Stéphane Durand
Music, street food, dance, nature: the best festivals to escape to
From the electro rhythms of Marseilles to the celebration of our forests, the festivals play the eclectic card, unveiling a season-long program rich in surprises, from the quintessential choreographers of the world to internationally renowned chefs. Keep your passports warm: this journey to the land of the arts knows no borders.
Festival le bon air: electro inspires Marseille
For its ninth edition, the Le bon air electro music festival takes over the Friche Belle de Mai, Marseille's former tobacco factory, now a temple of creation, contemporary art and communion. For three days and two nights, the best DJs take turns at the turntables, against a backdrop of immersive scenography and wandering artistic performances. Trance, dancehall, techno and UK Bass will echo through bodies that, we hope, will be eager to move until dawn, while off-stage artistic performances will be offered to the public. There'll be voguing and a drag show that promises to be hot, as well as Marseilles-based collectives with a knack for heating up the atmosphere, such as Raspoutin, who'll be lighting up the dancefloor with their inclusive, LGBT vibe. So, let's dance!
From May 17 to 19, at the Friche Belle de Mai, 13003 Marseille.
Photo credits: ©Annaelle Peyre - ©Thomas Brun - ©Guillaume Bl
Let's walk in the woods on forest nights
Take a look around you: we live in a world where a child can recognize a thousand brand logos while being unable to differentiate between two tree leaves. It's high time we reconnected with the living. That's what this fifth edition of the Nuit des forêts is all about, enabling us to meet the men and women who take care of these vital spaces. Over 200 forests in mainland France and the French overseas departments and territories will be offering hundreds of shows, artistic installations, evening events and guided walks by foresters. From Fontainebleau to the Parc des Calanques, via a bivouac in the Vosges, you won't believe the secrets a forest can hold.
From June 7 to 16, all over France.
Photo credits: ©Andrea Mantovani - ©Jean-Charles Bocquet - ©Les Pyrawnéens - ©Manuel Benier - ©Steph Felicidad - ©Canopsia - ©Domaine de Land Rohan
Montpellier Danse: in perpetual motion
In a world that is spinning out of control, how can we rediscover the joy of dancing? This is the central question of the 44th edition of this internationally renowned dance festival, as its director Jean-Paul Montanari explains: " How can we work 'normally' when our world is ravaged by war in Ukraine and the Middle East? How can we offer you pleasure when hatred between people is triumphing almost everywhere? How important can the beauty of a dance festival be in the face of the world's misfortune and the death of children?" The answer can be summed up in seven letters: creation. For the first time in its history, the festival is presenting almost exclusively original creations, like an artistic cry that choreographers from around the world are raising in unison, witnesses to a world in which we no longer know which way to turn. Moroccan choreographer Taoufiq Izeddiou presents "Le monde en transe" (The world in trance), a show created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Canadian choreographer Daina Ashbee dances with death in "We learned a lot at our own funeral" towards infinity... and beyond.
From June 22 to July 6, in Montpellier
Photo credits: ©Agnes Mellon - ©Lee-Chia-yeh - ©Herwig Scherabon - ©Laurent-Philippe - ©Bea-Borgers - ©Josh Rose - ©Yvonne-Chew
Lyon gets down to business at the Street Food Festival
Get ready for a culinary adventure: the Lyon Street Food Festival takes us on an intercontinental culinary journey. A culinary odyssey that takes place in the former SNCF workshops in La Mulatière, known as "Les Grandes Locos": a 40,000 m² XXL venue that is perfectly suited to France's largest food festival. More than 120 professional chefs, including three-Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, will be there to share their creations and offer workshops and activities related to gastronomy, such as wine tasting classes. And since you'll need to burn off those calories, there will be over sixty live performances, concerts, and DJ sets. Who better than the unique artist Miel de Montagne to get the crowd going with his sweet pop music?
June 13-16, 2024, in Lyon
Photo credit: ©Brice Robert
Treasure hunting at Secret Nights
For over twenty years, the small town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, two hours north of Paris, has been the playground for a musical treasure hunt. While the headliners are always top-notch (this year's line-up includes PLK, Louise Attaque, Phoenix and Shaka Ponk), the Les Nuits Secrètes festival sets itself apart from its competitors by offering an intriguing secret trail. The concept? You embark for an unknown destination to attend a live performance by an artist whose name is kept secret until the last moment. And if Zaho de Sagazan, HER, Camille or Neneh Cherry have already lent themselves to the game, don't count on us to reveal the names of those who will delight in this new edition. Who says curiosity has to be a bad habit?
From July 12 to 14 in Aulnoye-Aymeries.
Photo credits: ©Sarah Bastin - ©Emilie Zasso
At the heart of Breton conviviality at the Vieilles Charrues festival
The town of Carhaix-Plouguer, in Finistère, could have remained completely anonymous if a team of dreamers hadn't decided, more than thirty years ago, to make it the epicenter of the best in musical events. The now legendary "Vieilles Charrues" festival is celebrating its32nd edition this year, with, as usual, some great music! It's quite simple: there's something for everyone (and every generation): from Sting to PJ Harvey, Kings of Leon, David Guetta, Dadju, and Tayc, they'll all be heading to Brittany and, who knows, maybe they'll take the opportunity to try galette saucisse, another local legend.
July 11-14 in Carhaix-Plouguer
Blending into the Breton landscape at the Extension Sauvage festival
Déambuler: feminine noun, to walk aimlessly, according to one's whim. What if we took the time to stroll through bucolic landscapes, while meeting flamboyant artists? This is the challenge taken up by dancer and choreographer Latifa Laâbissi, artistic director of the Extension sauvage festival, which, for its thirteenth edition, is offering us a number of opportunities to encounter choreographic works in the heart of nature, in and around the Breton village of Combourg, from the gardens of Château de la Ballue to the forest of Bazouges-La-Pérouse. Dialogues with the artists, artistic immersions and giant fest-noz: Brittany offers us a timeless festival in which to reconnect with our instincts, or when art does us good.
June 15 and 16 at Combourg and Château de la Ballue, June 22 and 23 at Château de la Ballue and in the Villecartier forest.
Photo credits: ©François Lepage - ©Ines Mauricio - ©Alexandra Masmanidi.
