FETES DE BAYONNE - Preparation

AMAZING!!! This town knows how to party!

The Fetes de Bayonne is a REALLY BIG festival that is held annually in Bayonne. It is the largest festival in France, attracting up to 1.5 million people over 5 days.

Workers have been setting up and city workers have been furiously cleaning up. I was amazed at how quickly the streets were cleaned of the debris left after yesterday's street sale, which didn't end until almost 9 p.m. Other workers hung "necessary" signs and put up fencing to protect the beautiful plantings along the roadways.

There are posters everywhere and shops are selling the traditional red and white garb which many people traditionally wear. I feel absolutely out of place in my basic black slacks. I WILL be wearing a white shirt and red foulard (scarf) tonight though. Even the statues on the top of city hall are wearing the traditional red scarf (I wonder who got that job)!




















There's already music and dancing in the streets and the opening isn't until tonight! Along with traditional Basque songs pouring out of the bars and restaurants, I also hear a lot of American Country & Western. I guess Willie Nelson can party with the best of them.