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PRESS RELEASE © © CRT Picardie/ Benjamin Teissèdre © CRT visit-amiens com WELCOME TO AMIENS, THE ADVANTAGES OF A GREAT CITY, THE PEACEFUL PLEASURES OF THE COUNTRYSIDE! © CRT Picardie - Comdesimages © CRT CONTENTS PAGE 4 KEY FIGURES AND DATES PAGE 6 WHAT’S NEW IN AMIENS IN 2018? PAGE 10 AMIENS, CITY OF CULTURE PAGE 16 AMIENS, CITY OF NATURE PAGE 20 AMIENS, CITY OF GASTRONOMY PAGE 23 AMIENS, CITY OF FESTIVITY CHARMING AND UNEXPECTED PAGE 25 ACCOMMODATION PAGE 26 THINGS TO DO PEOPLE PUTTING AMIENS PAGE 28 IN THE SPOTLIGHT PAGE 30 OTHER SITES IN GREATER AMIENS PAGE 32 AROUND AMIENS PAGE 34 PROJECTS PRESS RELEASE + Contacts Amiens Métropole Stéphanie Cadet Tourist Office Press contact Amiens Tourist Office BP 11018 +33 (0)3 22 71 60 53 80010 Amiens cedex 1 [email protected] + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 45 Michel Collet [email protected] Press Officer Amiens City Council - amiens-tourisme.com Greater Amiens + 33 (0)03 22 97 40 99 Public opening dates and times [email protected] Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am to 6.30 pm, from 1 April to 30 September 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, from 1 October to 31 March Sundays: from 10.00 am to 12.00 noon and from 2.00 to 5.00 pm KEY FIGURES City of Amiens: i.e. 24% of those living in the Somme “department” 136 172 inhabitants (2015 census) The Greater Amiens district (known as Amiens Métropole) was set up on January 1st, 2000 and now boasts over 180 000 inhabitants. The suburban area comprises 39 communes. st It ranks among French conurbations in terms of population. 31 HOTEL 4 hotels (246 rooms) 11 hotels (450 rooms) 10 hotels (546 rooms) 28 000 2 hotels (196 rooms) students 1 456 1 hotel (12 rooms) 40% hotel rooms 1 hotel non classé (6 rooms) of the population is under 25. 29 hotels 4 1 camping**** 1 camping*** with with PRESS RELEASE 145 pitches 33 pitches (Amiens) (Bertangles) 2 tourist residences 1 youth hostel (325 beds) (180 beds) 359 540 Over With visitors have watched the cathe- dral light show, “Chroma”. 130 000 191 300 visitors visit the Hortillonnages Notre-Dame cathedral attracts visitors in 2017, the Zoo is the floating gardens every year 600,000 visitors a year. second most popular tourist between April and October. attraction in the Somme department. SOME KEY DATES In 1992, Amiens was Amiens has had the In 2017, Amiens won May 19th, 2017: Amiens awarded the «City of Art Four Flowers label the «Destination For pulled off the incredible and History» label. This since 2013. All»label for facilitating feat of being promoted label was extended to access to persons of to the top French “Land of Art and History” reduced mobility and the football league, by in 2013. visually impaired. beating Reims in the 90th minute! 5 WHAT’S NEW IN AMIENS IN 2018? AMIENS, TAKING A FRESH VIEW OF THE GREAT WAR IN 2018 Starring in the Centenary commemorations, Amiens gives an alternative glimpse into the Great War for this new season, with a rich schedule of top-quality shows, lectures and exhibitions as well as new creations. Amiens Métropole Tourist Office + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 [email protected] amiens-tourisme.com © Laurent Rousselin, Amiens Métropole Amiens Rousselin, © Laurent THE SPRING AND AUTUMN FLEA MARKETS APRIL 22ND AND OCTOBER 7TH An event with 2,000 amateur and professional market sellers, attracting visitors from all over Europe, all hoping to add treasures to their collections. Don’t miss it. Association des commerçants du quartier des halles and the Fédération des commerçants du centre-ville grande-rederie-amiens.com © OTAM - FL © OTAM 6 PRESS RELEASE CHROMA, A MONUMENTAL EXPERIENCE, AT AMIENS CATHEDRAL FROM 15 JUNE TO 16 SEPTEMBER, AND DURING THE CHRISTMAS MARKET Chroma, a monumental experience was a hit in 2017. Over 15 years after the show “Amiens cathedral in colours” (which attracted over 2 million viewers) Notre-Dame was once again bathed in an all-new, dramatic colour scheme. Chroma is an immersive voyage, an interplay of shadow and light, an opportunity to experiment with colour as the star of the show spotlighting the western façade. Free show, every evening at nightfall, on Notre- Dame square. Amiens Métropole Tourist Office + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 [email protected] amiens-tourisme.com © Laurent Rousselin, spectacle Spectre Lab pour Amiens Métropole spectacle Spectre Lab Rousselin, © Laurent ART, CITIES & Visit the festival LANDSCAPE FESTIVAL by boat, then enjoy a gourmet snack in the - HORTILLONNAGES Hortillonnages floating gardens, on July 11th AMIENS 2018 and 25th and August 8th and 22nd FROM JUNE 9TH ST TO OCTOBER 21 Admire unique landscapes on foot or by boat in the floating gardens. With the gardens and installations produced by young