7 Best Performing Arts in Provence, France

Founded in 1947, this is the oldest theater festival in France and one of the biggest in the world. It takes place over three weeks in July and features more than 1,500 performances held in venues throughout the city. The Off Festival ( www.festivaloffavignon.com), which is held simultaneously, is less formal and highlights productions by smaller, more experimental companies.

This hip cultural complex, on a picturesque cobbled street just behind the Palais des Papes, includes the Utopia–La Manutention movie theater, a well-regarded restaurant, the AJMI jazz club, and a relaxed bar that's popular even with those not seeing a show. Its location in front of the Avignon School of the Arts and its eclectic style—a mix of antique and contemporary touches—make it a big draw for the town's artsy crowd.

This theater shows hard-to-find international independent works. There's another location on Rue Figuière.

This daylong festival, usually held around August 15, is dedicated entirely to lavender. Village folk dress in traditional Provençal garb and parade on bicycles; horses leap over barrels of fragrant bundles of hay; and local producers display their wares at the market. It all culminates in a countryside lunch. 

For information on events and tickets, stop at this massive book-and-record chain.

To witness the torches of Nabucco or Aïda flickering against the 2,000-year-old Roman wall of the Théâtre Antique and to hear the extraordinary sound play around its semicircle of ancient seats is one of the great summer festival experiences in Europe. Every July, Les Chorégies d'Orange echo tradition and amass operatic and classical music spectacles under the summer stars in Orange. Be sure to book tickets well in advance; they go on sale in October.

This theater proves that culture and the arts are not limited to festival season, with a year-round schedule that ranges from classical concerts, ballet, and opera to Broadway musicals.