MPG2019: A Gourmet Year in Provence
Bouches-du-Rhône, France
March to December 2019
MPG2019 will be a year long celebration of the culinary know-how and lifestyle of Bouches-du- Rhône.
Events will focus on its cuisine, from producers to plate starting with the Goût de France (Taste of France) grand opening in March.
There will also be meetings with local chefs, gourmet markets, picnics with a view and urban vegetable gardens.
The D-Day Festival : the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings Manche, Calvados and Orne, Normandy
1 to 9 June 2019
Thursday 6 June 2019'marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy.
The occasion is being used to celebrate peace, liberty and reconciliation.
The D-Day Festival will run from 1 to 9 June with a programme of events
These will focus on 'bringing the memory of this tragic period of world history to life, all the while emphasising the spirit of hope'.
The 75th anniversary will be commemorated with events and festivities such as parades, firework displays, air shows and military re-enactments.
Tommorowland, Alpe d'Huez, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
9 to 16 March 2019
Tommorowland, a DJ-led electro festival, will be staged inAlpe d'Huez for its first winter version.
The 'imaginary world' that's become the festival's USP will spread across the resort's entire ski area taking a title of 'The Hymn of the Frozen Lotus'.
DJ's including Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix and Kölsch will play festival sets as high as 3,330m.
Some 30,000 dance fans will attend, while the original summer festival draws 400,000 revellers to Belgium each year.
www.tomorrowland.com/en/winter/welcome
The Biennale Internationale Design, Saint-Étienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
21 March to 22 April 2019
The 11th edition of the Biennale Internationale Design will see actors, institutions and companies uniting to celebrate Saint-Étienne as a centre of design trends, projects and innovations.
The only French city to be a UNESCO-listed Creative City of Design – alongside Berlin, Bilbao,
Montreal and Beijing – Saint- Étienne is now a global benchmark for design and creativity.
China will be guest of honour at this year's Biennale.
www.biennale-design.com/saint-etienne/2019/en
FIFA Women's Football World Cup 2019
France (various cities)
7 June to 7 July 2019
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the eighth edition of the championship (formerly known as the Women's World Championship).
Matches are planned in nine French cities: Montpellier, Nice, Lyon, Grenoble, Reims, Rennes, Valenciennes, Le Havre and Paris.
www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html
Rouen Armada, Rouen, Normandy
6 to 16 June 2019
The 30th Rouen Armada will bring thousands of sailors to Rouen's quaysides along with 50 tall ships, military boats and submarines from all over the world.
The 10 days of celebrations will conclude with a parade along the River Seine.
The Rouen Armada is one of the largest free-admission maritime events in the world, and expects to welcome over 10 million visitors.
The sailors will party with the locals in the city's bars and clubs, while the Armada village will come alive with concerts, fireworks and other entertainment.
www.en.normandie-tourisme.fr/calendar-of-events/rouen-armada-834-2.html
Great Roman Games, Nîmes, Occitanie
3 to 5 May 2019
Nîmes will be celebrating 10 years of its annual Great Roman Games with extra-special circus shows ('ludi') in the arena.
There will be horse demonstrations, chariot races and gladiator battles, military parades, Roman bivouacs and the and themed tours.
The theme for 2019 is Barbarian Kings.