landscape artists, the Art, Cities & Landscape Festival is a major cultural gathering. It takes place every year from mid-June to mid-October. The 2018 festival is being organised by the new structure “Art & Jardins - Hauts-de-France” headed up by Gilbert Fillinger, former director of the Maison de la Culture d’Amiens. art & jardins Hauts-de-France + 33 (0)3 22 52 52 96 Monel © Yann facebook.com/artetjardinsHDF 7 Halle Freyssinet Gare la Vallée Festival >> 2 - 3 juin Expositions >> jusqu’au 30 juin © Laurent Rousselin, Amiens Métropole Rousselin, © Laurent 23RD CARTOON FESTIVAL AMIENS STREET FESTIVAL/ ON JUNE 2ND AND 3RD 41ST FESTIVAL OF ARTS IN It is official, the “Rendez-vous de la Bande Dessinée” cartoon festival is moving! This year the festival has left the law school THE PUBLIC ARENA to bring its lively atmosphere to the immense concrete vaults TH TH of the Halle Freyssinet (former Halle Sernam) behind the FROM JUNE 15 TO 17 Nord railway station. The author of the Titeuf series, Zep, is The Amiens street festival “La Rue est à Amiens” is one of designing the poster for this special edition. ten major annual gatherings for Street Arts and for sure one of the most popular in the Street & Circus category! This Association « On a marché sur la bulle » year, 25 companies are representing France, Korea, Haiti, + 33 (0)3 22 72 18 74 the Netherlands and Spain, with a focus on circus arts, street bd.amiens.com theatre, fairground arts and performances. Pôle régional des Arts du Cirque + 33 (0)3 22 35 40 41 © OTAM - FL © OTAM Amiens Métropole Rousselin, © Laurent THE TRADITIONAL RIVER THE 2018 TOUR DE MARKET FRANCE CELEBRATING ON JUNE 17TH, 2018 BASTILLE DAY IN AMIENS Once a year, during the “La Rue est à Amiens” street festival, Amiens is the finishing line for the 8th stage of the 2018 Tour the river market takes place as in bygone days. Market de France. The countdown has started. Having already gardeners don their traditional garb to come down the hosted the Tour in 2015, Greater Amiens is primed to give Somme in punts laden with fruit and vegetables from the a right royal welcome to this 105th Tour and the thousands floating gardens. of spectators it attracts. Leaving from Dreux (west of Paris), the pack will arrive at Amiens from the south. An 8-km Association pour la protection et la sauvegarde des Hortillonnages circuit through the city streets will take them to boulevard + 33 (0)3 22 92 12 18 Faidherbe where the final is to be played out. And, since it is amiens-tourisme.com scheduled on July 14th, it is only fitting for locals to support the 2017 French champion Arnaud Demare, a native of Amiens, on this special Bastille Day stage. In case you hadn’t noticed, Amiens loves the Tour de France! Amiens Métropole Tourist Office + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 - [email protected] amiens-tourisme.com 8 PRESS RELEASE THE AMIENS CHRISTMAS MARKET FROM NOVEMBER 23RD TO DECEMBER 29TH The most popular and enchanting of Christmas markets in northern France, according to the magazine Télé Loisirs, will once more grace the streets of the town centre, for the delight of adults and children. For the occasion, Amiens will get decked out in lights and make room for over 130 chalets. Over a 2-kilometre stretch, arts & crafts, entertainers, illuminations and merry-go-rounds make sure that visitors see out the year amid fairy- tale magic! © Cyrille Struy © Cyrille Amiens Métropole Tourist Office + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 amiens-tourisme.com © Jean-Marie Faucillon © Archives municipales et communautaires d’Amiens Métropole_ 5Z235 THE 38TH AMIENS INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL FILM COMMEMORATION OF FESTIVAL, THE BATTLE OF AMIENS, FROM NOVEMBER 9TH TO 17TH AUGUST 8TH The 38th edition of the biggest film festival in northern France The Allied troops pulled off a major victory against the th is taking place in Amiens! Featuring 400 films, the “Festival Germans with the battle of Amiens, fought from August 8 th International du Film d’Amiens” is expecting over 63,000 to 11 , 1918. It was the first of a series of battles, later called viewers, including over 450 film professionals from all over the “Hundred Days Offensive”, with each decisive Allied the world. victory paving the way to winning the First World War. On Wednesday, August 8th, 2018, an international ceremony will Festival du film be organised in Amiens for the centenary of the battle of + 33 (0)3 22 71 35 70 Amiens, attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, fifam.fr France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States. Amiens Métropole Tourist Office + 33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 - [email protected] amiens-tourisme.com 9 AMIENS, CITY OF CULTURE Amiens was awarded the City of Art and History label in 1992.