Granville, Normandy

is a four-day celebration that takes place in the lead up to Shrove Tuesday involving members of the community and nearby communes. Opening with the mayor handing the keys to King Carnival (a papier mache figure), it begins with a series of float processions interspersed with marching bands.

The floats, about 40 in total, often take a humorous look at current events, politics and celebrities and involve the work of 2,500 ‘carnivalists’ who spend six months creating them, as well as smaller modules that also feature. Each ‘carnivalist’ is part of a committee representing an area of the town or a group of friends, colleagues or families involved. Local departments also assist, constructing some of the floats and contributing to the overall logistics. Social balls for different age groups are held, as well as a confetti battle in the town square. The festivities finish with a ‘night of intrigues’ when carnival-goers disguised in costume joke with loved ones or settle scores with impunity. Finally, the king is sentenced and cremated in the port. Attracting 100,000 spectators annually, the Carnival of Granville contributes to community unity and a sense of belonging. Associated knowledge is transmitted within families and committees. [Unesco]

For more on the local seafood see http://www.tourisme-granville-terre-mer.com

Granville, as the premier shellfish port in France, offers an opportunity for food-lovers at the Shellfish Festival.

Shellfish Festival Toute la Mer sur un Plateau 5 – 6 October 2024

In the small and rather elegant resort of Granville there is now a museum and garden dedicated to the designer Christian Dior.
This icon of French Haute-Couture had a house in the town – “Villa les Rhumbs” which houses the museum, containing a huge collection of his creations. Yet what is surprising is that his creative purple patch really only covered about 10 years from 1947 to his death in 1957 – when he single-handedly created the “new look” and eternalised the image of the eternal Parisian woman – elegant with fine shoulders and narrow waist. He was clearly also a serious businessman, as the name Dior has been sustained and developed in the 40 years since his passing.

For more info on Granville see www.tourisme-granville-terre-mer.com

High fashion was his forté, but he was also an enthusiast and creator of fine perfumes, and part of the Villa is dedicated to perfumery – you can experiment and smell your own concoctions in the Perfume Workshop. And in the garden of the house there is an “aromatic” promenade through some of the plants which provide the essential oils for the perfumes.
For more info see www.musee-dior-granville.com Just 30 miles south west via Avranches is the Mont St Michel – see
www.baie-mont-saint-michel.fr/

 

B&Bs, self-catering and hotels in Granville such as the Apartment Mer Baie Mont St Michel near Granville(5km) with direct access to the beach and offering a panoramic view of the Mont Saint Michel Bay!

see our Top 30 vineyard B&Bs in France

somewhere to stay, a ferry, a train or car hire?

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