The city of Carcassonne never seems to do anything halfway. After all, with Europe’s largest medieval fortress as your imposing background, it’s hard to do anything less than big.That thought is carried over into this year’s month-long celebration entitled “La Magie de Noёl” and there is definitely lots of magic in Christmas here. Last week’s post about the torchlight march was just the beginning of a very colorful time in the city.

The city’s calendar of events for December lists more than 30 activities coordinated with the theme of Christmas. The introduction to this long list unashamedly says that while La Magie de Noёl was “created to make children dream” there are ample opportunities for adults to gift shop, enjoy gourmet foods, and delight in all of the illuminations around town. From the attached photos you can see what we had fun doing strolling from one decorated square to another with a toasty cup of vin chaud, mulled wine, in hand to keep the chill away.

With the word “magic” in the title of the city’s theme for this season, it’s no surprise to see at least 4 magic shows on the calendar including clowns, comedians, and even Merlin.There’s a parade, a train trip with Père Noёl, workshops on papermaking, calligraphy, costumes from the 13th century, and clown makeup. Concerts, plays, story readings, visits to both Captain Nemo’s under-the-sea Nautiloscope and the Loco-Voilier, a combination sailing ship and locomotive all free of charge.

While adults would find most of these events interesting too (we certainly do) there are grown up versions of some of these as well including concerts and theater presentations. Count us in for the honey festival, the foie gras festival, and the “country” weekend where local producers will be showcasing the best from their farms, studios, workshops, and vineyards. Did someone say “wine”? In between all the activities , we’ll be enjoying the lights.