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"This decision is not acceptable": Nîmes again deprived of its Great Roman games

2021-09-13T09:49:00.503Z


It is the largest historical reconstruction of Antiquity in Europe. The 2020 edition, postponed from October 8 to 10, 2021 due to the pandemic, will ultimately not be held in the arenas. Since the announcement of this cancellation, anger has roared.


The people of Nîmes put their thumbs down.

Its Great Roman Games, the largest historical reconstruction of Antiquity in Europe, will not be held.

Deprived of the event in 2020 due to the coronavirus, the city had announced a first postponement on October 8, 9 and 10, 2021 in agreement with its delegate, Culturespaces.

But this organization preferred to throw in the towel again.

The mayor of Nîmes, Jean-Paul Fournier (LR), condemns this choice. “

This decision is not acceptable,

can we read on the site of the City of Nîmes.

By refusing to respect its commitment, Culturespaces deprives the Nîmes of a meeting which attracts thousands of people, which contributes to the attractiveness of the city, and whose repercussions on the local economy are considerable.

"

Culturespaces

, organizer of the games, explains this cancellation for health reasons as well as difficulties due to

"traffic restrictions in Europe, as well as the obligation of the health pass for all organizers, extras and spectators"

. The Nîmes feria, also postponed to 2020, nevertheless held up well in the arenas last June. From September 15 to 19, these same arenas host the harvest fair, which draws as many - if not more - people than the Great Games.

But the root of the problem lies elsewhere, in reality linked to "

the constraints and uncertainties weighing on the organization of events, in a context of transfer of delegation".

The Roman monuments of Nîmes belong to the company Edeis Concessions, current manager of the Nîmes Garons airport, to the detriment of Culturespaces. An award which took place in a

"very tense" climate

according to our colleagues from

Midi Libre

.

“Our offer was ambitious and realistic compared to a city like Nîmes and for a three-year market. But one thing is certain: we have doubled the number of visitors to Roman monuments, created two shows, the Great Roman Games and the Nights of Nemaus, which in the first year attracted more than 30,000 spectators. An incredible success both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. I would add that Culturespaces' know-how is recognized everywhere. Our job is to create, promote and work with a tourist network. We can justify our efficiency, I believe, since our arrival in Nîmes ”

, declared Christophe Beth, director of Culturespaces in the newspaper of the metropolis of Nîmes.

"

It seems abnormal to me that the city was able to validate the candidacy of an airport manager without any cultural experience

" laments the head of Culturespaces today

.

A company, specializing in immersive tours, which has already had trouble with the law, especially in the town of Baux-de-Provence.

Read also The Béziers fair, scheduled for mid-August, canceled

Contacted, the mayor of Nîmes "

does not wish to follow up on his previous statement"

.

The Roman games mobilize nearly 500 extras from all over Europe.

Culturespaces

The City, surprised by this decision one month before the postponement, reveals on its website that

“an agreement, voted on last July by the municipal council, bound the City and its historic delegatee for the organization of the Great Roman Games, and this, following several working meetings. ”

To read also In Nîmes, the anti-corrida lose a new battle

The Great Roman Games refer to the passage of Emperor Hadrian in Nîmes, nicknamed “French Rome”, in 122 AD.

JC The latter offered the inhabitants gladiatorial fights, a chariot race and a reconstruction of his victories.

The 2021 edition was dedicated to the victory of Julius Caesar against his rival Pompey, with the aim of conquering the Roman capital. The City thus offered a wide program of events in the heart of the arenas and with the participation of traders by night parade. See you in 2022.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-09-13

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