Is there life after Zazie? On July 6, 2024, Les Fadas du Barouf changed caliber by welcoming the star singer at the foot of the Pons dungeon. The concert was sold out, 3,500 spectators and enormous excitement in the city of Saintongeaise, but it put the organizers under pressure. “We don’t want to work again with big productions. This involves such strong pressure and professionalism that we don’t have fun,” says the president, Chloé Agag. Even financially, the exercise is barely breaking even.
On July 6, 2024, 3,500 spectators attended the Zazie concert at the foot of the Pons keep.
Laurent Jahier / SO
The association toiled for years to cover a deficit of 30,000 euros generated by a catastrophic edition in 2011. As a reward, the festival grew in size by landing in front of the castle for its twentieth anniversary, with Tryo in the lead. poster. In the process, the Fadas wondered about the right formula to follow. With Zazie and Les Tambours du Bronx, in 2024, they were overheating. For 2025, there will be a headliner but one that corresponds more to the festive state of mind embodied in the very title of the event.
“We don’t want to work again with big productions. It involves such pressure and professionalism that it’s not fun.”
A regenerated team
The name was announced this Tuesday, December 2. “We signed a big exclusivity for us: the “Tout en commun” project with Les Ogres de Barback and La Rue Kétanou,” reveals Chloé Agag. Or the addition of two groups from the French alternative scene who have been filling theaters for almost thirty years, in an XXL and fraternal format.
Archives Philippe Ménard / SO
Chloé Agag, vice-president, took over from Marion Moreau as president.
“We did a survey on Facebook to find out the expectations, these groups were at the top of the basket. They have a winter tour, which starts in January, and a small festival tour this summer. We’re in the loop! », rejoices the president. The casting is perfect. “We are more motivated than ever to bring this group. We have a new team, apart from me, the whole office has changed. We had the possibility of spending two evenings, we stayed on one evening, so as not to get too excited. »
The office includes Florent Michaud, former programmer and president of Fous Cavés, in Port-d’Envaux. “We benefit from his address book and his long experience as an organizer. » The ticket office is open on the site www.lesfadasdubarouf.com with places at 25 euros (free for children under 12 but reservations are required). To mark the anchorage in Pons, the first 200 tickets can be purchased for 20 euros at the Pons Tourist Office, at the Café du Donjon and at the BVS.
The association is also developing a partnership with the association for the preservation of the Château de Pons and an “eco-responsible” project with several local stakeholders.
The pooling map
Festivals are shaking with the increasing budget cuts in community finances. To limit damage, Les Fadas du Barouf want to play the pooling card. On Wednesday, December 11, the association invited around thirty counterparts to Pons to think about possible avenues of work. She also wants to avoid squabbles with, for example, posters stuck on those of others that have barely been put up.
