What's on in the Vendee: March events

ANGELA BIRD'S

The
Vendée

March 2012

WHAT'S ON IN THE VENDEE

(entries in red indicate new additions)

	PLEASE NOTE This website is really just a supplement to Angela Bird’s guidebook, The Vendée (left), which gives full details in its 176 pages of hundreds of interesting and off-beat tourist sites throughout the region. What you see on the website consists of either extra topics not covered in the book (Calendar, Restaurants, Travel routes, Internet links etc), or updated information (new tourist attractions open – or old ones closed) since the most recent edition of the book appeared. For the complete picture, order The Vendée through bookshops in the UK and Ireland, or from Amazon ; it is also on sale in good bookshops throughout the Vendée.			The listings on this site are supplied in good faith, gathered by the author from various Vendée sources. However it is always wise to check details with organisers or tourist offices before making a special journey.

Until 11 Mar 2012	Sports d’Hiver a la Mer “Winter sports” by the sea include not skiiing and skating, but rather sand-yachting, roller hockey, “snowshoe” rambles through the dunes and Nordic walking through the forests.			La Barre-de-Monts/Fromentine area
4 Mar 2012	Championnats de France de Cross-Country Final of national sporting event.			Hippodrome des Terres Noires, La Roche-sur-Yon
9-11 Mar 2012	Acoustic Festival Guitar-playing singer-songwriters strum their stuff. Performers include Thomas Dutronc and Hugh Coltman.			Salle de l’Idonniere, Le Poiré-sur-Vie, near Aizenay
10 Mar 2012	Concert: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire Sascha Goetzel directs Bela Bartok’s Divertimento pour cordes; Richard Strauss’s Concerto pour hautbois Op 144 (soloist Alexei Ogrintchouk); and Beethoven’s Symphonie n°5 Op 67 8.30pm.			Théâtre de Thalie, Montaigu
11 Mar 2012		19e Foulées Luçonnaises Running events, with routes of varying length through the towns’s ancient streets and around the picturesque Jardin Dumaine. Starts between 10am and noon, opposite HyperU store.	Luçon
12 Mar 2012	La Suisse Vendéenne Cycle trials over the hilly countryside of the east Vendée, via Mouchamps and Chantonnay - an event for top amateur riders. Start 2.15pm, Place de la Mairie.			Start Mortagne sur Sèvre; finish Les Essarts.
16 Mar 2012	“L’Autre” Claudio Stellato presents a programme of dance, contortion and magic.			Auditorium St-Michel, 1 Avenue d’Anjou, Les Sables-d’Olonne (tel: 02 51 21 54 65)
18 Mar 2012	Cholet Pays de la Loire 35^th edition of this well-known cycle race, with circuits for both men and women.			Cholet area
18 Mar 2012	Chant’Appart Small-scale concert in a house that is a bed-&-breakfast establishment. Performers: Jeanne Plante; and Lili Cros and Thierry Chazelle. 16 euros, children 9 euros. Reservation essential.			Logis de la Mesanchere, Apremont, near Challans (booking on 02 28 10 63 46)
mid Mar 2012	Carnival de mi-Carême Famous mid-Lent carnival parade through the village streets.			Coëx, near Aizenay
22, 23 Mar 2012	“Hand Stories” Yeung Fai uses Chinese puppets to relate folk tales of the Han dynasty..			Auditorium St-Michel, 1 Avenue d’Anjou, Les Sables-d’Olonne (tel: 02 51 21 54 65)
23 Mar 2012	Fireside concert In the small house that is the birthplace of Georges Clemenceau, an hour-long musical recital. 6.30pm. Admission free (booking advisable)			Maison natale de Georges Clemenceau, Rue Clemenceau, Mouilleron-en-Pareds (tel: 02 51 00 38 72)
23 March- 1 Apr 2012	Festival de Magie Fourth Magic Festival to be held at Olonne, with performances in different venues by a variety of magicians			Theatre de la Licorne, Le Havre d’Olonne, Rue du 8 mai 1945, Olonne-sur-Mer
26 Mar 2012	La Traviata Verdi’s opera about love and death adapted from the novel “La Dame aux Camelias” by Alexandre Dumas. With Alice Gulipian 8.30pm. 43€, children 40€			Les Atlantes, Les Sables d’Olonne (Réservations Office de Tourisme des Sables d'Olonne 02 51 96 85 78)
26 Mar 2012	Manon Live relay from Covent Garden of Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet. 8.30pm. Admission 12 euros.			Cinema Camera 5,21 Avenue de Villebois, Montaigu (tel : 02 51 46 46 15).
29 Mar 2012	Ballet Jazz de Montréal Fun contemporary dance from Canada. Part of the prestigious “Spectacles de Vendée” season. 8.30pm.			L’Echiquier, Pouzauges (tel : 02 51 36 93 60)
30 Mar-1 Apr 2012	Printemps du Livre Annual book festival, with talks, displays, and local authors signing their works. Daily 10-7 (Fri is a special schools day)			Theatre de Thalie, Montaigu

The Conseil-Général’s website also has a regularly updated calendar of events
on its site www.vendee.fr, under “Agenda”.

A free quarterly publication called Musique-Danse lists many concerts of all kinds in the Vendee. You can find it in Mairies and tourist offices.
There is an online version here.

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