The Fabulous Crossing
On 6 December, the Pont du Gard will celebrate 40 years since its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List with ‘La Fabuleuse Traversée’ (The Fabulous Crossing), an evening where art, light and poetry come together. Through original performances, musical parades and a video mapping finale by Groupe F, the monument will be illuminated with new energy. A fraternal and universal celebration to be experienced at the heart of this two-thousand-year-old masterpiece.
A fraternal and universal celebration
Designed as a poetic encounter with the monument, this evening event will highlight the values of culture, transmission and sharing that have always connected it to residents and visitors from around the world. Unique artistic forms will cross the bridge and river to offer a unique moment, celebrating 40 years since the Pont du Gard was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The programme:
2pm: Opening: Fanfare with Banda Brutti and wooden merry-go-rounds from the Théâtre de la Toupine for young and old alike. (Esplanade Rive Droite).
Village with sweet and savoury food trucks.
5pm: Grand musical parade by Les Sirènes de la Compagnie Mécanique Vivante (departure from the left bank).
6 p.m.: DéRives, nautical parade on the Gardon by the Compagnie Ilotopie.
6.30 p.m.: ‘Odes au Pont’ (right bank): an emotional sequence where time stands still through words, song and music. Bach's suites performed by cellist Esteban Cellier. A message from the Pont to future generations read by Kounda. Fauré and Debussy performed by soprano Coline Infante and accompanied by pianist Adélaïde Panaget.
7.30pm: The grand finale on the Pont du Gard with Groupe F's video mapping show ‘Les mondes magiques’ (Magical Worlds).
Theatre companies celebrating their 40th anniversary:
Wooden carousels - Compagnie Théâtre de la Toupine
The Théâtre de la Toupine, a faithful craftsman of wonder for nearly half a century, cultivates the art of street theatre with joyful madness. Famous for its parent-operated theatre carousels and a faithful companion of the ‘Pâques au Pont’ festival, the company returns with a dazzling new feature: for the first time, it is deploying its five wooden carousels along the riverbank, like a small kingdom of adventures offered to families.
La Parade des Sirènes - Compagnie Mécanique Vivante
La Parade des Sirènes unveils music born of wind and machines: the musical sirens of Mécanique Vivante.
Carried by eccentric locomotives, the company transports the audience into an enchanted world.
Since 1989, it has been creating ‘dream machines’ to awaken wonder, childhood and the pleasure of looking at the world of mechanics in a different way.
DéRives - Ilotopie Company
DéRives invites you to follow the sound of a flute to dark waters, where a hundred silhouettes float and dance to the rhythm of the wind and the current.
The Ilotopie company unveils a living tableau: the individual and the group, humans and the elements, mingling in the same pulse.
For a long time, it has been transforming landscapes into sensitive scenes, where theatrical action challenges the viewer's gaze.
Here, water, sun and wind become the narrators of a society in motion, in search of new ways of being together.
‘Odes au Pont’ (Odes to the Bridge): travellers of sounds, voices and stories
Carried by the ancient breath of the Pont du Gard, four artists weave a tapestry of music and words.
Esteban Cellier's cello, a prodigy shaped by the world's stages, whispers bursts of jazz and classical music.
Coline Infante's voice, shaped by the great schools and opera stages, raises arches of emotion.
Adélaïde Panaget's piano, nourished by freedom, exploration and encounters, spreads its warm light.
And the stories of Kounda, a traveller of myths and peoples, add sparks of humanity.
Together, they offer a sensitive celebration of the Pont, where each note and each story becomes a bridge to the soul.
Street music La Banda Brutti - Les Ravis de la Carcarie
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Banda Brutti Circus! Let yourself be enchanted by the voluptuous melodies of our clarinets and piccolos, thrill to the sound of our wild saxophones, tremble to the sound of our percussion horde, shiver to the vibrations of our contortionist trombones, ride alongside our impetuous trumpets, and abandon yourself to the dream carried away by the din of this joyful fanfare!
Sound and light show ‘Les Mondes Magiques’ (Magical Worlds) by Groupe F
For this anniversary day, a series of scenes transform the monument, offering a tour of World Heritage sites around the world, such as the Pont du Gard. The journey takes viewers from the city of Angkor to the Pyramids of Egypt, with stops at the Eiffel Tower and the beautiful Alhambra in Granada.
A moment of reverie and contemplation that will delight young and old alike in a family-friendly atmosphere!
Practical information:
Opening hours: 2pm to 8pm
Food: Food trucks on the right bank esplanade offering sweet and savoury treats.
Free shows and entertainment.
Paid parking: €9 per vehicle, free for season ticket holders.
You can purchase your season ticket online before you arrive or convert your parking ticket into a season ticket free of charge at: www.abonnement.pontdugard.fr