All Saints’ Day holidays in Aude: here are some ideas for outings

Every day, the Journal Toulousain offers you a selection of activities and outings for your All Saints holidays, like here, in Aude, where you can celebrate Halloween with Dumbledore in the heart of the city of Carcassonne, make a escape game in the crypt of the medieval castle of Arques, get your fill of thrills at the Chalabre castle or take part in the creative workshops of the Narbo Via museum.

Harry Potter in Aude during the All Saints holidays

Halloween is fast approaching. To immerse you in the atmosphere just a few days before the big party, a day of entertainment is organized in the heart of the city of Carcassonne this Saturday, October 29. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Albus Dumbledore and other characters from JK Rowling’s famous saga will roam the streets of the city center while you too can slip into the shoes of wizards by having your make-up done in the Halles Prospère Montagné. Be careful not to meet Voldemort on the way…

At Hogwarts, each house, be it Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, has its own coat of arms. Already in the Middle Ages, these colorful distinctive signs made it possible to recognize the soldiers of one’s own camp on the battlefield. They are the sign of belonging to an army, a kingdom or a family. During the All Saints holidays, children are invited to take part in workshops to create their own coat of arms. They too will imagine the future coat of arms of their family and inscribe them on a wooden shield.

Practical information : Halloween Animation Day, place Carnot, Carcassonne. Saturday October 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Sorcerers coat of arms” workshops21 rue Cros Mayrevieille, Carcassonne.
October 24, 26, 27, 31, November 2 and 4 at 11 a.m., then October 29 at 3:15 p.m. Price: 12 euros. Online reservations.

An escape game in the crypt of a castle

Take part in a terrifying escape game in a castle in Aude during the All Saints holidays. To fully understand your mission, you have to go back in time, to the winter of 1244. Violence is omnipresent and darkness has triumphed over light, which the Cathars have carefully locked up in a chest. This one disappeared during the capture of Montségur by the Crusaders and would be found today hidden in the mysterious crypt of the medieval castle of Arques. So you decide to go looking for him. But when you enter the bowels of the building, the door closes abruptly behind you.

A formidable secret society has just taken you prisoner and has alerted its henchmen to eliminate you. You then have only one hour to find the precious treasure of the Cathars and escape from the castle. But the quest will not be without difficulties. You will have to redouble your efforts and courage to gather the clues and decipher all the puzzles that will allow you to carry out your mission.

Practical information: Château d’Arques, D613, Arques. Escape room by reservation on 06 72 73 81 20. Prices: between 15 and 30 euros per person depending on the number of members per team.

Entertainment at Narbo Via for your All Saints holidays in Aude

The Narbo Via museum, located in the capital of Aude, offers a whole program of entertainment for young and old alike, to entertain you during the All Saints holidays. This Friday, October 28, for example, you can participate in a comic book workshop at the heart of the museum’s various collections. Equipped with a sketchbook, you will browse the exhibition in search of inspiration to imagine, and draw on four boxes, the chimeras that haunted the city of Narbonne during Antiquity. If you want to learn more about the different techniques of art sketching, you can also take part in an internship organized during the second week of the All Saints holidays in Narbo Via. All of your works produced during the three days of initiation will then be the subject of a photomontage in postcard format that you can send.

To take full advantage of the outdoors and the mild fall temperatures, you can also visit the potter’s garden discovering symbolic plants, Roman gods and the seasons. The walk organized by Narbo Via will be followed by a workshop during which participants will make a ribbed bead in colored clay and a metal pendant which will contain one of the symbolic plants that you have just observed.

Practical information: Narbo Via, 2 avenue André Mècle, Narbonne. Comics workshop, Friday, October 28, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Prices: from 5 to 8 euros.
Sketch course, from Tuesday 1 to Thursday 3 November, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Price: 45 euros. Reservation on 04 68 90 28 90.
Symbolic plant workshop, Thursday, November 3 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Prices: from 5 to 8 euros. Reservation on 04 68 46 89 48.

Treasure hunt and freefall at Château Chalabre

Notice to thrill seekers and all those who need to exercise. Appointment is given at Château Chalabre, near the border between Ariège and Aude, during the All Saints holidays. Upon your arrival, you will be greeted by a terrifying butler named Albert and by a nice lady witch who will hand you a mysterious booklet. This references all the activities offered in this castle of more than 2,500 square meters, specially decorated for Halloween during the holidays to immerse yourself in an atmosphere that is both magical and obscure.

And as much to say that you have the choice: workshops of calligraphy, illumination, construction of Romanesque and Gothic arches, creations of coats of arms… But also, introduction to archerytraining in the weapons room, training to become master builders as in the Middle Ages or even treasure hunts in the different rooms of the castle. Outside, in the estate’s park, children can jump on a zip line while their companions visit the medieval garden. Finally, the more adventurous can rush through “the trapdoor of courage”. A 14-meter-high chasm dug through the three floors of the Château Chalabre keep, into which you will have to dare to jump. Guaranteed sensations.

Practical information : Chateau Chalabre, alley of the Castle, Chalabre. From October 22 to November 6, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance fees: between 8 and 10 euros. Rates trap door of courage: 14 euros.
Entrance + hatch packs: between 17 and 19 euros. online booking. Catering available on site.