With a ‘travel’ theme, this slightly odd festival (at an odd time of year) has a a slightly odd setting that you definitely shouldn’t miss…


It all happens at a place called La Bellevilloise (site here), a venerable old building that used to be a huge co-operative allowing people access to education and culture. In 2000 it was saved from being turned into offices and flats, and has now become an arts space, and a very large one at that.

The building has

– a large area for concerts, shows and club night,
– another floor for exhibitions and jazz brunches,
– a large ground floor former hangar with natural light, now used not only as a restaurant space, but also sporting a bar, hundred year-old olive trees and often lined with photo exhibitions,
– and an enormous loft space that can be changed to suit most occasions.

For the Festival des Ideo it has been baptised The Grand Prairie and filled with lavender plants, water hyacinths, deckchairs and hammocks! If this weren’t odd enough, the list of event planned there is extremely quirky too.

A galactic exhibition with large photos supplied by the European Space Agency showing some of the strangest formations to be seen in space. Entrance is free, and it’s open from 2pm to midnight every day except Monday and Tuesday. A special cocktail will be held for the end of the exhibition on Thursday 4th September 2008.

A culture area with comic books, novels and newspapers for both adults and children, plus meetings and signings with authors (Audrey Bussier and Malika Doray on Wednesday 3rd September at 4pm, Dorothée de Montfried and Stéphane Blake on Saturday 6th September at 4pm), shiatsu massage (1 euro per minute, Wednesday – Saturday 6pm – midnight and Sunday 2 – 8pm), video games lounge, fruit cocktails…

Ciné-mixes or ciné-concerts every Friday and Sunday a 8.30pm (Tickets 6.5€, 5.5€ for concessions), with silent films being accompanied by live bands or DJs. The films are:

– The Lost World Friday 22nd August
– Aelita Sunday 24th August
– 2000 Leagues Under the Sea Friday 29th August
– Aelita Sunday 31st August
– Element of Crime Friday 5th September
– Koyaanisqatsi Sunday 7th September

Virtual visit of Paris, with the help of the researchers of the CITU, a collective of Paris University labs acting “in the field of art creation and emerging media,” (21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th & 29th August at 5.30pm)
– Theatre and dance with L’Enfant et l’Horizon by Michel Ismaël Khelifa on 27th August and The Bacane Sisters on 4th September.
– Apéros contemporains. Every Saturday at 7pm, live music accomanied by readings by Jean Roch Waro, Thomas Hédouin et L’iTiNERAiRE BiS and The Walter Smith Project.

One thing you also shouldn’t miss; La Bellevilloise has what looks like one of the greatest terraces in Paris!

Definitely worth making the effort to see.

La Bellevilloise is at 19 rue Boyer, Paris 20th arrondissement (métro Gambetta, line 3 and 3 bis).
The 2nd Festival des Ideo runs from 20th August until 7th September 2008.

Bigger map here