A couple of weeks into our five-week stay in Castres this summer, John came in to the apartment from one of his long morning treks and said, “I think they’re building something along the river walk.”
I went and looked out over the balcony. We lived on the seventh floor of a building located along the river Agout and ate at a small table on the outdoor balcony every single night unless it was particularly stormy or windy. Heaven.
At any rate, indeed, they were building something along the river walk, although it was hard to tell what it was. It seemed to be a group of temporary buildings.
Before long, the buildings were finished and had been joined by outdoor tables and lounging areas, all draped with strings of lights that flickered to life at night. Guinguettes, read the sign at the gate to the area.
(CASTRES GUINGUETTE)
Google to the rescue. We discovered a Guinguette is an outdoor summer dining event with live music and dancing frequently set up along the river and hosted by the town. Originating along the Seine in Paris in the 1800’s, they now set up along rivers all over France and even Europe and the UK. Guinguettes had fallen out of fashion for a while, but as this brief you-tube video history of them explains, they are back!
Each night featured a different musical group and style. (For a rousing country version of Queen’s “Fat-Bottomed Girls,” click here—volume all the way up!). In fact, the guinguettes went on all summer and we left Castres half-way through. We were so sad to say goodbye to these nightly serenades of music mingled with the thrum of conversation and punctuated with laughter drifting up to our apartment. Beziers, the city we moved to next, didn’t have guinguettes (or an apartment with nearly as fantastic a view). It did have another outdoor event we appreciated, however: Juedis. But Juedis deserve an upcoming post all their own.
Guingettes are another why feature related to France’s outdoor community spirit, something that will become a theme in future posts: Let’s set up festive community celebration spots all along the river for people to mingle, enjoy good food, drink, and live music and dancing. Ok, let’s do!
Till next time.
Stephanie
How charming! I had never heard of this before ... Music and dancing along the river sounds glorious.
I love this so much!