Eurockéennes French rock festival returns after two years of Covid

The Eurockéennes festival, which takes place in Belfort in eastern France, is back from Thursday, 30 June with a concert by British band Muse. The concert has been cancelled for the past two years because of Covid.

The Eurockeennes rock music festival in Belfort, eastern France on 4 July, 2019. (File photo) © AFP/Sébastien Bozon

The festival, crowned "best international festival" at the Arthur Awards in London in March 2020, will take place on the peninsula of the Etang de Malsaucy, and will run until 3 July. This year it features 54 artists, including 45 who have never performed there before.

The concert  by Muse, which coincides with the release of  their new album Will of the People, and the show by Belgian singer Stromae will take centre stage.

Post-covid return

Unlike the pre-Covid years, when the festival regularly sold out - up to 135,000 spectators in 2018, a record year - the pace of ticket sales for the 2022 edition is less intense. 

• Sad summer of cancelled French festivals looms amid Covid rules

However, Jean-Paul Roland, director of the festival, says they will break even this year.

The 2022 edition has a budget of 9.7 million euros, which will be paid for through ticket salesn, but also by subsidies from the local authorities and its 140 sponsors,

Festival for young people

This year, the organisers will pay particular attention to young people. "We don't yet know if young people are coming back to the festivals" after two years of the health crisis, Roland adds.

The theme driving this year's 32nd festival is that of "a big party for  youth". Among others attractions, there will be the Radar stage dedicated to the new hip-hop scene and the Eurotronik electro night organised on Saturday night after midnight and which will run simultaneously on the four stages of the site.

US band Smashing Pumpkins performs during the 31st Eurockeennes rock music festival in Belfort. (File photo/2019) AFP - SEBASTIEN BOZON

The festival has also recruited a student to monitor how the young audience reacts during the 2022 event in order to feed ideas into the future festival.

But Jean-Paul Roland has no doubt that "the pleasure of getting together will remain" and that "nothing will replace the experience of this and similar major events".

Among the big names appearing this year is Nick Cave, Diplo, SCH, Simple Minds, Foals, Clara Luciani and rappers Kaaris and Kalash Criminel.

French electro stars Bob Sinclar and Pedro Winter will offer "a best of of everything the French Touch has done" and metal will be represented by Suicidal Tendencies or Fever 333.

(with wires)