The French Ardennes - Whats New for 2015

The dates for one of Northern Europe's most colourful festivals of

2015 have been announced - making The French Ardennes one of
the must see destinations in France, next September.

The World Puppet Festival has grown dramatically since its inception
in 1961, and now attracts top acts from all five continents, as well as
an audience in excess of 150,000 people.

The French Ardennes will once again offer itself as the backdrop to
"Les Petits Comdiens" (http://www.festival-marionnette.com) for the
18
th
World Puppet Festival from September 18
th
to 27
th
.

The ideal choice for the biggest gathering of puppets on the planet,
Charleville-Mzires is a world-renowned centre for marionettes and
puppeteers - boasting a historic association with the art stretching
back to 1941.

In the intervening years, Charleville-Mzires has not only established
an International Puppet Institute, but also an Ecole Suprieure
Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette, which now offers a three-year
puppetry course to 15 international students every three years.

In 1991, the town also unveiled what has become one of its most
endearing tourist attractions, The Grand Marionettiste - The Great
Puppeteer's Clock. Built into the faade of the Institut de la
Marionette, every hour from 10am to 9pm, it presents an episode from
the legend of the Four Sons of Aymona heroic medieval saga linked
to the geography and history of the Ardennes.

Charleville-Mzires is today acknowledged as the puppet capital of
the world; and for 10 days in September the whole region will revolve
around the festival as 250 companies, 150,000 spectators and 400
programmers come together for one of the world's most magnificent
artistic gatherings.

Other, major developments for The French Ardennes in 2015 include
the re-opening during the summer of The Rimbaud Museum in
Charleville. A tribute to one of Frances most famous and charismatic
poets, the Museum tells about the life and times of Arthur Rimbaud,
and one of the most obvious changes to the visitor experience will be
the creation of a reflective and atmospheric island garden.

2016, the 125
th
anniversary of his death, will be another key year for
the poet, whose life is also extraordinarily well-documented by a
YouTube video narrated by Joan Baez:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD-fn7Vouw8.

A third major development for The French Ardennes in 2015,
meanwhile, is the re-opening of The War & Peace Museum
http://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/en/museum-war-and-peace-
ardennes on November 11th.


The new, 2015 Visitor Guide to The French Ardennes will be available
in English from the end of the year.

For further information visit www.ardennes.com.

Ends
For press information, contact:
Djamila Daoud
T: +33 3 24 56 67 77
E: daoud@ardennes.com

Or,

Ian Weightman
T: 01782-680963
E: ian.iwms@virgin.net