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Hellfest is sounding the alarm: "The longer we wait to answer us, the heavier our bill"

2021-01-19T19:13:26.823Z


Ben Barbaud, the creator of the largest French rock and metal gathering, demands from the State that it decides quickly on the outfit or not


The first of the big summer festivals, Hellfest, a large gathering of lovers of metal, punk, or heavily electrified music, traditionally takes place in June. This year, from the 18th to the 20th, it awaits among others Judas Priest, System Of A Down or Faith No More headlining and nearly 180,000 spectators in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique).

After the cancellation of its 2020 edition, because of the pandemic, its boss, Ben Barbaud, has just punched the table, in an open letter addressed to the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot.

“We have been very attentive to your last media interventions in recent days, and we quote you, writes the organizer:

We will go to festivals this summer

”,

We have time

,

Fingers crossed

.

Madam Minister, excuse our somewhat familiar tone but, on our side, we do not cross our fingers, we squeeze our buttocks!

NO, we don't have time and it is urgent that you become aware of it ”.

Ben Barbaud explained to us why he is stepping up to the plate.

Why this open letter now?

BEN BARBAUD.

We are the most expensive festival, with the biggest budget in France, the one that requires the most investments.

We alert the Minister to the fact that restarting such an event, as we have been doing since January 4, is to face 250,000 euros in monthly charges, while cutting us off aid such as partial unemployment.

Unlike others, we do not receive public subsidies.

The longer we wait to give us an answer, the heavier our bill.

Hellfest takes place in June, it seems far away, what are you already preparing in January?

We are already organizing ourselves vis-à-vis the 3,000 volunteers participating in the event.

We are working on security, in coordination with the various communities concerned, town halls, prefecture ... We have 170 groups and artists to manage, for whom we must prepare contracts, provide reception, rent equipment, stages, marquees, think to the electrical installation.

Hellfest is the most important ephemeral electrical project in France!

All this cannot be improvised ...

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In your open letter, you wonder if the current vaccination, or the fact that your festival, which takes place outdoors and in summer, a period when the virus circulates less, can work in your favor ...

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I am only an observer in this crisis management, I am not a scientist and I do not have all the data.

I'm just saying that there are a certain number of elements, which the government already knows, on vaccination, the impact of the weather ... Can they not be enough to authorize the holding of an event like ours?

I don't have the answer, but I'm asking the question.

I am not an irresponsible organizer, I do not call for disobedience or revolt, I just want someone to explain to me and be able to debate it.

And quickly, not in a few months.

My great fear is that the government has already decided on our fate, and does not dare tell us.

Would the festival be ready to further strengthen health security on site?

Of course, these are questions we would like to discuss.

In order to take place this year, could Hellfest postpone its date, or accommodate fewer spectators?

No, it would be too complicated to set up.

We are taking part in artist tours in Europe, it would not be easy to change.

Another factor, if people come to us, it is for our spectacular and festive side.

No one would want a Hellfest with only 5,000 spectators, seated and with masks on.

In addition, we should reimburse almost all the spectators who bought their tickets for the 2020 edition. If Hellfest is still standing, it is because it has cash, and has benefited from very few reimbursement requests: to barely 0.25% of tickets sold, where other festivals had to deal with 25% or 40% of people who wanted to recover the price of their ticket.

Hellfest brings together nearly 180,000 spectators in three days in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique) ./ LP / Olivier Corsan  

If the 2021 edition does take place, will all the planned artists be there?

For now, things are not moving.

The artists are waiting for our news.

How long can you be in the dark before you throw in the towel?

Things will have to be decided between the end of February and the end of March.

If the state does not take a position by then, we will be forced to cancel.

I'm not going to put my organization in jeopardy, make my intermittents work to tell them, a week before the start, no, that's not good.

If Hellfest is forced to cancel a second time, will you be strong enough to hold out until 2022?

It will depend on the audience. We have a healthy cash flow, but it doesn't belong to us. It belongs to festival-goers, who paid 200 euros each to participate in an event. If they all ask to be reimbursed, we can imagine bankruptcy. But I know our audience is flawlessly loyal. We're seeing testimonials on social media from people saying

if we have to keep our ticket until 2050, we will!

. Others say they are willing to pay a second time for Hellfest to take place!

Source: leparis

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