France

[charlatan_mudo]

Got to Perpignan around half november last year and stayed there for a week. And despite the fact that tourism season was naturally long over, there were still street performers working
(most notably a very good jazz quartet). The center of this city has a number of good places for working. Things were slow between twelve midday and two because most of the shops closed for lunch break; this is the same all over the country so since finding this out I usually concentrate on the afternoon hours.
Other stops: Narbonne, Montpellier*, Nimes*, Tarascon, Avignon, Valence*, Vienne, Lyon*, Villefranche sur Saone*, Macon, Dijon* and Metz*.
Note: Recommended places are marked *.
Whether due to a possible "Christmas truce" between the police and street artists or for another motive, I had no hassles over permits anywhere.
For information about any french town or city, go to Google and type in its name followed by "tourisme"; most (if not all) of these sites are multilingual. Obviously.

[faloshow]

Re: About France

Hi charlatan_mudo,

I just saw your post about France. In the time you visit the towns, have you done any show? I say this, because you have been only the towns, where no french performer will go. For example, you say Montpellier is recommended. I live in Montpellier and I tell you, this is a very bad place for street shows. There is only two good things. First, it is the only place in France I know, where you can use a sound system as big as you want and the police just pass by. And second, there is a nice pitch with a lot terrasses around. But thats all! The only shows they work here I think, this are dance shows. They work maybe well. All other is realy going bad. I do not know why. It is now 4 years that I live here and I think I will never know. Even in summer time, the shows going bad. Sometimes, I pass in the center and I see some performer playing for terasses. They always fight for who is the next... and all this for some €uros. There is nobody doing circle shows. I was the only stuppid.

In the cities Narbonne, Nimes, Tarascon, Valence, Vienne, Macon, Dijon and Metz I never saw a performer doing big shows. There is only baggers, ore not realy pro. Lyon is more for passing over the winter time, but since 2 years ago you have all the east european people, doing bad statues all around the town. Some other towns I havend been. But what about Avignon. You did not recommand this town. Have a little look on the pictures at my web page www.faloshow.com , and then tell me again about Avignon.

For find the french cities in the web, just add ville- to the city. Example www.ville-montpellier.fr.

So now I have to work on the new forum. And by the way, I saw also your post, by "coutries and cities for busking". I will answer you later, ok?

All the best Falo

[charlatan_mudo]

Reply

Right. First off, I didn't work Avignon because as I didn't find an affordable hotel I stayed on the street one night and took a train to Valence the next morning. Did some good shows around the Place de l'Horloge terraces nearly ten years ago (april 1995), but in those times I played percussion and was part of this really brilliant six-piece crusty/new age traveller acoustic rock band that fell into fractions after four days, so that doesn't really count. Montpellier, without being excellent, was decent money-wise and besides I had a very good time there. Did a total of five days' work around the Grand-Rue Jean Moulin, the Rue de la Loge and in front of the Polygone. Next, Lyon. One day only near the Hotel de Ville. Saw not a one eastern-european doing a bad statue. In the remaining cities you mentioned indeed there were no other performers working while I was there (excepting Valence and Dijon). Performing in these cities I always made more than the minimum required to cover expenses (lodging, food and so forth); perhaps now you understand part of the reason why I recommended them. Satisfied with my answer?

Greetings and all that,

E