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MARCHE DE NOEL EN LA DEFENSE
By Contributing Editor Des Coulam. Recording the street sounds of Paris, attempting to capture that gratuitous, never-ending show for which no ticket is needed
LA DEFENSE, IN the far west of Paris, is a high-rise business ghetto and home to many French and multi-national companies. It is quite unlike any other area of Paris.
In early November each year on the Parvis of La Défense--in front of La Grande Arche--construction of the annual Christmas market begins.
With its wooden châlets selling almost everything one can think of, this Christmas market looks quite surreal against the landscape that is La Défense.
This year the market opened for business on 24th November and it lasts until 27th December.
Whilst the Christmas market in the Champs Elysées is expected to host around 15 million visitors this year, the Marché de Noël in La Défense is smaller and much more intimate. Since it is just two Metro stops from my quartier, I prefer it.
Amongst the wide variety of things on sale, my favourites are the food stalls of which there are many.
As well as being rich in delicious treats, the Marché de Noël in La Défense is also rich in sound.
This group of South Americans are well-known street musicians in Paris. They can be found playing on the streets and in the Metro – and they are also an annual feature of the Marché de Noël in La Défense.
Not the Christmas fare that some of us would expect – but delicious nevertheless.
Listen to the Christmas Market Music from La Defense
I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
Des Coulam has a passion for recording and preserving our sonic environment. He writes and records the Soundlandscapes blog at www.soundlandscapes.wordpress.com
