The Toulon Opera Choir in concert at La Seyne this Wednesday, July 23

"Les Terrasses Bounantes" is the name of the event organized every Wednesday evening in July by the Nelson Mandela social and cultural center.

This is the second edition of this event, which began last summer on the Josiane-Christin esplanade , located in front of the center, and which offers a variety of creative workshops as well as musical entertainment for all audiences.

This Wednesday evening takes on a special significance as the concert will be performed by the Toulon Opera choir.

"By offering these activities in our neighborhood, which is classified as a priority under the city's policy, the idea is to reinvest in public space and provide a place to build social bonds," explains Stéphane Nicolaï, general director of the Mandela Center.

"The activities begin in the late afternoon, around 6 p.m., after the heatwave. They are numerous and varied, with, for example, a face painting stand for children, board games and outdoor games, as well as a workshop for making tawashi sponges, made from recycled fabrics and which can be used for many purposes."

A competition for green wheelbarrows!

The Mandela Center also offers another unusual activity: a space for customizing wheelbarrows!

"In fact ," explains Stéphane Nicolaï, "we launched a ''Wheelbarrow Festival'', open to all, which is a wheelbarrow planting competition to celebrate the creativity and ecological commitment of our community. The aim is to promote planting in a very mineral neighborhood. The community center has therefore acquired around ten wooden wheelbarrows, made available to participants who, throughout the month of July, decorate them to make portable gardens by filling them with planters. This is to show that, even in a very small space, it is possible to cultivate."

This competition was a great success: several dozen participants signed up, alone, in teams or with an association (Maefe and Nouvel Horizon are among them).

"On Wednesday, July 31st," the director added, "all the wheelbarrows will be finished and on display. Those present will vote for the most beautiful one, and there will be a prize-giving ceremony (a trophy and medals)."

26 choristers on the esplanade

As with every edition of the "Bubbling Terraces", these events will conclude this evening with a concert.

With prestigious guests since the Mandela Center welcomes, as part of the national operation Quartiers d'été, the choir of the Toulon opera.

"This is the first time we have received it, knowing that, throughout the year, we have partnerships with various cultural structures, where visits are organized because, at the heart of our business, cultural mediation is. But it is important that this type of structure also comes to the neighborhoods to allow everyone to benefit from and access this type of service," says Stéphane Nicolaï.

On the city center's esplanade, 26 artists from the Toulon Opera Choir will perform, along with a choirmaster and a pianist. The free concert is expected to last 45 minutes to an hour, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Like every Wednesday, the public should be numerous: "We have between one hundred and one hundred and fifty people each time. Moreover, attendance increases steadily over the month, as we saw last year and again this year since the beginning of July. We realize that word of mouth works very well and that people who have come once often come back later accompanied by relatives."

If you are curious to share a festive moment and attend a high-end concert, now is the time!

Learn more Nelson Mandela Social and Cultural Center: 04.94.94.77.45.