Deprived of nightclubs, Parisians are rediscovering free parties, outlets for the pandemic

In the memory of " chirps ", this is unheard of since the 1990s. It took an epidemic, the closing of clubs and a relative permissiveness of the authorities for Paris to become in one summer a sanctuary for the " free party ", these underground techno parties. The epicenter of this phenomenon, which makes part of the youth of Paris rustle with excitement, is in the Bois de Vincennes, within easy reach of the metro. You have to walk for more than a quarter of an hour, orient yourself to the sound of " boom boom " before leading to one of the dozens of musical scenes scattered illegally in the depths of the woods.

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Some of these free parties, at the gates of Paris, gathered in July, up to a thousand people. “ I had never seen that, it was completely crazy, ” says party organizer Illa Gianotti, co-founder of the Sœurs Malsaines collective. “ It happened timidly. Little by little, the collectives began to put their noses outside in May, with the first discreet parties, we didn't need much, just take the turntable out of the show, rent a generator and a sound system and installed some light garlands ” , confirms Antoine Calvino, at the head of the Microclimat collective, one of the first to have placed his turntables in the wood from the deconfinement.

The party is vital. For some, it's a parallel way of life, the time to let off steam and meet up. It is an outlet and a zone of unrivaled tolerance

" With the release from confinement, the pressure was very strong, nightclubs and even bars were still closed and there were not many alternatives to see friends again and party, " he explains. “ But the party is vital. For some, it's a parallel way of life, the time to let off steam and meet up. It is an outlet and a zone of unrivaled tolerance , ”he adds.

But the new secret and nocturnal life of the woods eventually spread. The police began to intervene in mid-July, to disperse the revelers and seize the equipment of the organizers. The City of Paris, in charge of Parks and Gardens, admits having been " surprised by the scale of the phenomenon " and is trying to find a status quo urgently.

" Only alternative "

" There is a real cultural and social phenomenon happening at the moment and we at the Town hall do not want to send the constabulary, we want to make things possible ", assures AFP Frédéric Hocquard, deputy for Nightlife . " Our approach is to find a system, with authorized places where we know what is happening, where the groups declare themselves in advance and where we can do prevention, whether for the usual risks (alcohol, drugs, STDs) and those due to the epidemic, ”says Frédéric Hocquard.

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At the other end of Paris, the followers of the “ free party ” movement, those experienced since the 1990s with the muddy grounds and the walls of sounds of Tecknival, are in full preparation for the underground Transe ta Race evening. They too are full of young deconfinated party-goers, some neophytes in the middle of "free parties", which has the reputation of being quite extreme in terms of musical style (trance and dub) and consumption of drugs. The public of nightclubs " has always come but let's say that at the moment, since the techno evenings are a little stopped, it is the only alternative ", explains to AFP the organizer of the evening, to the pseudo of Geutto Blaster One.

Security check at the "entrance" of a rave in Gennevilliers. GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

The address of the squatted place was given at the last moment via the traditional " infoline ", a dedicated voice mail. To return, you have to climb a small wall, take out your mask and disinfect your hands, then pay 10 euros to cover organizational costs and those of a possible fine. Five policemen in uniform come to pass a head, issue warnings and grab a few joints, but leave without linger. The evening can begin.