Major events

The Pays Viennois has an extraordinary abundance of major cultural and musical events, which give the town a festive atmosphere all year long.

The Vienne fair

The Vienne fair

Organised by three groups of business operators - The Envie de Vienne association representing 150 merchants, craftsmen, and self-employed professionals in Vienne, - The animation des marchés de Vienne (Vienne market co-ordination) association, representing over 400 members, of which half are from Vienne and the Pays Viennois, - The Comité d'animation des Cafetiers, Hôteliers et Restaurateurs viennois et des environs (Co-ordinating committee of cafe owners, hotel operators and restaurateurs of Vienne and surrounding area) association, representing 40 establishments in and around the Pays Viennois.
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Festival of street performance

Festival of street performance

The Au Haz art des Rues festival was created in 2005 on the initiative of BTS Communication in Saint-Romain-en-Gal, in collaboration with the Root's Arts association. The purpose of this open, free event is to present and share the various components of street performance culture, as well as a wide range of artistic endeavours, with the residents of Vienne and the surrounding areas.
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Comedy festival

Comedy festival

Initially called the Cafe-theatre and comedy festival, this festival was created in 1981 on the initiative of some members of the Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture (Office for Youth and Culture), and took place in the municipalities of Vienne and Seyssuel. Over the years, it extended throughout the 18 municipalities of the Pays Viennois. The next festival will take place from 17th March to 5th April 2008. Its aim is to promote live shows in rural areas and to introduce the public to new artistic, theatrical, and comedic forms. It is currently one of the top five comedy festivals in France, and has featured some famous performers and comedians (Marc Jolivet, Laurent Ruquier, Tex, Gustave Parking, etc.).
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Vienne International Jazz Festival

Vienne International Jazz Festival

Created in 1981, nowadays each edition of the Festival hosts an average of 180 000 festivalgoers. It is the Number One jazz festival in France and is internationally famous. The last one took place on several stages: the Scène de Cybèle, the Club de Minuit at the Vienne theatre, and under a tent near the tourist office for the Jazz mix stage. Note that the concerts on these three stages are free (Festival Off).
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The Sang d'encre Festival

The Sang d'encre Festival

On the initiative of François Joly, Chairman of the Vienne Office for Youth and Culture and himself a writer of detective novels, the Detective Novel Festival has become one of the flagship events for this particular genre of fiction in France.
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