Chamonix Ready For Inaugural Chamfest
Extra performing artists and exhibitors announced and regional bilingual media invited to the exclusive inauguration of the first ever CHAMFEST, in Chamonix Mont-Blanc from 15th to 17th June inclusive.
The enticing music line-up is being finalised and invitations to the exclusive opening of the inaugural CHAMFEST - a new boutique lifestyle family festival in Chamonix - are being sent out to local and national media, as well as the great and the good of the Chamonix valley. A glorious society launch is planned for this fun summer festival on Friday 15th June 2018, which will be followed by bouncing musical performances by local artists that afternoon.
The fantastic 10-piece funk, soul and groove orchestra Les Edgars open the CHAMFEST main stage - named after famous local alpinist and guide Lionel Terray - on Friday 15th June, around 3PM. Les Edgars is a collective of musicians from the Chamonix valley who have been playing music at major local events for nearly 3 decades. Les Edgars started out playing rhythm and blues with their music evolving over the years, as new band members joined, to the more funk and soul vibe of today.
Local blues singer Eleanor Clarkson will be up next, playing as Eleanor & the Stars. Then another local girl, Jeanette Berger will follow with her cool soulful songs that she recorded at Chamonix Mont-Blanc’s La Maison des Artistes. There will also be a battle of the local Chamonix DJs to be overhead in the headsets of CHAMFEST’s Silent DJ early on Friday evening.
Brilliant Chamonix looping duo Reel Relish will hot up the Lionel Terray stage for Friday night’s headline act, Bear’s Towers: a melodic pop-folk quartet from nearby Cluses, fresh from their impressive opening of the last day of the first Musilac Mont- Blanc in April, when they played alongside big acts Ben Harper, Beth Ditto and Shaka Ponk.
On Saturday 16th June CHAMFEST festival goers will have the chance to sing live on stage themselves with Counterflow, experienced ‘rockaoke’ hosts from London. Rockaoke, sometimes called bandaoke, is a form of karaoke, but with a live rock
band rather than pre-recorded backing music. Counterflow’s inclusive rock-up-and- play-live show will lead on to further Chamonix après-ski style entertainment from Geneva covers band What The Frog.
These will be followed by multi-talented British rap and beatbox trio Duke performing their fearless fusion of punchy guitar riffs, cruisy melodies and catchy beats. Duke are no strangers to the stage, having joined some of music’s biggest names - Beverley Knight, Jocelyn Brown, Ms Dynamite and the late Amy Winehouse- in performing their array of covers of all your favourite anthems.
On Saturday afternoon there will be two more Silent DJ sets: one earlier on which will be geared towards kids, with a later one for adults and youngsters who dig 80s music.
Audio-visual extraordinaire and festival aficionado DJ Cheeba hots up the main stage further, for headliners Krafty Kuts + A.Skillz to pump up the dancing with their back-to-back sets - you know you’re in for a party of epic proportions when Krafty Kuts + A.Skillz hit the decks! Krafty Kuts + A.Skillz (AKA Martin Reeves and Adam Mills) have played festivals far and wide - individually and in duo - Krafty Kuts is currently touring with Jurassic 5 founder Chali 2na, while A.Skillz has been spinning across Canada and they both played in Dubai alongside Fatboy Slim at the end of April. At CHAMFEST, this legendary pair will play bouncing back-to-back sets to close the Saturday evening of the festival.
Sunday 17th June sees CHAMFEST in cabaret mode, with festival goers encouraged to come in 1920s cabaret-style fancy dress and hilarious stand-up comedy from well-respected British comedy headliners Ian Moore and Nick Doody presenting improvised stand-up in French and English, held together by French TV sketch comedian Phil Darwin. The Franglais Show will be delivered in Franglais and Frenglish several times during the day in the festival big-top tent, named after historic British alpinist Edward Whymper. It is sure to entertain the English and French speaking audience of CHAMFEST, in a language that Chamonix people will enjoy interpreting as making fun of the frantic semantics that can happen when English speakers live in France and vice versa. The stand-up performances are great entertainment for adults and suitable for children older than 14.
Kam Dez (the stage name of adopted Chamoniard, Columbian Camilo Alejandro Bermudez) is first on the Lionel Terray stage on Sunday, performing bluesy reggae Latin soul after lunch alongside Balthazar Varin. Following this, the CHAMFEST music will gradually take hip retro and electro swing steps throughout the afternoon, with an eco-disco experience on offer from Solar Sound System - a fabulous retro- futuristic DJ booth from Lausanne in neighbouring Switzerland, which has DJs spinning vinyl on decks that are totally powered by solar panels and bicycle generators.
Krafty Kuts will hit the festival’s decks for a second time to play a set in homage to the late artist Prince. He will be followed on the main stage by popular London hip- hop act Too Many T’s, who pull from vintage and classic raps with a fun twist and are sure to incite more dancing.
