Last year, we took the (good) habit of visiting the Arts Quarter at the weekend (which can start on Thursday 🙂
Toulon’s Rue des Arts quarter: a new place bubbling with culture and party atmosphere!
This new, replanned area of the old town of the city, is dedicated to culture and art: galleries, artisans, coworking spaces, small, friendly restaurants, coffee shops and trendy bars…Every day, it attracts a crowd of locals and tourists who are curious to find out about what’s happening. What we like to do is to enjoy the themed nights and the concerts on the Place de l’Équerre ! We meet there with friends at apéritif time with a drink and a selection of tapas…
Thursday night, 6pm : we are out of work and, before we go home, we feel like taking in a bit of that sun that has been shining at us through the office window all day. Our friends feel the same way … We’re lucky, the Rue des Arts is staging a “Be Arty Thursday” event. Tonight’s programme: an exhibition launch, the inauguration of a new boutique and a DJ on the square at Place de l’Équerre !
We meet at the place Puget, a stone’s throw from the rue des Arts. It’s still quite hot and this typically provençal square is surrounded with small buildings which provide a bit of coolness. The vegetalized fountain in the centre of the square adds to this feeling.
Another group of friends is waiting for us at a bar terrace on the Place de l’Opéra. We can hear swallows, cicadas and the sounds of people practicing for the next show; the stone of the building reflects the pink colour of last rays of the sun. This atmosphere is so relaxing – it’s so lovely to be in the South!
We go down to the Arts Quarter and feel the effervescence as we get closer to the place. A number of people have responded to the invitation of this Thursday night event. The new store is playing music, people are chatting and having a drink at a tasty buffet. We carry on our tour until we get to the art gallery launch where the artist is being congratulated by an audience of art lovers and newbies who find the installation magical.
Firstly, in the background, some heady electronic music is finding its way to our ears. We follow it to the Place de l’Équerre where the party is starting. We look for a table on a terrace, and order some tapas. Tomorrow can wait: the night is beautiful and we want to savour the moment.
