It was a bit of a commotion in Mouans-Sartoux this Thursday. At the same time, there are only a few hours left before the opening of the 37th edition of the Book Festival. We have to hurry. Ensure that everything is ready and operational before the arrival of the first guests, authors and other festival-goers.
Because if the installations were assembled and put in place in the gymnasiums at the start of the week, the indication signs for the relay car parks already installed, Thursday was the home stretch of the preparation with the arrival and installation exhibitors.
Many people mobilized
In the tents, along Avenue de Cannes, the second-hand book sellers are starting to take their places. In the gymnasiums, people are busy arranging the stands, placing the books…
“We’re going to spend the day today doing just that, explains Laurent Parez, the manager of the Dernier Rempart bookstores, who has to dress around 100m² with the five pallets of children’s books and comics that he has brought in. It requires preparation in advance, depending on the authors who come, those who cannot, those who cancel at the last moment…”
For the Antibes bookstore, it is the biggest show of the year, and many people are involved, both volunteers and employees. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also fun to meet local authors and discover new ones.”
And since festival-goers must be well fed and hydrated, the refreshment bar is also being prepared, little by little. Thursday morning, we came to deliver the refrigerated display cases. Then the cash register.
In the afternoon, Christiane briefs her team. Give them their equipment and explain it to them. And a volunteer trains them at the cash register and the card reader.
“It’s the race”
“It’s the race, confirms Christine, the manager of the refreshment bar. But you shouldn’t panic and try to take things in a good humor: if there is a problem, you will find a solution. Last year we ran out of coffee, for example.”
And this year, we had to find a baker in a hurry, a month before the festival, the usual supplier of sandwiches ultimately not being able to ensure delivery this year.
But be careful, no Book Festival without the approval of the safety commission, passed at the end of the afternoon to check that everything is in place, up to standard and ready to welcome the public: emergency exit, fire risk, etc.
Mouans-Sartoux Book Festival, from Friday until Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Program: www.lefestivaldulivre.fr
