Who says summer, generally says evenings and festivals. But this year 2021 is not quite like the others. Where and how are you going to dance this summer? We asked you the question in a call for testimony in early June. Those of you who responded are obviously not too optimistic …
“Faced with the lack of prospects for festivals this summer in France, we are going to go abroad. This is money that will unfortunately not be spent here… ”, writes Gabriel. He is perhaps unaware that, since the end of May, certain festivals have maintained their 2021 edition. La Villette Sonique in Paris opened the ball on May 29 and 30. The lucky ones who managed to get a place were able to attend the performances of Villejuif Underground, Lala & ce, Bonnie Banane or François and The Atlas Mountains.
Admittedly, for these concerts, the public was seated in deckchairs but, on June 30, the sanitary measures will ease. Spectators will be able to stand with a 4 m2 gauge during open-air festivals. Dream Nation, which is being held on September 17 and 18 at the Parc des Expositions in Paris, would like to be able to welcome its public in better conditions. “We hope by September that there will have been test concerts in a confined space and that the spectators will be able to come a little less muzzled, masked”, explains Charlotte Lafon, press officer of the event. If the organizers admit to moving forward with the pandemic, they are no less positive. “For this particular edition, we are trying to keep the same spirit, there will be a nice parade of international artists”, continues Charlotte Lafon.
DJs in trouble
Festivals try to keep their heads above water, but other professions are failing. For our call for testimonials, Ricky said: “I am a DJ in a nightclub and I was on a CDD contract renewable every weekend. Since March 2020 I went from € 800 per month to € 0 per month. It is no longer a testimony that I am giving but a distress call because the situation is becoming more and more difficult and I have no penny of help. Emmanuel Macron announced to receive professionals from the discotheque sector on June 21. The nightclubs want a reopening for June 30. The two main unions have agreed that the health pass or a test is required on entry.
For his part, Benoît admits: “I don’t really like festivals and even less discotheques. So I will try to go to parties with good soundsystems, even if they are illegal… ”. The Lucas * free party collective thus continued to organize illegally during periods of confinement and curfew small committee evenings requiring less sound equipment in the south of France.
Home festival
Organizer of “booms” between relatives during the first confinement, Léa *, musician, ended up setting up her own festival with her friends in a large garden during the summer of 2020. Six guest groups, stage, refreshment bar, catering: everything was there . One hundred people were expected each evening over two days.
“We were afraid that there would be too many people, we did not know the capacity of the place,” she says. And this year is rebelling. This homemade festival is getting bigger and longer. It is no longer one, but two summer weekends that are planned to accommodate the nine groups and the three hundred people per evening.
* The first name has been changed