NOTE: the date of this event has now passed. It is no longer possible to participate. Contact information may no longer be available. This page is kept here as an archive.

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Winter festival “Des Lyres d’hiver”

The “winter lyres” festival provides year-end illumination in Blois, with hundreds of magical attractions, many of them free, all over the town and its shops: ice skating rink, sleigh rides, spectacles and guided tours.

grands évènements culturels

Preview of the 2022 edition

Already, the Town, community centres, cultural partners and merchants of the Vitrines de Blois are in effervescence to prepare for the 2022 edition.

  • Anooki return to the Château with their great sound and light show, featured last year on the facades of the castle (on weekends, from November 27, then every evening during the holidays).
  • The magic bubbles await you, place Louis-XII, on the theme of Alice in Wonderland (from November 26, launch day for the illuminations).
  • The ice rink and toboggan runs will return, starting December 3, place de la République.
  • Thematic weekends will also take place:
    • one for children (3–4 December);
    • one for gastronomy (10–11 December);
    • one for animations in shops (17–18 December).
  • The neighborhoods are not left out! A Tower of Babel and a cine-concert in the Provinces, a unique escape game in Quinière, circus and culinary workshops in Vienne or the Arabian Nights in Mirabeau and Alice in Wonderland at the Espace Jorge-Semprun will delight young and old.
  • On the side of novelties, come and blow a wish with the luminous spheres “Wish Blow”, place du Château (photo above). A major surprise will also be offered near the Jacques-Gabriel bridge.

Complete program available soon

Check back mid-November to discover the complete program online. See you soon!

Illuminations

At the end of the year, streets throughout Blois are shining brightly: holiday lighting. Every year, the format changes; in 2018, giant illuminated snowflakes on rue Denis-Papin. Every year, original tinsel is discovered during the spectacle inaugurating the winter festival.

Festival inauguration

The festival is launched with a grandiose spectacle wending its way through the center of Blois. Every year, there are different artists; in 2018, the Tybodypaont group and its spectacle titled “The Golden Coach” brought light to the eyes of spectators of all ages.

Ice skating rink

Winter lyres are also synonymous with ice; on the place de la République, a 900 m² skating rink is set up by the town and offers skaters a 40-meter-long ice road.

Toboggan run

Beside the skating rink, the town has installed a free, six-laneway toboggan run for children from 4 to 10 years of age.

Christmas shops

In 2019, variously themed pop-up shops financially supported by the town will open their doors in the center. They will be rendered readily accessible with the hour of free parking offered in the underground facilities. On Saturdays, two free hours will be proposed, with tickets to be procured in the partner shops.