After three seasons at Gaillac and an edition to Blagnacthe next edition of the Chinese Lantern Festival will take place in Montauban.
The information was confirmed to France Bleu Occitanie by Brigitte Barèges, the mayor of Montauban. The place where the festival will be held is not yet known. The date has not been communicated either. Details will be revealed next Friday during a press conference.
The festival bounces back in Occitania
The Lantern Festival hosted 410,000 visitors, last winter, at the Ritouret park in Blagnac. The place was adorned with a thousand lights between December 1, 2021 and February 1, 2022. Joseph Carles, the mayor, said he was satisfied and rented “the exceptional quality of the show”. But at the same time, hosting the Lantern Festival generated 600,000 euros deficit, especially because of security costs. Joseph Carles had also mentioned the uncertainties linked to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which would have or have an impact on potential grants.
After Blagnac threw in the towel, Patrice Gausserand, former mayor of Gaillac and president of the MAG Conseil company which owns the rights to the festival, said he was in contact with other towns in the Occitanie region which were ready to host the festival. lanterns for the 2022-2023 edition. This edition will therefore take place in Montauban, in Tarn-et-Garonne.