Against all odds, Eurockéennes cultivate their youth

Despite two editions canceled due to Covid-19 and a 2022 vintage battered by storms, the Eurockéennes of Belfort, in the east of France, are still there and cultivate an "adventurous" spirit that they will stage at from Thursday until Sunday. At the Eurocks, as in all open-air festivals, the weather is “an increasingly significant factor”, agrees the director of the festival, Jean-Paul Roland.

As such, the organizers were particularly unhappy last year when a huge storm broke out just as the festival doors opened. Result: seven injured and significant damage which had forced them to cancel two evenings of concerts out of four.

And no later than the beginning of June, the Primavera sound of Madrid had to cancel its first evening due to torrential rains, also notes the director of the Eurockéennes. This risk is inherent in outdoor festivals, but “the magic of the open air is irreplaceable”, emphasizes Jean-Paul Roland. This 2023 edition was nevertheless prepared in a “serene” context, because the events of 2022 were covered by insurance. It's "resilience", smiles the director again.

If Les Eurockéennes are part of the historic festivals, they always cultivate “an adventurous side”, claims Jean-Paul Roland, citing the World of Shatta project, scheduled for Friday evening, a Martinican aesthetic of frenzied dancehall. "The time is not for absolute discovery, but rather for blockbusters", observes the director, who therefore wants to maintain this dynamic of "surprises". The Eurockéennes are a “young, proud and dashing” festival, he says.

With leading artists such as Pomme, Adé, Jeanne Added, 070 Shake, Fatoumata Diawara and even Skygirl, the line-up aims to be very feminine, close to parity. If he is proud of it, Jean-Paul Roland also calls for “humility”: “There are still efforts to be made”, he slips. And this parity must not only be transcribed on "small stages". At the opening on Thursday, Skrillex will return to Belfort, "after a phenomenal show in 2014", recalls the organizer. Festival-goers will enjoy concerts by Phoenix, Shaka Ponk and Sigur ros on Thursday, Orelsan and Foals on Friday, and Gojira and Kungs on Saturday, before Indochina's flagship concert closing on Sunday. A first at the Eurocks for Nicola Sirkis' group.

The festival also remains sensitive to the environment and sets up an important system of crockery recorded on the containers for catering. It will be installed on 17 stands, or 39% of the shops. The waste saving is estimated at "3.6 tonnes", indicates Hervé Castéran, in charge of the festival's communication. The stand that will collect the instructions will be run by the Restos du Cœur. Festival-goers will be able to recover the change from their deposit or make a donation to the association. The Eurockéennes should be complete three evenings out of four, advances Jean-Paul Roland. There are already no more places for the Sunday evening. After delicate editions, while purchasing power is "abused", this sign is very reassuring, he believes.