Museums in Lille open for free for one spring night, offering a chance to see the city’s finest collections from dusk until 1am. The Nuits des Musées initiative opens up museums across France to a background of debate and workshops.

Over 2,500 museums of art, ethnography, history or science in forty European countries, will participate during May in the sixth edition of “The Long Night of Museums”. Exhibitions, theater, cinema, dance and performing arts: the arts invite themselves to the museum during this festive and unusual event that has touched audiences of all types are familiar or not museums.

Participating museums are announced in the run-up to the day, but with dramatized term, temporary installations, special tours, concerts, readings, storytelling and other events there will be something that will appeal to all audiences.

Nuit des Musées is free for everyone and is this year taking place on the 15th May from 7pm till 1am.

Photo Mur des Squelettes: Vue Exteriure de Nuit by Museumde Toulouse

Hikers of all ages come out for the annual Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks. Setting out from the Gymnase Henry de Montherlant, walkers opt to complete one of two circuits of varying lengths, each taking in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne.

A 10km hike takes in the Bois’ waterfalls and is a perfect excuse to catch the park as its colourful spring blooms burst forth. After 10km, walkers can opt to hike a further 10km on the second circuit, taking in the modern office blocks of La Défense while uncovering some surprisingly green corners hidden amid the concrete jungle.

The walk is taking place on the 14th March 2010, making it an ideal option day out for Mothers’ Day.

For details, visit the organiser’s website (Godillot Familial Association). The show goes on, come rain or shine!

Photo A Bunch of Tulips by Bcmom

While it may seem like we plug many events at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts on this site, this is mainly because of the sheer frequency of innovative events which are on offer there. Truc Troc is just the latest in a long line and no doubt more will come up in the future.

The first pioneering thing about Truc Troc is that the whole purpose of the event – taking place on the 16^th and 17^th of January in Brussels – is to bring lesser-known Belgian artists to public attention: with 100 works of art by 100 different contemporary artists, it gives young artists floor-space and the public a way of discovering them. Undoubtedly, amongst the work on show at Truc Troc will be some absolute gems.

But in reality, any art exhibition is likely to have some good work. The reason Truc Troc comes so highly recommended is because it combines top art with new media.

This is because it allows any member of the public interested in a piece of art to leave their contact details on a post-it note next to the art on show. In turn, the artist can contact the person involved, and then negotiate with them – be it a price or objects to exchange.

Together with the live music and DJs, this event is sure to have a real upbeat feel to it. Truc Troc might sound like a silly name; but it promises to be a momentous event, which you’d have to be made to miss out on.

Photo Biennale Art 53rd International by Meneghetti

Belgian cinema is often derided. This is clearly unfair. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have won the Palme D’or at the Cannes film festival twice and In Bruges was a terrific film. Perhaps because of this general derision towards Belgian cinema, the Belgians themselves tend to have quite a negative view of their cinema.

Yet, this makes no sense. And attending the Belgian Cinema Fete from the 17^th to the 20^th of December will show you just show. For me, this Fete has one big thing over the Oscars: it makes far more sense to hold a ceremony celebrating the previous year’s films in December than it does in February – Slumdog Millionaire wasn’t released until January of 2009.

Nevertheless, this is getting away from the real reason to go the Belgian Cinema Fete: with the Dardenne brothers just two of those show-casing their work and with talks, readings and concerts, as well as screenings, this truly is a well-rounded festival.

What’s more, with a rule that all films must have been produced in the last year and the long time most films take to produce, the Belgian Cinema Fete includes a huge number of premieres. This alone, means the €16 entry price is an absolute pittance and a trip to Brussels – the Fete is hosted at Le Palace (ex-Kladaradatsch) – is well worthwhile.

Photo Another Roll by Willsfca

If you ask any person in the UK who is the biggest British politician of the 20th century, people are likely to mention Winston Churchill first. Ask the same question about France and the name of Charles de Gaulle will inevitably come up. British people might be quite defiant about Charles de Gaulle’s actions (twice vetoing the entry of the UK into the EU and qualifying it as a Trojan horse of the US), but nevertheless he brought a lot to France. De Gaulle is an interesting, complex character, an aficionado of literature, history, and languages and a fluent speaker of English and German.

If you are interested in seeing another side of De Gaulle, why not visit his place of birth in Lille? De Gaulle was born in Lille in 1890 to a bourgeois family and visiting his house is interesting for several reasons: not only can you better understand what influenced him personally (politically, culturally, etc.), but you can get a view of 19th century family life in the north of France. Moreover, the house has a well documented research centre that provides visitors with more information on De Gaulle.

For visiting De Gaulle’s house, you can find all the information you need on the Lille Tourism Office website. The museum is located in Rue Princesse in the heart of Lille Old Town. Allow one hour for your visit; afterwards there are plenty of things to do in the area: have a drink at a bar, eat a typical meal at one of the numerous estaminets, or just stroll around town. Who knows, after such a great day, you might find yourself on the main square, Place du Général de Gaulle, and feel overcome with a desire to raise your arms into the V of victory and yell, “Vive la France!”

Photo: Maaison natale CH de Gaulle Lille by Rémi Jouan (CC-BY-SA-2.5)

Autumn brings with it moody dark evenings, quieter streets, and woolly hats. But in Brussels it also brings with it a cultural extravaganza.

This is because, every Thursday night up to and including the 17^th of December, one can enjoy An Evening at a Brussels Museum. Make no mistake: this is not the title to an Agatha Christie novel; rather, it allows people to enjoy a night out in Brussels who otherwise couldn’t have one.

