If I were a resident of the city of Avignon I would seriously consider spending the month of July somewhere else, maybe following the Tour de France. The festival lasts most of the month and the streets are incredibly noisy with demonstrations and promos for theatrical events crowding into every public area. Having said that, the festival is tremendous fun for the visiting biker who is living in a tent and can go home and snuggle down in the peace of the camp each night. Many of the productions actually take place on the streets and are free. Their quality varies but most of them are pretty good and all of them are international, that is, understandable by most anyone regardless of language. Street acts are everywhere and often come to you where you're sitting marinating yourself with a glass of wine. I recognized a number of the performers staying in the campground where I was in the middle of the river. It was at this festival back in the sixties that an American theatre company made history by doing an all nude production. In the pictures you can see a performer "drumming up" business and comeon for a play about naughty kitties in a minicar. The gentleman with the beard on the left is playing a hurdygurdy. Just turn the crank and people give you (not much) money.