ENGLISH TEXTS to turn racecourses into party spaces. Ten more evenings are scheduled this year, from May 15 to September 11. Regularly sold out, these outdoor DJ set cocktails, in a chill and festive atmosphere( according to France Galop), barefoot on the grass, with DJ“ battles,” are giving horse racing a youthful boost. This spirit is spreading to Deauville this summer. France Galop announces“ a musical atmosphere at the Black Type,” the racecourse’ s guinguette, with musicians or DJs every Thursday after the races during the Barrière meeting. At ParisLongchamp again, the party continues on July 13 with a“ Garden Party” alongside the Grand Prix de Paris, with electro duo Trinix at the decks. In the provinces, Les Estivales de Marseille Vivaux are doubling up with concerts. In Cherbourg, the racecourse can welcome 5,000 people for a concert featuring 80s stars or host motorbike stunts and Monster Trucks. The Le Bouscat racecourse celebrated ten years of Bordeaux Open Air with a huge house party dubbed La Garden. The Concert of 1,000 Children returned to Chantilly. In Caen, the Hello Caen collective has been organizing music events since last year. In Toulouse, it’ s Garden Party in summer and Halloween in autumn. Throughout the summer season, the Cabourg racecourse is giving its stage over twice to the neighboring Cabourg mon Amour festival. Every Friday means a concert. For instance, on July 4, it’ s a“ Disco 2 Chevo” night. This list is not exhaustive. One trend stands out: the Drone Art Show, a spectacle lit by thousands of candles, blending classical music( string quartet) with a visual drone show that“ transforms the sky into a luminous, colorful painting.” This concept will appear July 11 and 12 at the Lyon Parilly racecourse, July 25 and 26 in Vincennes, and September 5 and 6 at Le Bouscat.
Arenas for Giant Concerts Racecourses also serve as arenas for massive concerts. We remember The Rolling Stones drawing 150,000 fans to Auteuil in 1982 for two concerts— with Téléphone as the opening act— before celebrating their 60 th anniversary in 2022 at Paris- Longchamp, which turned into a metal haven last year for a historic AC / DC concert attended by 80,000 people. Vincennes holds the record: in 1992, Michael Jackson drew 85,000 people there— his biggest crowd during his European tour. Between 1986 and 1993, the trotting mecca was also a star-studded venue: Queen, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Hallyday( for an RPR rally), Elton John, Eric Clapton, Metallica, and the Monsters of Rock festival with Aerosmith and AC / DC. Auteuil was a trailblazer. Beyond the Rolling Stones, the steeplechase stronghold hosted Simon and Garfunkel in 1982, then David Bowie in 1983. No surprise that its“ Pelouse B” was later renamed“ Billie Holiday.”
National Celebrations and Mass Gatherings The archives reveal some surprising large-scale events. From 1880 to 1914, ParisLongchamp was the site of the July 14 military parades. All-time record: Pope John Paul II’ s mass in 1997, during World Youth Day, with over a million faithful in attendance. Following the 2015 terrorist attacks, the Téléthon was also relocated there. Vincennes also has its quirks: the 1920 Bastille Day, presided over by Pétain, and the Paris Air Folies air festival in 1988. Sports have also made their way into racecourses. ParisLongchamp is closely linked to cycling, especially the Critérium des As, won four times by Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil after WWII. Today, the 3.6 km cycling loop at Longchamp remains the mostused cycling segment in France, with 13 million kilometers pedaled each year.
CROWDS AND CELEB- RITIES AT THE JEAN-GA- BIN RACECOURSE
Perce-Neige: the joyful meeting of horse racing and stardom, all for a good cause. Deeply moved by the mission of his close friend Lino Ventura, Jean Gabin generously opened the gates of his racecourse in Moulins-la-Marche, in the Orne region, to this foundation supporting people with disabilities,
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