The party will get into full pumping electro swing when kings of the genre Parisian DJs Typoboy and Kid Supreme - AKA les gangsters chic des platines - take to the stage to warm up for the brilliantly bonkers Berlin band Dirty Honkers, the hippest of electro swing acts that have had their very particular musical fusion described as rave jazz and swing tech. Always dressed up and enthusiastic in their creative performance, Dirty Honkers are sure to bring the CHAMFEST house down in true Sunday cabaret fancy style.
Throughout CHAMFEST Globule Radio, a local radio station produced and presented by children, will be on-air at 90.5FM throughout the festival as CHAMFEST Radio, playing music inspired by the festival, airing interviews with some of the performers and showcasing their radio workshops for youngsters. Also for children, best-loved children’s cartoon character Peppa Pig will be at the festival on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and Sunday for her young fans to meet and cuddle.
In the Edward Whymper tent on Saturday morning, there will be a screening of the film Guides & Cie, which is all about the Chamonix mountain guiding company, followed by a talk from the film’s director and guide Gilles Chappaz. Also in the big- top on Saturday, adventure and environmental literary talks will be given by guide Sam Beaugey and alpine geographer Sylvain Coutterand. A mountaineering talk on Friday will be given by Richard Gaitet, with naturalist Gilbert Cochet speaking on Sunday. Throughout CHAMFEST British climber and artist Andy Parkin, who made Chamonix his home 25 years ago, is hosting interactive art workshops in painting for children in the festival village.
Black Crows, the directional ski brand born in Chamonix, is the brain-child of famed freeride skiers Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet. The brand renowned for its edgy marketing and hip graphics, particularly the recognisable chevrons in their logo, is inviting CHAMFEST goers the opportunity to come up with a new motto for either Corvus or Corpus and, if chosen, the mottos will be printed on the Corvus skis and in the Corpus jacket for their 2018/2019 season models, which will be then awarded as prizes to the tagline composers. The Corvus ski is a Black Crows classic: the first ski created by the Chamonix brand in 2006, designed for powerful riding of the big mountain Mont-Blanc terrain and the motto is printed underfoot along the core rails. The Corpus jacket is a fully waterproof outerwear garment, developed in partnership with Gore-Tex, as part of a 3-layer technical ski clothing system. Corpus is a mid- length jacket cut to a parka shape with a fishtail, designed to keep you dry while skiing, as well as looking cool at après - the motto is printed on its lining. Black Crows co-founder Camille Jaccoux talks about CHAMFEST wearing Corpus and holding a pair of Corvus skis:
There are a number of special offers for all the family available from the CHAMFEST village:
- CHAMFEST is located in the Les Planards recreation park near the centre of Chamonix Mont-Blanc, where you can ride the summer luge on rails and festival goers get a second luge descent free with every luge ticket bought, upon showing their CHAMFEST ticket or wristband. Children can ride the luge from 3 years old, with 3 to 7 year olds accompanied by an adult.
- The Chamonix adventure tree AccroPark is across town in Les Gaillands and CHAMFEST ticket holders get a half-priced second entry when they buy one entry ticket showing their CHAMFEST ticket or wristband. This offer is valid until 1st July 2018.
- Get some altitude and fly like a bird on a tandem parapente flight with ChamSnow: CHAMFEST discount, available on a flight taken from Brévent- Planpraz between 15th June to 1st July 2018: 1hr for 100€ instead of 110€, by showing your CHAMFEST ticket or wristband on booking.
CHAMFEST is an environmentally conscious and eco-friendly festival: all catering suppliers will use biodegradable or recyclable packaging for all food consumed on site and all drinks partners will be supplying reusable cups, to minimise the waste the event produces. CHAMFEST is also a family friendly festival that is considerate of its neighbours, thus the festival will close at 10PM every evening to ensure there is no disturbance.
The gourmet delights enjoyed by the Chamonix valley’s residents will be available to nourish and soothe at the new lifestyle boutique festival CHAMFEST, in Chamonix Mont-Blanc this 15th to 17th June inclusive. A dynamic bar run by local company CHX Distillers and a caravan of food-trucks operated by regional catering suppliers will make up CHAMFEST’s Food Village, alongside a pop-up Thirsty Bar, from Anglo-French drinks distributor Le Verre Gourmand, on all three days of this family friendly event.
The CHAMFEST main Bar will be run by CHX Distillers, serving craft beers from Man and Wolf Beer, a brand based in the nearby Tarentaise, and local Chamonix micro-brewery the Big Mountain Brewery Company, as well as prosecco, wines and soft drinks. CHX Distillers will be launching their own artisan spirit Altitude Gin at CHAMFEST, a brand new Alpine Dry Gin blended with mountain botanicals. The recipe for Altitude Gin was born in Chamonix, inspired by the founders’ experience of climbing Mont-Blanc, so the concept and flavour have a true twist of adventure and exploration. There are two unique blends that use local wheat, native myrtilles (blueberries) and other secret mountain ingredients, resulting in a smooth, balanced and refreshing gin, infused with fruit flavours from Alpine mountains. CHX Distillers will also be hosting the CHAMFEST VIP Bar.
