Africolor urban music festival this 2010
This festival of African music has once again come to grace various venues in the City of Lights this Christmas season that has been vibrating to the most diverse rhythms and polyphonies. This event, that will make you discover a living panorama of African music today has been entertaining Parisians and tourists alike since the 21st of November and is shortly due to conclude on Friday the 24th of December.
This 22nd edition of the event in Paris has been entitled Itinérances (Roving), in reference to the changing concert locations, which add to the richness of the exciting line up, as the style changes from one to the next with each stage. Thus, some seriously audacious shows have taken place as a result of some bizarre encounters between groups from very diverse worlds.
In addition, this year, festivalgoers have been able to enjoy 28 concerts of African music, from the Maghreb to the Indian Ocean, and alongside the festival visitors have had the chance to see exhibitions, films, and documentaries in connection with the event that have been hosted by artists from fifty different backgrounds.
The festival that culiminates on the 24th of December has seen such names as the multitalented Lokua Kansa and Omar Pène who have been performing to lucky festivalgoers in various venues of the city. The final acts will be taking place on the aforementioned date from 20:30 pm to 0:00 in Le Sax located here (an excellent way of spending your Christmas Eve) and will be featuring Malian artists Séga Sidibé, Adja Soumano and Djéliny Kouyaté who will be taking part in the Noël Mandingue [Mandinka Christmas] concert, accompanied by ten amateur percussionists, beginners and experienced, who will open the evening at the venue of Le Sax in Achères (Yvelines).
How to get there
You can get tickets at sales point at FNAC for the modest price of 15 euros (family concession available etc), and of course are subject to availability. You get to Le Sax by taking the train (RER A) in the direction of “Cergy-de Haut” and getting off at “Achères Ville”. From there it’s a 15 minute walk away or you can catch the bus Véolia heading towards the City Centre “Mairie/Place du Marché”.
After the concert there are night buses available including the N150, N151, or the N152. Alternatively, if you’re making your way there by car from Paris/Versailles you need to get onto the A13/D/A14 and exit at "Villennes/Poissy Centre". From there (Poissy) you need to head in the direction of “Technoparc), then Achères centre. Finally, if you’re making your way from Paris/Cergy then you need to get onto the A15/RN184 and exit at "Conflans Sainte-Honorine". From there, head to “Conflans” and take exit (sortie) 030. Head in the direction of “Poissy” and then “Achères centre”.