Avignon

Theatre Festival

Avignon is famous the world over for its annual theatre festival (http://www.festival-avign...). for three or four weeks in july the city is virtually swollen with street performers, actors, musicians, and of course the ubiquitous tourists. the festival is an excuse to turn any room with enough seating into a 'salle de spectacle' and the city is host to a wide variety of entertainment. the gem of this festival are the performances which take place inside the pope's palace itself. tickets are expensive, but this is considered by many french and european thespians to be a crowning achievement of a career. the vast majority of performances are, of course, in french but a number of foreign companies perform in eg english. even without attending any events, the atmosphere and street theatre give the city a marvellous feeling.