It is a disillusionment for the thousands of festival-goers who flock to the Longchamp racecourse in Paris (16th century) each year.
Thursday, the organization of the Parisian music festival Lollapalooza announced on Olympic Games.
“In view of the logistical, administrative and security constraints which are increasingly strong, and despite artists and teams motivated to meet you next July, it is unfortunately impossible for us to organize the festival as we have planned. we thought, in the best reception conditions for our fans, our artists and our partners,” published the official account of the event.
The #LollaParis teams have a message for you.
We look forward to seeing you at the Hippodrome de ParisLongchamp in July 2025 for the next edition of Lolla Paris.
pic.twitter.com/gDQTZJdnOI
— Lollapalooza Paris (@lollapaloozafr) March 7, 2024
The organization of the Olympic Games in the capital (July 26-August 11) already required the 2024 edition of Lollapalooza to be held at reduced capacity.
“We were not on a normal edition,” recalls Angelo Gopee, director of Live Nation France, organizer of the festival.
With the Olympics, it was impossible to do a normal format.
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The gauge was therefore initially reduced to 7,000 people.
“We were told to do the festival on a single day to keep the Lollapalooza spirit in 2024, and not leave a year without a festival,” recalls Angelo Gopee.
“A rather disturbing double standard”
Despite these adaptations, the organization has become more complicated.
“We did not have the means to welcome artists, fans and teams in the best conditions.
The prefecture informed us that, even on a reduced version, they could not give us the means to secure the site,” continues the manager.
Already deprived of organizing events at the Stade de France, the Paris La Défense Arena or even the Accor Arena, Live Nation finds itself “cut off by several million euros in turnover”.
Angelo Gopee deplores “a rather disturbing double standard”, evoking in particular the arrival of AC/DC on August 13 at the same ParisLongchamp racecourse.
“An edition of 7,000 people is impossible to secure and at the same time we are told that the group will come with 80,000 people at the time of the Olympics.
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Angelo Gopee assures that “solutions will be found” to satisfy Lollapalooza fans and the artists announced at the start, “inevitably disappointed”.
After five editions, the last of which brought together 170,000 fans in front of concerts by Kendrick Lamar, Rosalìa, Stray Kids and Damso, the 16th arrondissement festival will therefore experience a blank year, but the organizer promises a "normal edition in 2025, even better than the historic one of 2023.”