Formed in 2006 by an Englishman and a Frenchman - both wanting to improve the selection of wines supplied by chalet companies across the Alps - Le Verre Gourmand is a wholesale wine, craft beer and artisanal spirits merchant based in Sallanches (down valley from Chamonix) that distributes all over Europe. In 2014 the company crossed back north of the English Channel to set up We Are Thirsty in Cambridge, distributing carefully chosen, great value wines and craft beers across the UK and opening their Thirsty Bar. For three days only, Thirsty will be at CHAMFEST with a pop-up pallet bar offering a dizzying range of craft beers, artisan cider and world wines. With regular ‘discovery’ tastings scheduled throughout the festival and a cracking line-up on the pumps and in the bottles, there will be something to quench everyone’s thirst.
Ice-lollies for grown-ups only, Poptails by LAPP, will coolly quench all CHAMFEST festival goers. Launched in spring 2016, a Poptail is a hip cross between an ice-lolly and a cocktail or an alcoholic popsicle. The first gourmet alcoholic sorbet brand using 100% natural ingredients, Poptails by LAPP - a company created by two cool French ladies living in London - are available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions and will be in Chamonix for the first time at CHAMFEST.
Chamonix Mont-Blanc’s best-loved mobile Italian coffee van Café Alpin will have their recognisable blue Piaggio Ape car strategically parked in the festival site on all three days of CHAMFEST, serving coffees, teas, hot chocolate and croissants, as well as Italian ice-cream.
Chamonix festival favourites, Le Savoie Faire, deliver hog roasts, gourmet buns, vegetarian falafels and more - all slow cooked to perfection - from their classic 1981 Citroen H van, restored and equipped to provide high quality street food. This charming food-truck will be parked up at CHAMFEST throughout the festival.
Also at CHAMFEST for all 3 days of the event will be Chamonix centre’s much- loved hot-dog specialist Cool Cats, a concept inspired by street food from all over the world, with a focus on locally sourced produce and homemade products. Their sausages are made by local butchers and spiced with seasoning found in local forests and gardens, while their bread is made by carefully selected local bakers and delivered fresh each morning. Cool Cats also serve vegetarian options, bespoke bellinis and organic non-alcoholic refreshments.
The scrumptious crêperie in a caravan, Demi-Sel, will also be food-trucking throughout CHAMFEST. Originally from the Guérande peninsula of Brittany, famed for its salt, crêpes and galettes (savoury pancakes), Demi-Sel works to traditional methods using high-quality local ingredients, to create a delicious fusion of Savoyard and Breton flavours.
On Friday 16th June local artisan baker Le Pain Chibon will be selling sourdough bread from his bakery food-truck. This delicious bread is made from 50 ancient varieties of wheat, grown on baker Gérard Berrux’s organic farmland in Saint-Félix in the Haute Savoie region. He grinds the wheat each day on a stone mill in Les Houches, in the Chamonix valley, to preserve the flavours and aromas.
A classic food-truck serving great British staples, Curly’s Fish & Chips is coming to CHAMFEST on Friday afternoon and will stay till the festival closes on Sunday 17th June. As well as the classic dish of their name, Curly’s Fish & Chips also serves battered prawns and bacon and egg sandwiches.
Barbecuing on all three days of CHAMFEST - using their own trusty egg-shaped BBQ and grilling on the environmentally friendly EcoInstall eco-pellet BBQ - in the festival village will be Marcus Saw and Damian Blanchard’s ChamSawsages, serving English-style sausages which are home-made in Chamonix. Alongside their meaty snags, every morning ChamSawsages will be dishing up breakfast and brunch, including sausage, bacon, black pudding (English boudin noir) and egg wraps. In the afternoons there will be grilled corn-on-the-cob, hot-smoked bacon wraps and slow-cooked smoked pork ribs. ChamSawsages come in multiple flavours, including pork and apple, Sardinian (sun-dried tomato, garlic and pine nuts) and British classic sage-flavoured Lincolnshire. The flavours are a mix of traditional and contemporary, using new ideas and locally available seasonal produce, creating something not readily available outside of the UK. Everything is freshly made and consumed within hours of being produced.
Also throughout CHAMFEST, there will be organic refreshments - delicious smoothies and healthy summer wraps - available from Chamonix-Sud hot-spot Café Bluebird, prepared by Ross Cluley and his team.
But this is a mere taster of the gourmet delights that will be on offer at the festival, as more Chamonix Mont-Blanc based food and drinks suppliers are still to be announced for this first edition of CHAMFEST, so be sure to watch the website for details and to book tickets: https://chamfest.fr/en/programme-2018/
Local tour operator Chamonix All Year, celebrating their 15th anniversary and the main sponsor of CHAMFEST, is offering a 15% discount on all of their accommodation booked in Chamonix for the festival and there are other hotel groups in the Chamonix valley offering 10% off bookings for the festival, too: https:// chamfest.fr/en/festival-info/accommodation/, as well as further accommodation information available on the local tourist office website: www.chamonix.com. For festival travel packages and airport transfers, CHAMFEST partner Chamonix Valley
Transfers (CVT) are giving 10% off all bookings for festival goers
