Every year, the World Festival in Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme) is a huge success. Deciphering the serial success of a small festival that became big.
More than 1,500 tickets sold in 3 minutes. The World Festival in Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme), which takes place from July 18 to 20, is already almost sold out. There are only about fifty places left. The festival is playing in the big league: nearly 20,000 people will dance to the rhythms of world music in the Puy-de-Dôme meadows, the equivalent of three times the city of Ambert. So what is the secret of its success? We asked the question to those who make the event a success.
Big Flo & Oli, Selah Sue, Claudio Capéo…. This year again, at the World Festival in Ambert, the program is tempting. This is also the primary reason for the success of this Auvergne festival. For more than 35 years, the programming has continued to grow in volume (Petit Biscuit, Suzanne, Feu! Chatterton, etc.) until the arrival of big names like Martin Solveig last year. “It’s true that today we can boast of being able to bring in any artist, for a fee of course”boasts Benoît Pascal, the festival’s director. Oriented towards world music at its beginnings, the event has gradually opened up to other aesthetics: “We try to have an eclectic program. Friday July 19 is a good example. We’re going to go from reggae to Swedish rock to electro. We are also keen to attract headliners who will bring people in.” . A programming “younger” which turns out to be profitable: “The average age of the audience is 32,” says Benoît Pascal.
A natural site, a meadow of around thirty hectares, three large stages…Since its creation in 1989, the festival has continued to grow. “Every year, we have to create, in the space of a month, a city for 8,500 festival-goers. It’s a huge logistical task.” This year, nearly 1,500 campers will pitch their tents. To complete the journey through music, the festival will also offer a taste escape: “We wanted to offer festival-goers a more complete experience. The festival will be open in the afternoon. Star chefs will offer visitors a snack. We will also have an event based around the Fourme d’Ambert.”.
Another new feature: the meadow. An area where temporary and permanent installations are planned for the Ambert Festival. Among the permanent installations we find a marquee, refreshments, boxes, a control room and stands.
In 2023, the World Festival in Ambert won the “Best French Festival in the Intermediate Category” award. Benoît Pascal owes it to a spirit “local et familial” preserved: “We have a large part of the festival-goers who come from Puy-de-Dôme, the Loire or the Rhône-Alpes,” underlines the director. Above all, we have a very festive and family audience. You should know that we distribute more than 1,500 invitations for children under 11 years old”.
The Ambert World Festival is 100% associative. The project is 95% self-financed, the rest of the funds come from public subsidies. Thus, the volunteers, 230 this year, are the guarantors of the soul of the festival. “Without volunteers and partners, the festival would not exist”, assures Benoît Pascal. “There is aVery nice atmosphere. It doesn’t feel like work, says Umit Onal, a volunteer at the festival for over 15 years. We enjoy a moment shared as a family. We combine work and fun thanks to a close-knit group and it’s pleasant. It’s a pride to contribute to an event like this.
Every year, it’s a parenthesis in people’s lives. We no longer think about current events or everyday worries. During the three days, we are working hard to ensure that festival-goers leave with a smile.
The Ambert World Festival attracts nearly 8,000 people per day. The current site does not allow the gauge to be increased. For the festival director, it is also the choice to make “something qualitativefirst of all.
Decorations, entertainment, facilities… The Ambert World Festival “launches new projects every year”. All this has a cost: 1.7 million euros of total budget. The price of success.
