Forty-eight bells ring in harmony every day in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux in the North, during the Les Carillonnades festival.

For four days, the carillon players exceptionally come down from their towers to play in the gardens and make the song of the carillons heard.

From the top of the abbey tower of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux in the North, the first notes of the forty-eight bells set the tempo. The song of the carillons is a soundtrack that is an integral part of daily life in the North. To celebrate this sound heritage, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is hosting the 11th edition of the Les Carillonnades festival until August 18, 2024.

For four days, visitors can be lulled by a sound coming from above, but also from below. The carillonneurs exceptionally come down from their towers to play in the gardens for the duration of the festival. A unique experience for an audience accustomed to hearing the carillons without ever seeing those who play them.

On the programme for this edition, around fifty concerts, with carillon players from the Netherlands, Ukraine, the United States and South Korea, all united by the same passion for this monumental instrument.

This year, the star of the festival is a traveling carillon, straight from Amsterdam. This 3.5-tonne instrument, transported in a trailer by Dutch carillon player Boudewijn Zwart, is brought up to the level of the audience, who can admire its smallest details. Composed of four octaves and 50 bells, it is manipulated with disconcerting grace by the carillonneur.

For Boudewijn Zwart, this festival has become an unmissable event. “My carillon is on a trailer that I transport on my truck and hey presto, I travel the roads and play all over Europe. This is the 11th year that I have come here to Saint-Amand, and I will come back, because it is a real carillon family.”

In Saint-Amand, the carillon is revealed in all its forms. The smallest instruments even come to meet the terraces for aperitif concerts. Seated at tables, festival-goers can not only choose their dish, but also choose what they listen to, in a friendly and musical atmosphere.

Beyond the concerts, visitors can also enjoy a craft market, old games and shows that will punctuate the days until Sunday, August 18. The opportunity to immerse yourself in this living heritage where each bell tells a story, and where music brings together all generations.