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Event Information:
Marseille celebrates New Year's Eve
in style each year, and will be
no exception. New Year’s Eve in
France is known as Saint-Sylvestre,
and brings locals and visitors alike
out onto the streets to celebrate
with parties in local bars and
restaurants before watching the
spectacular midnight fireworks. New
Year’s Eve is also typically
celebrated with a feast in the hours
leading up to midnight called Le
réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.
Away from the city, in Southwestern
France it is traditional to march
out to the vineyards by torchlight
following the midnight mass.
Places
to stay are at a premium for the New
Year, so booking your hotel well in
advance is always recommended. Among
the most popular places to stay in
Marseille are the Grand Hotel
Beauvau Marseille Vieux Port, Ibis
Marseille Centre Bourse, Hotel Ibis
Marseille Gare Saint Charles, Escale
Oceania Marseille Hotel and the
Radisson Blu Hotel Marseille.
Marseille has been designated as
European Capital of Culture in
so has particular reason to provide
a memorable party. Marseille has a
large number of theatres, including
la Criée, le Gymnase and the Théâtre
Toursky. There is also an extensive
arts centre in La Friche, a former
match factory behind the St-Charles
station. The Alcazar, until the
1960s a well known music-hall and
variety theatre, has recently been
completely remodelled behind its
original façade and now houses the
central municipal library.
Marseille's main cultural attraction
was, since its creation at the end
of the 18th century and until the
late 1970s, the Opéra. Located near
the Old Port and the Canebière, at
the very heart of the city, its
architectural style was comparable
to the classical trend found in
other opera houses built at the same
time in Lyon and Bordeaux. In 1919,
a fire almost completely destroyed
the house, leaving only the stone
colonnade and peristyle from the
original façade. The classical
façade was restored and the opera
house reconstructed in a
predominantly Art Deco style, as the
result of a major competition.
One of
the most popular places to head to
watch the fireworks is the Old Port
or Vieux-Port, the main harbour and
marina of the city. It is guarded by
two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas
and Fort Saint Jean) and is one of
the main places to eat in the city.
Dozens of cafés line the waterfront.
The Quai des Belges at the end of
the harbour is the site of the daily
fish market. Much of the northern
quayside area was rebuilt by the
architect Fernand Pouillon after its
destruction by the Nazis in 1943.
Local
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