivities reflect the vitality and warmth of a region that awaits you with open arms.

>> We have selected for you:

	DUNKERQUE CARNIVAL - From 01/12/2013 to 03/30/2013 It’s not enough just to watch the Dunkerque Carnival – you have to throw yourself into it ! Famous both for bands and bedlam, Dunkerque Carnival isn’t an event - it’s an experience. Carnival fans... [+]

	ENDUROPALE IN TOUQUET-PARIS-PLAGE - From 02/02/2013 to 02/03/2013 A thousand professional and amateur bikers meet for a unique international motorsport event Le Touquet will be kick-starting the motorsport season again in February with the legendary Enduropale... [+]

	Orchids bloom beneath the Cistercian vaults of Vaucelles - From 3/14/2013 to 3/18/2013 For more than 20 years, orchid growers from across the world have been meeting every March at the international festival that takes place in the atmospheric surroundings of Vaucelles Abbey near Cambr... [+]

	Le Jardin des Boves in Arras - from 03/23/2013 to 07/02/2013 A temporary garden brightens the tunnels beneath the town squareFor three months between March and June, the old chalk quarries beneath the famous arcaded square in Arras are transformed into the ‘Ja... [+]

	13th - 21st April 2013 : International Kite Festival at Berck-sur-Mer Kite fliers from all over the world transform the skies above Berck-sur-Mer . [+]

	April 14th 2013 : Paris-Roubaix cycle race 2013 Some people may take them as souvenirs, but others are working to preserve the cobblestones of the Nord – and with them the spirit of the Paris-Roubaix race‘Queen of the classics’. ‘Toughest race..... [+]

	April 1st 2013 – Cassel Carnival Special Easter celebration that blends traditional folklore with family traditionsThe small town of Cassel reverberates with the din from more than 1000 costumed characters, all competing with the... [+]

	May 3rd to 5th 2013 : Les Turbulentes – Street arts festival in Vieux-Condé Street performers test their new routines at the Vieux-Condé festival Located on the banks of the Escaut river at Vieux-Condé, ‘Le Boulon’ is the regional centre for street art. For more than a deca... [+]

	May 24th to May 26th 2013 : Z’Arts Up in Béthune Z’Arts’Up! in Béthune creates a new living space … in the streetHuge fun and a huge success, Z’Arts’Up! takes creative arts into the open air, offering the general public the perfect way to get caugh... [+]

	May 12th 2013 : Route du Louvre L’arrivée du musée à Lens fait courir l’ancien Pays minier Le Louvre de Paris sera bientôt aussi à Lens dans une région culturelle parmi les plus dynamiques de France ! L’arrivée du musée-annexe donn... [+]

	June 7th to June 9th 2013 : Les Folies festival at Maubeuge Fun and fantasy with a family flavourFollowing on from the Festiv’été, launched a decade earlier, Les Folies has retained a number of popular elements such as the big town picnic and musical events,.... [+]

	June 16th 2013 : Maroilles Flea Market An entire village pulls together to promote and preserve its heritageLargest flea market in the Nord with more than 600 exhibitors, Maroilles flea market is one of the liveliest events in the Avesnoi... [+]

	From July 5th to July 7th 2013 : Main Square Festival in Arras After moving into the town’s Vauban citadel, the Main Square Festival has really made its markFollowing its move from Arras’s famous arcaded square into the immense Vauban citadel, the Main Square... [+]

	From July 3rd to July 14th 2013 : Juventus Festival in Cambrai Talented youngsters from across Europe fill Cambrai with the sound of chamber musicThe annual Juventus Festival in early July has been promoting chamber music throughout Cambrai since 1997. A spring... [+]

	From July 7th to July 9th 2013 : Fêtes de Gayant in Douai The biggest giant and the largest procession in the Nord – the symbol of Douai since 1530Big is beautiful at Douai’s annual Gayant Festival, largest carnival procession in the region. Time may pass.... [+]

	July 26th-29th & August 2nd-5th 2013 : Les Misérables Sound & Light show, Montreuil-sur-Mer Victor Hugo set his epic novel here after a day trip to the townStudents and doctors, civil servants and retirees … you’ll find them all amongst the 450 volunteers from Montreuil-sur-Mer and beyond,.... [+]

	From August 2nd to August 4th 2013 : Les Nuits Secrètes festival at Aulnoye-Aymeries Secret Nights at Aulnoye-Aymeries is the Avesnois’ answer to Woodstock The statistics say it all – 700 concerts, 400 performers and an audience of 300,000 over ten years. Such is the success of the.... [+]

	From August 31st to September 1st 2013 : Lille Braderie More than 2 million visitors from all over Europe flock to Lille for the annual street market over the first weekend in SeptemberEach year over the first weekend in September, the capital of French..... [+]

	From December 7th to December 8th 2013 : Braderie de l’Art in Roubaix Works of art are created before your eyes at Roubaix’s annual Artists’ Market where recycled material proves an endless source of inspirationRecycling is the topic on everybody’s lips nowadays and... [+]

	LE JARDIN DES BOVES IN ARRAS 2013
From 3/23/2013 to 7/2/2013

	Z’ARTS UP IN BÉTHUNE 2013
From 5/24/2013 to 5/26/2013

	LES FOLIES FESTIVAL AT MAUBEUGE 2013
From 6/7/2013 to 6/9/2013

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