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Inaugurated in November 2018, the Halle de la Machine in Toulouse is about to experience a new highlight this Easter weekend. The dragon horse, the last machine, which leaves next month in China, will leave the Halle for the first time. Spectators could admire Long-Ma’s gallop along the Trail of the Giants for free. Francis Grass, the deputy mayor of Toulouse in charge of culture, is the guest of the morning of France Bleu and France 3 Occitanie.
How many people do you expect this weekend at the Halle de la Machine?
Several tens of thousands no doubt. The cultural sector has suffered for two years from confinement and gauges. The challenge now is that visitors come to these magical events. Be careful to get there, avoid the car. Think of cycling, it’s very pleasant along the Canal du Midi. Tisséo also provides a free shuttle from the Ramonville terminus. And then there is the Linéo 8, or the train with Montaudran station.
For those who come by car, the issue of signage is always sensitive. Are you finally going to better indicate the Halle de la Machine?
Yes, we want to go all out, we are working on it in particular with Tisséo. On the signage, the succession of construction sites does not make our task any easier. It’s a new destination, people have to get used to it. Especially since it’s very easy to get there from the ring road. The Halle de la Machine still needs to gain notoriety, that the Trail of the Giants is an identified destination by Toulouse residents and non-Toulouse residents alike, just next to the Envol de la Machine and the Jardins de la Ligne.
The Metropolis of Toulouse signed a public service delegation with the Compagnie de la Machine in 2018, for ten years. What conclusions do you draw from this?
The first year, before Covid, was very positive, very promising. The crisis has stopped activity with ups and downs, a great summer in 2021. We hope to get out of it, and make people want to come this weekend, and all the time.
It is an animation that costs little to the community
You pay them an annual subsidy of 700.00 euros against a fee of 55,000 euros. Isn’t this a financial pitfall for the community?
No, I remind you that for the Cité de l’Espace and the Envol des Pionniers, we are devoting 6 million euros. The Hall at one capacity of more than 300,000 people, what we did the first year of opening. It’s practically the same levels as the Cité de l’Espace. It is an original animation which marks Toulouse and which is inexpensive for the community.
How are you going to solve the problem of parking in the neighborhood?
There is a 139-space car park right next to the Envol and the Halle, a second 600-space car park a few hundred meters away and the 352-space Q-Park car park. This makes more than a thousand parking spaces, not to mention public transport solutions.
Will we soon see the Machines again in the streets of Toulouse, as in November 2018?
Yes, we are working on it for 2024. It’s true that it’s been a long time since 2018, but there was the Covid crisis, and next year in 2023, we will have the Rugby World Cup (editor’s note, Toulouse will host five matches between September and October 2023).