After the surprise announcement of the Déferlantes moving from Céret to Perpignan, Fabrice Lorente, co-director of Frontera Production, speaks exclusively for L’Indépendant.
Why did you choose to move Les Déferlantes?
We worked for months to find solutions to meet the expectations of festival-goers who, in the satisfaction survey, noted access and parking conditions as the main problem. Other difficulties were pointed out such as water points, waste sorting, dust… Concretely, 30% of festival-goers answered that they would not return under these conditions. It is better to make a radical decision now, rather than to be stubborn and screw up. We take on a new dimension by programming artists like Rosalià, so we need suitable venues that allow us to best accommodate a large number of festival-goers. We cannot pay very expensive artists and have them come for 15,000 people.
Why did you warn the mayor of Céret at the last moment?
We were discussing with the mayor of Céret, and we exchanged letters since September, to point out to him the difficulties related to the site. It was explained to us that a certain number of points could not be changed. So, for us, the choice is clear. It is not a surprise.
Why did you choose Perpignan?
We could have left the department and moved closer to large cities like Montpellier. We really could have. But David Garcia and I are very attached to the Pyrénées-Orientales. We are the biggest festival in Occitania, you have to be pragmatic, we have found more suitable solutions in Perpignan, the capital of the P.-O. Especially for questions of parking, access on foot, by bike but also with the station and the airport. We did not search for other sites. We do not play politics, some (partners, editor’s note) will choose to follow us and perhaps others will decide not to support us anymore. But the question did not arise for the USAP, the Dragons and Visa pour l’Image.
What about the identity of the festival which leaves two Petersen castles for the car park of the exhibition center?
We can not have everything. We cannot have international artists and very large sites which pose technical problems. We know what we are going to do and how we are going to do it. No one will recognize the site. There will be no castle but lots of comfort.