Easter Sunday in Arles

Sunday, Apr. 16, 2017--Arles, France

If someone comes to Arles for a visit, it should just be a day trip from elsewhere or a one-night stay here UNLESS it is during Feria at Easter or in September.  Then, they should plan on at least two days which should include the Saturday of that weekend.  It's a great party.

One thing I especially like is that it [the Arles Feria] consists mostly of spontaneous activities which seem so exciting and make it great fun--bands showing up at unexpected times, crowds breaking into songs (including La Marsaeillaise, the French national anthem, this morning), friends meeting unexpectedly in the streets, people wearing celebratory costumes they have made, etc.  At home, everything is planned out and occurs more for the purpose of making money more than for having fun.  Bands are on stages and at appointed times; there's never another band just down the street or coming the corner that you can chase instead of having a gap of 30 minutes while a new one sets up.  Crowds are managed within a confined festival area.  Food is served from special booths set up for the event rather than from regular restaurants, cafes, and bars. 

I've been thinking of how a looser festival could be handled in San Antonio, and I think I jazz festival would be the way.  Not the jazz festivals we currently have confined to Travis Park or Crockett Park, but a downtown jazz festival where Houston Street, Crockett Street, College Street and Travis Street would be blocked off from Alamo Street to the San Antonio River.  Why a jazz festival?  Because jazz bands are small and can perform in place or while moving.  What bands would perform?  Invite high school jazz bands, college and university jazz bands, and any private jazz bands that want to participate to come.  Let them set up where they want within the defined district and perform.  Let them move whenever and wherever they want while performing. Let them use the bridges over the River Walk so that they may pull people off the River Walk up to the streets in downtown as they march away from the bridge playing.  Have a couple of stages set up.  Let the participating bands take turns getting onto the stages to perform 2-3 songs each for part of the afternoon and then have maybe one scheduled performance by known artists on each stage each evening.  Let the businesses within the area set up tables on the streets.  Let people drink beer, wine and margaritas on the streets during the festival.  Tie the festival to something else that would draw people to town such as a 3-day weekend connected with Spring Break. 

Anyway, I really didn't expect the party to get started today until later since it is Easter Sunday.  But at 10:00 the tables were being put out as usual, and by 10:30 a band was coming through performing.  Since this is mostly a Catholic area, I guess people can go to mass anytime on Saturday night or Easter Sunday--maybe even plan their attendance at mass around when there is nothing more enticing happening with the festival.

One band I forgot to mention yesterday is Les Daltons Labaput.   It's one of the bigger bands here.  And I also forgot to mention a couple of interesting facts about Banda les Phacocheres:  1) They have a group of wives who follow them and sometimes dance to the tunes as they are played, and 2) They have a member pushing a cart behind them with ice and a Ricard dispenser to serve shots to members of the band. 

While out today, I explored another neighborhood of the city--Roquette.  It's an old area with very narrow streets and seems to be a sophisticated, artsy part of town.   Back in the old town area, several of the bands marched one-after-the-other through Place de la Republique on their way to the Amphitheater about 45 minutes before the bullfights were scheduled to begin.  I followed them.  Four of them set up on the steps to the Amphitheater and took turns playing 2-3 songs each to entertain the crowds. 

I just took a break to go to the window to look out at the action in the crowd.  Usually, I can look down and see all the interesting interactions among friends, but this time, I was noticed.  Three young men yelled at me.  One doffed his hat while bowing and I raised my wine glass in a toast to them.  They didn't care I was old and they were young.  They were just having fun and recognizing that I am lucky to have my view overlooking all the action.

It's 19:00, and the action will continue again tonight until 04:00 in the morning.  Last night, I was able to go asleep about 00:30 with my earplugs and not awaken until after the party had ended.  I will need to do so tonight, too, since I have to catch a morning train tomorrow for Montpellier.  But before bedtime, I will cook a pasta meal, continue to watch the action, maybe watch a Netflix film, and possibly make one more outing to be among the revelers.