We have selected 3 important events
that take place in our region every year.
Other events take place throughout the year in the Diois, such as concerts,
exhibitions, theatre performances, and sporting competitions.
As these events are constantly being updated, it is difficult to keep
the information on these pages updated in English. Rather than giving
you outdated information, here
is a link to the most up-to-date information in French.
| The Transhumance through Die to the Vercors Plateau | |
The transhumance is a festival not to be missed. Traditionally practiced across Europe and in parts of North Africa, transhumance is the movement of animals from lowland valleys where they winter up to highland summer pastures. At the end of June every year, the Diois is on the move, as flocks of sheep, with their shepherds and sheepdogs, make their way up onto the Vercors Plateau for the summer. And it is the opportunity for a wonderful festival in Die; it is both a spectacle for visitors and locals and the celebration of an integral part of the pastoral calendar.
On Saturday morning, despite the
festivities of the night before, an early start is crucial. At eight
o’clock, with the Saturday morning market well under-way,
some 3,000 sheep, with colorful shepherds and musicians accompanying
them, make their way through the town – and through the market
square – on their way up to the Vercors. It’s fun to
follow them (wear comfortable shoes if you plan to walk a long way
– and in any case, wear shoes you don’t mind getting
soiled with sheep droppings!) At six o’clock on Sunday morning (only the very keen see this!) the herd begins its final ascent towards the Col de Rousset, where it arrives at the end of the morning. Throughout the day, there are celebrations at the Col de Rousset, with stalls, music, and demonstrations of sheep shearing and sheepdog skills. As of 2008, there is also the opportunity to spend Sunday night and Monday with the shepherds, and to take part in guided walks in the mountain pastures of the Vercors Plateau nature reserve. The festival of the transhumance takes place
on either the third or fourth weekend of June each year. |
|
| Art and Wine Festival, Fête les Arts et la Vigne, in Châtillon-en-Diois | |
For a week at the beginning of August each year, the medieval village of Châtillon-en-Diois transforms itself into a delightful “Village-Gallery”.
There are two “nuits aux torches” during the week; during these evenings, the streetlights of the village are switched out and everything is lit by traditional flame torches. Musicians play traditional music in the streets and in tiny public courtyards, children love to carry candles in paper lanterns, and most of the villagers participate by turning out their electric lights and putting candles in their windows. The effect, on the narrow streets of this medieval village, is enchanting. But this is also a festival of wine! Châtillon wine has its own “Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée,” or AOC, which signals its high quality, and the winemaking culture is an important part of the local heritage. On the Sunday morning of the festival, the water of the Reviron fountain in Châtillon is “magically” transformed into wine, with a rather human-like Bacchus celebrating the process. The vineyards, too, become animated celebrations of local heritage. The Fête les Arts et la Vigne takes place
on the first or second week of August. |
|
| The Festival Est Ouest – East-West Festival | |
| Since its establishment in 1989, Die’s East-West Festival has brought many aspects of the art and life of different eastern-European countries to light in France. During this ten-day festival, the music,
cinema, theatre, literature, art, agriculture, and environment
of the selected country are featured, attracting a wide-ranging
audience, from those who are completely new to Eastern-European
culture to experts. And this meeting of neighbours is a two-way affair: actors, artists, writers, farmers, screenwriters, and students from the East perform and highlight their arts, while being welcomed into our own rich rural French culture. Come and share in this wonderful cultural and artistic exchange. The streets of Die are positively humming with activities – organized as well as impromptu concerts and performances – during the Festival. Over the years, the Festival has grown in importance, and eventually, it became too big to organize every year; since 2004, therefore, it has become a biannual event (2006, 2008, 2010…) The Festival Est Ouest is held in the second
half of September every other year, on even-numbered years. Although
the festival is now held only once every two years, there are lots
of cultural exchange activities in between times organized by the
East-West Festival Association. |
|
| Other events take place throughout the
year in the Diois, such as concerts, exhibitions, theatre performances,
and sporting competitions. As these events are constantly being updated, it is difficult to keep the information on these pages updated in English. Rather than giving you outdated information, here is a link to the most up-to-date information in French. We hope it will give you an idea about what is available, and if you see something that interests you, please do not hesitate to contact the tourist office, where there is always someone who speaks English, for more information. |
|
On
Friday
Some
forty home owners in the old village give over their ground-level
“cellars” to artists, mostly from the region, to exhibit
their 