Feno

The Festival de l’excellence normande (Fêno) launches its first edition from April 12 to 14, at the Parc des Expositions in Caen. Economy, culture, sport, heritage, art of living: the festival spotlights the various areas of excellence in Normandy.

To present and showcase Normandy, the Region is launching the first Festival de l’excellence normande (Fêno).

“Normandy is brimming with nuggets in many fields. Although these success stories are multiple expressions of our Norman identity, they are sometimes little known or poorly understood by Normans. That’s why the Normandy Region has designed a popular and festive event to show Normans that their region invents, creates and realizes projects and products of excellence, and distributes them throughout the world”, declared Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region.

And because such a vast territory cannot be summed up succinctly, 350 exhibitors will be showcasing a wide range of Normandy know-how.

Granted, there’s a lot to get lost in. We’ve tried to sum up the event in three points.

Discoveries

Exhibitors will be grouped into five areas:
– Grains de beauté will be dedicated to nature. Innovative agriculture, nature parks, preserved coastlines, mini-farms and stables will be highlighted.
– À toutes jambes will focus on sustainable development, with presentations on the different means of transport in Normandy, wind farms and the maritime sector, among others.
– Deux mains will focus on technological innovation in fields as varied as digital, health, cosmetics, sewing, construction, decoration, higher education…
– Coeurs battants will be dedicated to tourism and culture, with a photo gallery, short films and a bookshop.
– L’eau à la bouche will bring together producers, businesses, food trucks and top chefs from Normandy.

Struggles

Exhibitors will have the opportunity to discuss their current situation and the problems they face. This will be the reason, for example, for the presence of Faire Bien and Service de Remplacement Normandie. Together, they are fighting to ensure the long-term future of organic livestock farming.

“In Normandy, almost 400 dairy farms disappear every year. And around 30% of Normandy’s dairy farmers are over 55 and due to retire soon.” At the Fêno, the Faire Bien brand, in collaboration with Le Service de Remplacement Normandie, will be showing the general public what they are doing together to keep dairy farmers in the region.

Entertainment

A 100 m² stage area, with seating for 600, will host permanent shows, sports demonstrations, concerts, entertainment and meetings with Normandy personalities.

A pop-up store will showcase new designers and brands from Normandy.

Sporting events will be organized outside the Exhibition Centre. As part of the Region’s support for the organization of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 in Le Havre, the Ligue de Football de Normandie (Normandy Football League) will be staging a soccer event on a mini-stadium. Dylan Gleeson, member of Team Normandie and 2015/2016 French elite champion, will be on hand for a baseball animation. A group training session is scheduled for Courants de la Liberté on Sunday. The Fédération des jeux et sports Normands will be organizing initiations to Norman games (KUBB, Choule, Carambole).

Cohesion

Is this a bigger remake of the Caen Fair? A catch-all to showcase the Region? We don’t know. The stated aim is to bring a lot of people together on the theme of Norman identity. Over 60,000 people are expected to attend this unique and festive event.

Open to all and free of charge, the Fêno will become an annual event, held in a different Normandy town each year.

Practical info

Friday April 12: 10am – 8pm 6  Saturday April 13: 10am – 11pm (9pm closing of stands / catering and entertainment until 11pm)  Sunday April 14: 10am – 6pm.
Free parking (cars and bikes). A local shuttle service is available between the parking lots and the entrance. Eight draught horses will pull the two horse-drawn shuttles. Shuttle times: 10am – 12pm / 2pm – 4pm / 4:30pm – 6:30pm (except Sunday 4:30pm – 6pm).
Some exhibitors will be offering payment in RolloN, Normandy’s citizen currency.

source : By Raphaëlle Besançon Published on 11/04/2019 at 11:57 Updated on 11/04/2019 at 15:02

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