Les Fêtes Henri IV

I’m sure you’ve heard of people having an Open-House Day, well, in the village of Ay they have an open-house weekend which is called Les Fêtes Henri IV.  The festival is name after the king of France who granted special privileged status to the village back around 1600 Les Fêtes take place over a weekend in early July but only once every two years and if you’re thinking of coming to Champagne in 2012, you’re in luck.

This year’s festival runs from  6th – 8th  July.

Lots of the champagne houses are open all day and you can sit and taste to your heart’s content just taking in the atmosphere.  There’s a lot more going on too: barbeques and other food stalls, open-air jazz, exhibitions, street parades and on and on.  Or why not while away an hour or two just wandering round the narrow village streets and seeing what you find.

Here’s a short video to give you the flavour of Les Fêtes Henri IV. It’s well worth a visit: