“The probability of being able to play outdoors, in a large gauge, standing up this summer is so low that it does not seem reasonable to us to want to believe in it any longer.
"On February 10, Solidarité Sida preceded the ministerial announcements and renounced for the second consecutive year, Covid-19 obliges, its Solidays festival - 228,000 visitors on its last edition in 2019. Eight days later, the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot agreed with him: the festivals could take place but neither standing, nor in large gauge.
At the end of a meeting with the organizers of festivals, Roselyne Bachelot announced Thursday the maintenance of these meetings provided that they are reduced to 5,000 participants.
The latter must be seated and observe a distance from the other festival-goers, two fundamental criteria which strike a blow at the very essence of these gatherings.
“A festival of 5,000 people seated and at a good distance is not a festival.
[…] Next summer will be devastated for the youth ”, reacted the boss of Hellfest, Ben Barbaud, in the columns of“ Ouest-France ”.
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The first instructions given by Roselyne Bachelot will evolve, to the favor or not of festival-goers, with the health crisis.
So in this seemingly discouraging blur, four months away from the first musical scenes of the summer and after a blank year for festivals in 2020, the faithful of the Vieilles Charrues, the Main Square festival or the Reggae Sun Ska bend but do not break however with the desire to party.
"Masked yes, but not seated"
Around his right wrist, Philippe, 29, has long kept his festival bracelets like so many good summer memories.
Unconditional of Solidays and Reggae Sun Ska in Vertheuil (Gironde), 27,500 visitors in 2019, he had no other choice but to make a reason for the first.
For the second, he hesitates.
"With these sanitary rules, we lose the very notion of festival: enjoying music in the midst of the crowd, sweat, impromptu encounters ..."
This summer, the music lover will study all the opportunities for festivals, on one condition: "Being masked does not bother me at all, but not to remain seated," he says.
I'm ready to put my savings into festivals, but we have to keep the festoche side.
Seated concerts, for reggae as for rock or rap, it is useless.
"
The Old Plows adapt
For seven years, Claire and Camille have not missed an edition of the Vieilles Charrues.
Centerpiece of festivals in Brittany - the most prolific region in the field - Les Vieilles Charrues attracts an annual flow of some 270,000 visitors.
"It's our annual meeting with Breton pals", summarize the two sisters.
After the white year of 2020, Claire and Camille had prepared for the situation not to improve so much in 2021. “I'm still disgusted by these announcements, says Claire.
A festival like the Vieilles Charrues sitting down and wearing a mask doesn't appeal to me at all.
What's cool is being able to dance in front of the artists you love, have fun.
There, I can see the atmosphere where everything is controlled to respect the distances and the mask… ”
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This Friday, the Breton festival announces that it is giving up its traditional form for the 2021 edition, after the interview with Roselyne Bachelot the day before.
To compensate, it offers a hybrid form of festival marked by 10 evenings of concerts.
Nothing to excite Claire.
“Without Celine Dion, which was scheduled for Thursday, it no longer has the same flavor.
In addition, they would be able to have a festival without bars and without food stands and that is prohibitive!
"
Turning to another, more confidential festival, like Vision that they had experienced in 2019, the two young women have thought about it.
“Why not, but the first goal is still to let off steam so the problem remains the same,” regrets Camille.
Fall back on small festivals
Hélène, a graphic designer from the 20th arrondissement of Paris, relies on the good atmosphere of "small festivals on a human scale" that she particularly likes.
"I am full of hope for the Douve Blanche, in Seine-et-Marne, I have already taken my place and I pray that it takes place", she confides.
If it's canceled, she promises to keep her spot for next year.
"If I can support them ..."
Anyway, for her, it's too much.
“I can't imagine two years without festivals, especially for the organizers.
It saddens me to tell myself that these people are breaking their heads to create
feasts
and that we are not helping them at all.
To tell the truth, the young woman knows what she is talking about.
Last September, with a dozen of her cousins, she threw a three-day party bringing together 150 people, in an isolated village whose name is kept at its discretion.
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The invitations were shared in a small network of cousins and friends, in complete confidentiality.
"We are preparing a third edition a little bigger with an electro and live prog," says Hélène.
If the summer does not give pride of place to large organizations, the concept of reduced festivals like this one risks exploding, and despite all the goodwill of the organizers, it is impossible to ensure scrupulous respect for barrier gestures.
According to data compiled by the website Tous les Festivals, 7.5 million French people attended a festival in 2019, or 12% of the population, so the little Hélène festival will surely not be the only one to take place.
"We all lack live music, the warmth of the crowd", summarizes Philippe, the follower of Reggae Sun Ska.
For him there is no doubt that the too drastic rules enacted by the government will lead to more confidential events.
“In my village, we have already had FestRock for two years, our mini festival at 30 or 40. It will be maintained, it is obvious.
"
