Arriving in the Temple square, in Paris, the music of Black Eyed Peas, of Lorie or the TV series soundtracks leave no doubt. Festival-goers went back in time. On the program of the Iconic festival on the pop culture of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s: blind testof the arcade games or a exposition of cult objects like the Walkman, the Nintendo DS or the leaves Diddl.
Manoa is 11 years old and during the festival she discovers her mother’s childhood films and music. “There are a lot of films that I didn’t know and that my mother introduced me to. And there are a lot of music that I know but I didn’t know that they were from the 1990s or 2000s like Diam’s or Nirvana“she explains.
A little further Emma, 12 years old, is playing Mario Kart in the 1990s under the advice of his father Nabil. “On a the impression of being little old people. Time has passed. Young people must laugh about the quality of the games’ graphics but for us that’s all we had“, says the 40-year-old father.
This festival is therefore an opportunity to share between generations. “People come a lot family or in group of friends because the game is about playing between different generations and defending your own”explains Arnaud Baudry d’Asson, the organizer.
And the nostalgia of years gone by also begins to touch the generation Z. “It brings back lots of memories like Tamagotchi or the cartes Diddl. Everything that is linked to nostalgia is a safe zone where we feel good and we know that this base will remain for life”confides Nicolas, 25 years old.
But for the organizers, the message of the festival is not “it was better before”.
