Big day crowd at the Alençon music festival

Every June 21, Alençon becomes a giant stage where music invades every corner.

The heart of the Orne prefecture, usually so quiet, beats to the rhythm of the Music Festival, especially when the sun decides to come out. Yesterday, in this particularly rainy year 2024, this was the case, with the exception of a few refreshing drops.

When Alençon’s heart beats harder

The streets, metamorphosedset up tables in front of restaurants, bars and caterers, inviting passers-by to chat over a drink or an impromptu meal.

In addition to the many podiums set up by the City, Place de La Magdelaine, Place Masson, Saint-Léonard district (17 musical meeting points), entertainment springs up everywhere, from main streets to interior courtyards, from gardens to alleys, each concert offering a musical palette for all tastes. The list of groups, official and improvised, is long, all deserve our congratulations. Because if the performances were sometimes uneven, none dampened the festive spirit. The good sounds resonated in front of the Halle au Blé or the Halle aux Toiles, ranging from hard rock to French variety, from jazz to classical music, from folk to DJset, including hip-hop or Latin dance, attracting a crowd always smiling.

The pedestrian streets were transformed for one evening into a gigantic terracein an immense space of friendlinesswhere everyone meets and recognizes each other, reminiscent of the lively neighborhoods of the best tourist cities.

Why only once a year?

But this effervescence raises a question: why are these streets so empty the other 364 days of the year when the population seems ready to respond? Where are these hiding thousands of people the rest of the time ?

This unique day suggests a possible answer: the streets fill with life whenever they are given the chance.

Last night, even during the French team match against the Netherlands at Euro 2024, a crowd of women and men of all ages still invaded every alley.

Finding a place on the terrace of a café was a feat. The city, teeming with people, was bathed in a good-natured atmosphere until the end of the night.

Loving couples, families with children, seniors on electric bikes, young people everywhere, this intergenerational and societal mix contributed to a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere, without notable overflowsaccording to the police forces, contacted this Saturday morning.

The same breath all year round?

How can we extend this magic to other days of the year? How can we make Alençon a place where games, culture and conviviality meet regularly? How to transform every weekend into a potential party ?

The Music Festival offers a promising insight: commerce and social life can undoubtedly be revived thanks to events organized by the Ville and volunteers around varied, free and quality entertainment, supported by committed traders.

Alençon, so vibrant one day a year, can certainly find its breath throughout the year.

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