::Le Mag Group:: EVENTS IN THE AUDE IN OCTOBER

EVENTS IN THE AUDE IN OCTOBER , Oct 04

I just went to the UK for the weekend and of course it rained the whole time we were there but the thing is, I had just left summertime France and when I came back, it had become autumn!

How did that happen? Naturally I am hoping this is a blip and that I can still keep my fan in my bedroom and not dig out the duvets just yet. There is something about the autumn in the Aude. It may be crisp, the wind may blow a bit but as long as the sun keeps shining it reminds us why we are here, n’est ce pas? I love the sound of the mini tractors laden down with grapes and the big harvester machines taking over the whole road. The whole community comes together to support the vignerons. The crèches are full as all the mothers join their husbands and fathers in the vineyards to bring in their harvest. All over the region villages will be celebrating the Festival of the Vin Primeur. You will see local wine producers take to the streets of the cities, towns and villages across the region to celebrate the first barrel of wine with processions, wine-tasting, music and food! Enjoy!
4 October Jeux en Familles Fabrezan
Adults, children and babies can all join in with this afternoon of games and puzzles. Have fun with all sorts of traditional games from all over the world. Try to build a square by yourself, or beat your opponents to win the game. This is a lovely afternoon of free entertainment where everyone can meet and make new friends.
Held in front of the Foyer at Fabrezan from 2pm until 5pm. www.ludule.over-blog.com or call 0670 689084
5 October Country Fair Paraza
Throughout the day enjoy country dancing including line dancing. Horses, motorbikes and trikes on show and of course there will be plenty of refreshments on offer.
Tel 06 10 62 33 10 for more information
5 October Festival Identiterres Salleles D’Aude
Every year after the tourist season has finished and harvest has been done, autumn is welcomed with an introspective look at the surrounding territory. Celebrated in many ways; in Salleles D’Aude a concert starting at 18h will be held at the church Notre Dame with the duo Benat Achiary and Pedro Soler, singer/percussionist and guitar. Tel 0468 466846 for more information.
Also check out Leucate on the 3 October and their programme of events www.leucate.net
8 October ‘Cirque Clown’ Saint Nazaire D’Aude
Solo clown Philippe Goudard will be performing at the Salle Polyvalente at 15h
Tickets 5 Euros Tel 0468 422370
11 October Stage de Danses d’Israel Lagrasse
Beginners and Advanced classes in Israeli dancing! The first lesson will be free for beginners starting from 13h (usual cost is 10 Euros) advanced classes from 15h. (Cost 12-15Euros). The day will finish off at 19h with a party for all the participants including a meal followed by everyone joining into dance! Call 0468 431548
12 October Plantshare and Routier Conker Championship
Domaine des Etoiles, Routier
Plant swap
Got a bank that needs covering? Domaine des Etoiles has a large amount of thinned irises. Tired of paying for plants, well pot up your thinnings and bring them along and swap them. Increase the variety in your garden without cost.
Exchange ideas, meet new people
Conkers
So the plan is for this to be a bit of fun and to keep alive some British traditions, especially for the children?
Players’ Rules of Engagement for the Noble Game of Conkers borrowed from the Ashton Conker Club World Conker Championships:
1. All Conkers and Laces are supplied by http://www.domaine-des-etoiles.com/ . Laces must not be knotted further or tampered with.
2. The game will commence with a toss of a coin, the winner of the toss may elect to strike or receive.
3. A distance of no less than 8” or 20cm of lace must be between knuckle and nut.
4. Each player then takes three alternate strikes at the opponent’s conker.
5. Each attempted strike must be clearly aimed at the nut, no deliberate miss hits.
6. The game will be decided once one of the conkers is smashed.
7. A small piece of nut or skin remaining shall be judged out, it must be enough to mount an attack.
8. If both nuts smash at the same time then the match shall be replayed.
9. Any nut being knocked from the lace but not smashing may be re threaded and the game continued.
10. A player causing a knotting of the laces (a snag) will be noted, three snags will lead to disqualification.
11. If a game lasts for more than five minutes then play will halt and the “5 minute rule” will come into effect. Each player will be allowed up to nine further strikes at their opponents nut, again alternating three strikes each. If neither conker has been smashed at the end of the nine strikes then the player who strikes the nut the most times during this period will be judged the winner.
Want to attend? Please email mail@audeflyer with your phone number if you haven’t attended an event here before for information. Please email with names if you have previously attended. Please also remember these are private parties with a tightly controlled admission, thank you.
12 October Foire d’Automne Ferrals les Montagnes
Tastings of new seasonal products – Tel 0467 970058
12 October Fête de la Courge Mailhac
Market in the morning (expect lots of marrows). The afternoon will have lots of shows for the children and with musical entertainment and aperitifs in the evening. Tel: 04 68 46 25 90
12 October Fête des Vandanges Ouveillan
Throughout the day there will be music (both popular and traditional) with brass bands and local crafts and produce for sale. Fun for all the family. It will be held in the centre of the village and there will also be thanksgivings for the harvest. Tel: 0681 011166
16 October Fete d’Automne Tourouzelle
Doors open from 10h – 20 h. Tastings of local wines and seasonal produce – Tel 0468 912329
18-19 October Fetes des Pommes Mirepoix
Celebrate the Apple harvest!
The 10th anniversary retrospective will see the town square decorated with massive statues made from apples, and various entertainments throughout the weekend. www.tourisme-mirepoix.com
