For the 36th time in a row, France is joining the celebration of European Heritage Days in September. This year, on 21 and 22 September, France is honouring some of its most significant people, traditions and places in Arts and Entertainment.

The Ministry of Culture, with the help of a number of national organisations, heritage groups and volunteers, are inviting everyone to take part in the exploration of the many facets of arts and entertainment as fluid forms, which not only provide a look into the past, but are also a living heritage that changes, mirroring the atmosphere of the period and its creators.

French rich cultural history will be seen through the eyes of around 12 million participants that visit the cultural festival each year. Preserved ancient theatres such as Argentomagus, Drevant and Sanxay will bring the atmosphere of the past entertainment shows to the public. Theatres, opera houses, cinemas and museums will tell the stories of the development of performance heritage through history. Visitors will also be able to try some of the fairground arts rides and learn more about the tradition of festivals, carnivals, and parades of different regions. Museums will hold exhibitions that display favourite games and toys used throughout centuries for pastime entertainment. From 18h century wooden horses and electric Bugatti cars from 1920s, to VR games of today, it will be interesting to follow how the heritage of entertainment evolved simultaneously with the times and the people. For those interested in the sports heritage of France, the 2019 European Heritage Days celebrations explore everything from the Middle Ages hunting to modern sports complexes.

The complete programme of the European Heritage Days 2019 in France will be available online from June on the official website: https://journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr/

Last Year’s Traditions Revisited

Continuing the success of the last year’s heritage celebration, EHDs 2019 in France are organising a second edition of two heritage-inspired projects. The Children of Heritage programme, organized by the National Federation of Architecture, Urbanism and Environment Councils (CAUE) and the Ministry of Culture, is coming back for its second season. With the aim to encourage heritage exploration, sharing and protection among school children, the programme including a number of participatory events will take place on Friday, September 20.

Française des Jeux and the Mission Bern are also joining forces for the second time for the heritage preservation. “Heritage in danger” buildings, in need of a restoration will be helped by the profit raised from a special edition of the lotto draw prior to the September events. The collaborative project will help to preserve 18 heritage sites, some of which will be shown to the public during European Heritage Days.

The entire country will become a stage for the identification, exploration and sharing of diverse cultural heritage of arts and entertainment through artistic forms, entertainment and sports venues across France. The September events will provide a unique experience for millions of visitors and participants to observe the tangible and intangible abundant cultural heritage of France in a new light, and to be a part of the heritage preservation and to transfer the legacy forward to future generations.