Festival-goers who came to enjoy the Delta Festival in Marseille, like the organizers, were not spared this year. With violent storms and the cancellations of many headliners, the 10th edition was seriously marred.
As festival-goers who came to enjoy the Delta Festival officially left the sand of the Prado beaches in Marseille this Sunday, September 8, it is time to take stock. And this year, hit hard by bad weather and cancellations galore, the festival was not a party.
An edition marked by inclement weather
Everything was supposed to start on Wednesday, September 4. Until the organizers announced on their social networks. “Following the violent storm and heavy downpours at the festival, Wednesday is canceled,” they said. Rightly so, since at the same time, Marseille was hit by torrential storms never seen since 2021.
The next day, Thursday, September 5, the festival was able to open its doors to festival-goers. But once again, they lost two hours of partying due to the restoration of the premises. “Sorry for the delay, we only had 2 to 3 centilitres of water to clear,” the organizers joked.
Friday was the sunniest day. In total, nearly 25,000 people got excited on the Prado beaches. But the respite was short-lived, since on Saturday, September 7, the opening of the festival was delayed by five hours. Scheduled for 12 noon, the doors opened at 5 p.m.
The same thing happened on the closing day this Sunday, with rain once again, which pushed back the opening of the gates by an hour.
The cancellation of several major concerts
Beyond the weather conditions, the 10th edition of the festival was marked by numerous cancellations of artists. The first to date was that of SCH, the Marseille rapper, affected by the death of a member of his team during a shooting on August 26 in La Grande-Motte (Hérault).
Then, it was the rapper PLK’s concert, scheduled for September 5, which was canceled. The reason: the main stage damaged after heavy rain. “The show is canceled. I hate it like crazy that it ends like this. Sorry for all the people who came to party with us,” the artist wrote to his fans on Instagram.
Due to thunderstorms and while she was supposed to mark her return to the stage after four years of absence, it is the singer Jain who was forced to cancel her performance this Sunday. “I am so sad, really sorry. Thunderstorms are forecast and the stage is not covered,” she wrote to her fans on Instagram.
Finally, the world-famous Malian duo Amadou and Mariam, who were scheduled to perform in Marseille, finally sang in Paris.
Both were guests at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Sunday evening.
Reimbursements planned
With the cancellation of the first day due to bad weather, the affected festival-goers will be reimbursed. Matthieu Predal, one of the co-founders of the event, indicated that the festival’s insurance recognized the loss for the day of Wednesday, September 4. A commercial gesture could also be made for Saturday, postponed by five hours.
Because on the festival-goers’ side, the atmosphere was not great. On social networks, many criticized the cancellations. “Clearly my first and last time at the Delta festival. I’ve never seen a festival that cancels so many artists at the last minute,” wrote an Internet user on X.
“The artists canceled at the Delta are really disrespectful,” laments another. Despite this complicated edition, the organizers wanted to thank the festival-goers on their Instagram page. “Thank you all for your crazy energy and your unwavering support,” they wrote. Before ironizing about the situation: “With everything we’ve experienced in five days, we’re good for ten years.”
Next year, the 11th edition of the festival will take place from August 27 to 31. Let’s hope the weather is better.
Martin Regley Journalist
