Thunderclap in the world of festivals. Electrobeach, which proclaims itself as “the biggest electro festival in France”, has announced the cancellation of the 2024 edition, one month before the first sets. The organizers put forward “technical and production constraints” and “problems with dates and sharing of the site”.
This large gathering of electro music lovers takes place every year in Barcarès, a coastal town in the Pyrénées-Orientales, located about twenty kilometers northeast of Perpignan. This year, the festival was to take place on the same site (as in 2023) and especially immediately after Les Déferlantes, another large-scale musical gathering in the department. From July 10 to 13 for Les Déferlantes, from 14 to 16 for Electrobeach. A situation “particularly complex on a technical and legal level”, underline the organizers, with an obligation to “pool equipment” despite “very different regulatory obligations”.
Sequence of dates
Organized for years in Argelès-sur-Mer, then in Céret, Les Déferlantes was initially supposed to move last year to Perpignan. The organizers finally backed down, after the refusal of Indochina and Louise Attaque, in particular, to perform in a commune led by a representative of the National Rally (Perpignan being led by Louis Aliot). Les Déferlantes, managed by another company, La Frontera Production, is not affected by this cancellation.
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In addition to these logistical problems, the Electrobeach was faced with another major problem. The mayor of Barcarès, Alain Ferrand (LR), has been incarcerated since April 30 in Aix-Luynes prison, in Bouches-du-Rhône. He was indicted for favoritism, corruption and illegal taking of interest, as part of an investigation into the award of public contracts for the installation of Christmas market chalets in the town. The mayor is also the president of the board of directors of the joint company Events Made in France (EMF) which manages the festival. “The absence of the soul of the EMF weighs heavily on the preparatory operations and does not guarantee a festival that meets the demands of our society.”
The mayor in pre-trial detention
For fans of electro music, it’s a cold shower, especially since the organizers had announced something heavy for this 2024 edition with Armin Van Buren, Chase & Status, Hardwell, Morten, and even Netsky. “Obviously, places will be refunded and the terms communicated quickly,” specify the organizers.
This cancellation is the second in the Pyrénées-Orientales in less than a week, after that of the Greenland Festival, on May 30, the day before the third edition. The two festivals did not have the same historical basis, nor the same organizers, but it is a new blow for the world of entertainment in the department.
More information on festival news
Whether it is temporary workers in the entertainment industry, service providers and more generally the entire economic fabric which benefits from the spin-offs of this electronic music festival which attracts tens of thousands of people each year. There were a little more than 100,000 last year. At the height of attendance, before Covid-19, up to 150,000 festival-goers moved around in the Lydia Gardens, an emblematic place which has welcomed them since 2009.