19 – 26 October The Early Wine has arrived! Lezignan Corbieres
Conscious of the richness of its wine inheritance, the municipality of Lézignan-Corbières is always committed to its local vine growers and helps promote all their efforts. This year in collaboration with the Cellars of Lézignanais, the Festival of the Early Wines is not just to be a celebration for the locals but also for the rest of the world. As usual an opportunity for everyone local and visiting to taste and buy the new wines, indulge in gastronomic meals, be entertained by music and dancing and if you are feeling fit you can join in with the annual run or cycle ride
For more information visit www.lezignan-corbieres.fr
18 -19 October Ronde du Malepère Alairac
First held in 2000, the Ronde of the Malepère has since become the great wine gathering of the Malepère area. With its festive atmosphere, its lively street music and various other activities for adults and children, the Ronde of the Malepère enables encounters with wine producers as well as encouraging discovery of local traditions and local knowledge within the worlds of gastronomy, of crafts, of artists, and all products from the Cathar region, ‘le Pays Cathare’.
Each year a different village hosts the Ronde – a challenge to all the villagers. It is an opportunity for all members of the community, whether volunteers or elected officials, wine producers as well as local school children to use their initiative with enthusiasm, generosity and dynamic effort.
It is an event for everyone, festive and convivial; it is a unifier of the community, a creator of partnerships and a generator of local tourism.
It is also a professional event, with active participation from wine experts, oenologists and professional chefs… www.rondedumalepere.fr
25-26 October Fete de la Chataigne Castans
Celebrate the sweet chestnut and new wine. From 10am there will be a fair exhibiting and selling products of the soil, and local crafts. There will be music, and of course plenty of tasting of the châtaigness (chestnuts) traditionally along with local lamb, jams, pastries and local wine. Call 0468 266365
26 October Fete de la Chataigne Azille
www.azilleaccueil.com
MARKET DAYS
Carcassonne Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (which is the big market)
Bages Tuesday and Friday
Castelnaudary Monday
Caunes- Minervois Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Chalabre Saturday
Esperaza Thursday and Sunday
Fabrezan Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Ferrals les Corbières Tuesday and Friday
Gruissan Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
Lagrasse Saturday
Leucate Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
Lezignan Wednesday
Limoux Friday – and Tuesday night in July and August
Mirepoix Monday
Narbonne Daily in Les Halles (covered market)
Olonzac Tuesday
Port Nouvelle Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
Quillan Wednesday and Saturday
Revel Saturday
Rieux Minervois Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Vide Greniers
It may be chilly but the hardnosed buyers and sellers don’t give up – please check www.vide-greneirs.org before leaving the warmth of your beds.
Sunday 5 October
Badens
Belpech
Carcassonne
Coursan
Limoux
Sunday 12 October
Coursan
Labastide-d’Anjou
Ouveillan –Foire aux rougnes des vandanges
Sainte-Eulalie
Saturday 18 October
Fleury d’Aude
Sunday 19 October
Coursan
Ginestas
Lagrasse
Sunday 26 October
Boutenac
Coursan
Salsigne
Saturday 1st November
Port Leucate
Sunday 2 November
Coursan
Limoux
18-19 October ‘Apprenez les gestes qui sauvent’ Lagrasse
Two day First Aid course held by the fire-fighters of Lagrasse.
This is a French course but apparently it is relatively easy to understand. Cost 70 Euros. For more information contact pompiers-lagrasse@laposte.net or call 0468 431383 www.pompierdelagrasse.fr/index.html
English cinema
Currently showing in Carcassonne and Narbonne in Version Originale (English Language)
Please do call the cinema beforehand to make sure the film is still on.
Carcassonne
Cap Cinema le Colisee, 10 Boulevard Omer Sarraut, 11000 Carcassonne
Recorded Programme: 08 92 89 28 92
Filth and Wisdom (Romance/comedy/music) Directed by Madonna
The story revolves around a Ukrainian immigrant named A.K. who finances his dreams of rock glory by moonlighting as a cross-dressing dominatrix and his two female flat mates: Holly, a ballet dancer who works as a stripper and pole-dancer at a local club and Juliette a pharmacy assistant who dreams of going to Africa to help starving children.
The Gypsy punk band that appears in the film is portrayed by real-life Gypsy punk band, Gogol Bordello, who also contributed three songs to the film’s soundtrack. The band’s lead singer, Eugene Hütz, portrays the main character — a character with a philosophical attitude towards life. Madonna allowed additional dialogue written by Eugene himself to be included in the film.
Showings: 18:15
Happy Go Lucky (Comedy / Drama) Directed by Mike Leigh
A great deal more upbeat than some of Mike Leigh’s recent offerings, ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ follows Poppy, a cheery Londoner through a few weeks of her life one springtime. Outside of her work as a primary school teacher, Poppy’s love life flourishes with a social worker, she visits her uptight sister and takes driving lessons with Scott who is the complete opposite to her continually joyful and upbeat self. It is the life of an unusually happy woman, who the camera follows intensely
Showings: 21:00
Narbonne
Le Cinema, 2 ave Domitius, 11100 Narbonne Tel : 04 68 32 30 93
Happy Go Lucky.
Note for your diaries
8th November 3pm – 5pm Ferrals les Corbieres– Some local folk are intending to hold a mini Christmas event. This will not only be an opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping but also to meet new people. If you wish to participate in this event and have lovely things to sell please contact honormarks@yahoo.com
More information will be in the next edition of Le Eleven but keep this date free!