The official launch of the 5th edition is fast approaching at Cours Foucault. A brief overview of what you need to know to make the most of this event and serenely set sail “On the banks of the Yangtze”.
the 5e edition of the Lantern Festival will open its doors this Thursday 1is December from 6 p.m. at Cours Foucault in Montauban for a magical journey “On the banks of the Yangtze”. For two months, visitors will be able to come and admire nearly 2,500 lanterns scattered over the 4.5 ha of the site. The scenography, specially designed for this edition, will mix unpublished paintings around the rich Chinese heritage and nods to the city of Montauban. Monumental sculptures designed on the spot during the last two months by a hundred artisans from the province of Sichuan. The essential dragons and other pandas will also be there.
The festival welcomes thousands of spectators every year. So that everyone can make the most of the event, the organizers have taken care of the smallest practical details. La Dépêche takes stock.
What are the visiting hours?
The festival will be held at Cours Foucault, from 1is December to February 5. The site will be accessible to visitors from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. every evening, weekends and holidays included. Every evening, about thirty volunteers will be available to welcome, inform and guide the public.
Where to park?
Four free car parks will be made available near Cours Foucault. Those of La Margue (1144 chemin de La Margue) and Bélondrade (64 avenue Fernand Bélondrade) will be coupled with a free shuttle system accessible to people with reduced mobility. They will make the connection with the festival site every ten or fifteen minutes, every day from 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. without shuttle. Allow about twenty minutes on foot to reach Cours Foucault.
In addition, a small free train will offer a circuit from the heart of the city to the festival from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (initially, stops on Allée de l’Empereur; corner with rue de la République; rue de la République; drop her off at the Festival; return to the Allée de l’Empereur). A parking lot dedicated to bicycles will be set up in the immediate vicinity of the site.
How to access the site?
The entire park will be accessible to people with reduced mobility. A dedicated entrance will also be available, at the corner of rue du Corp Franc Pommies and avenue du 10e Dragoons. The main entrance for the general public will be on the other side of the park.
How to book? At what prices?
Reservations of dated and undated tickets are made via the festival website (https://lanternes.festik.net/). Different prices are offered. For dated tickets: €17 (normal price), €15 (residents of Grand Montauban, beneficiaries of RSA and PMR), €13 (students, teenagers aged 11 to 17); for dated tickets: €19 (normal price), €16 (residents of Greater Montauban, beneficiaries of RSA and PMR), €15 (students, teenagers aged 11 to 17). Admission is free for children under 11 and people with reduced mobility. An unlimited pass is also offered at €45.
A point of sale will be accessible at the entrance to the festival. Please note: it will not be possible to buy dated tickets for D-Day, only undated ones.
What to see? What to do ?
It will take about two hours to go around and admire all the lanterns divided into about fifty tables. Among the essentials of this edition: the reproduction of the famous tower of the Yellow Crane (22 m high and 40 m long), a phoenix with an endless tail of fire or the impressive basin entirely in porcelain, baptized Les Neuf dragons (8 m high for 7 m in diameter).
Every night at 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., four Sichuan Opera artists will put on an amazing show. Their particularity: they can change faces up to 30 times per performance! A Chinese craft market will also be on site.
