Lights on at Chartres, France

Colored lights! They work at the Eiffel Tower, so this summer the French are turning them on at Chartres too. Every evening 20 monuments—including the famous Gothic cathedral—in the town of Chartres, about 50 miles southwest of Paris, will be illuminated. The office of tourism calls it “Chartres en Lumieres.”

The displays culminate with a Festival of Lights on Sept. 18 and 19, featuring concerts, hot-air balloon rides, street shows and exhibitions.

Other events at Chartres this summer include the International Organ Festival, offering free concerts by some of Europe’s most distinguished organists on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. in the cathedral, through Aug. 30; and Chartres Summer Evening Festival, a series of concerts and theater performances on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through Aug. 29.

With or without music and lights, Chartres Cathedral is a must-see site for visitors to France, a UNESCO World  Heritage Site known for its mismatched spires, rose window, sculpture and historic west front.

—Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Chartres Cathedral in France gets the star treatment. Credit: Xavier de Richemont Scenographic—Francois DeLauney]

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 12:29 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Arts & Culture, Europe, Festival, France, Frequent Flier, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.