The Eurockéennes de Belfort gathered 125,000 spectators from Thursday to Sunday, “a success” for this first edition without a hitch in four years, the organizers welcomed during a press conference.
After the Covid-19 years and a 2022 edition cut off by two evenings following a violent storm, the 2023 edition went off without a hitch: “This is the first full edition since 2019”, notes Matthieu Pigasse, the president of the Eurockéennes, just before the highly anticipated Indochina show, at the end of this 33rd edition. “It’s the comeback edition,” he adds, calling it a “success.” The president underlined the constant “innovations” of the festival, with original creations, citing the project around the Shatta aesthetics or even Drag me.
Matthieu Pigasse did not evade “the particular context” and “the sharp tensions” which have shaken the country since the death of Nahel M., killed by a police officer after a refusal to comply in Nanterre, June 27. “We were struck by the contrast between the images received from outside and those seen inside” the festival, he observed. Festivals are like “a breath of fresh air”, added the businessman.
Particular attention has also been paid this year to supporting Ukrainians. Festival-goers were notably greeted by a “welcome” in Ukrainian, which sat next to the French, English and German versions. The Eurockéennes also proposed a stand at the Ukrainian Atlas festival, normally organized in kyiv.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the festival has supported the Ukrainian people. Indochine and Apple, for example, signed posters sold by the association. Gojira donated a guitar to be auctioned off. The funds raised will support the actions of the Ukrainian festival. The 34th edition of the Eurockéennes will take place next year from July 4 to 7, 2024, three weeks before the Paris Olympic Games.