Anybody who works struggles to enjoy the vast cornucopia of museums on offer in Brussels – they all close early so it’s impossible to visit apart from at weekends. However, until the 17^th of December, every Thursday evening these museums will be staying open until 10pm.

What’s more, there is truly something for everyone: the Council for Brussels Museums has insisted that almost every museum stays open. The result, is pop-up cocktail bars and special events in the museums.

With prices cut to a mere €2.50 entry fee, a Thursday night out in Brussels can be the perfect start to a long weekend. Don’t let us stop you…

Photo Monts des Arts and City Hall by Suvodeb

Attending any boat show is partly an aspirational thing. The reality is, that many of the super-yachts on display are beyond the means of any visitor to the boat show. But they give boats shows an element of grandeur.

They also give the organisers an element of risk. I have never been as terrified, as when, age 7, I started the engine on one of the boats at the London Boat Show which wasn’t in the water and almost burnt out the engine. The way I was shouted at by the employees should have been enough to put me off boat shows for life.

But it wasn’t. And the reason it wasn’t, is because every boat show is always enormously fun. The Paris Boat Show (5^th to 13^th December) is no exception. Indeed, the name doesn’t nearly do the event justice – the Paris Boat Show is huge which makes Porte de Versailles a fitting venue.

Nevertheless, it is the activities and exhibitors which make the Paris Boat Show so magnificent: there is a Beach Club where children can learn to sail, as just one example. As a whole, the exhibition is divided into five sectors which means that whilst there is a section for flush businessmen, there is also the ‘Espace Courses’ section which focuses on racing, and the Surf Sports Village which will enthrall everyone, young and old.

With the number of boats on offer – from kayaks through to super-yachts, there truly is something to appeal to everyone. And if you blag it well, you may just get invited onto one of the super-yachts. This is what makes any boat show, but particularly the Paris Boat Show, a must for young and old.

Photo A ride through Paris on a Fly boat by Frederic

Sexties really is a criminal name for an exhibition. Not only is it an awful pun, it’s just not punny (I’ll get my coat…)

Nonetheless, it probably is quite a good name: for the exhibition currently on at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts (continuing until the 3^rd of January 2010) combines artists hottest works from the Sixties.  But this isn’t an exhibition of erotica: rather it is an exhibition showing how four prominent artists managed to change the art of comic strips from being just for children, to something everybody can enjoy.

The artists on show truly are exceptional and it is sensible Sexties is in Brussels as it features three Belgians – Eric Losfeld, Paul Cuvelier, and Guy Peellaert. Nevertheless, arguably the centrepiece of the exhibition is the work of the Frenchman Jean-Claude Forest. He will be remembered by history for turning Barbarella into the first adult comic and this work will be on show at the exhibition.

Adult comics were incredibly important in inspiring sexual liberation. But they are also an art-form in of themselves, with the drawings (in particular those of Cuvelier) incredibly intricate and a hugely interesting study of the human form.

It is easy to perceive this as an exhibition merely for those who are interested in erotica. But this would be a huge mis-appraisal of the exhibition.

Sexties is interesting as in insight into life in the Sixties. but perhaps most importantly, any art lover must appreciate comic strips: they combine humour and art, two terrific barometer of cultural development, and it is for this reason, that Sexties is worth a visit for people other than giggling teenagers.

Photos Bozar Entrance by Je Poirrier

Books are brilliant. In a world of war and poverty, this is one of the few things which is almost universally agreed upon. Arguably, French books are even better: Zola and Camus, are just two of the pantheon of great French writers.

Thus, the Salon Page Book Fair – taking place from the 27^th to the 29^th of November, at the Espace Charenton in Paris – is an event which can be enjoyed by everyone, young or old, rich or poor.

At first glance, it is merely a programme of lectures and workshops about books. As such, you might think you could enjoy this without crossing the Channel. However, in practice it is much more than this.

For starters, one can meet some of the up and coming French authors who nobody in Britain has heard of. But more generally, it is about meeting refined people in a refine city: the Salon Page Book Fair affords book enthusiasts to spend time with fellow book enthusiasts amongst magnificent surroundings.

In a city which gave Victor Hugo his inspiration, Paris is a magnificent city to immerse yourself in literature. The Salon Page Book Fair gives you the chance to do just that.

Photo Timeless Books by Lin Pernille

The Bloomsbury Group is still incredibly relevant today. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, is constantly talking about the need to use Keynesian economics in order to fight back against the recession and John Maynard Keynes is just one of many brilliant people who emerged from the Bloomsbury Group.

Others include famous authors like Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster and it continues to have enormous influence today with arguably our most successful modern playwright – Alan Bennett – having been hugely influenced by the Bloomsbury Group.

Thus, it is impossible not to recommend a new exhibition charting the works and influence of the Bloomsbury Group which will be running at the Museum of Art and Industry – sometimes referred to as ‘La Piscine’ – in Lille from the 21^st November 2009 until the 21^st February 2010.

As well as being incredibly influential during their own lifetimes, the Bloomsbury Group continues to influence many artsy types and thus, an exhibition depicting the reasons behind this shouldn’t be missed.

Indeed, whilst it may appear ironic to host an exhibition about a British Group in a French art gallery, it is worth remembering that the Bloomsbury Group played a major part in promoting post-impressionist modern French art to a British audience. The Bloomsbury Group was truly avant-garde, and thus, the exhibition about it in Lille, really is a terrific attraction.

Photo Roubaix – La Piscine by Panoramas