the essential
The 28th edition of Pause Guitare began on Tuesday. It runs until July 7 in Albi, including four big parties starting on Thursday. If you’re still hesitant, here are five good reasons to take part in the party.
Headliners of great diversity
“We know how to do the splits,” admits Alain Navarro, founder of the festival. “The public can see everything with this eclectic line-up. It remains very family-friendly, from children from 10 years old to much older!” This year again, the biggest names in international music will parade on the big stage of Pratgraussals. Deluxe, Phreak Monica, IAM, Archive and Chinese Man on Thursday July 4; Calogéro, Pomme, Tiakola and Julien Granel on Friday July 5; Louise Attaque, Josman, Hoshi and Georgio on Saturday; and finally some heavyweights for the last evening, on Sunday: Gossip, Alice Cooper, Dionysos and Simple Minds! Through an eclectic line-up that ranges from rap to hard rock, including French variety and new wave, the festival explores all styles and allows everyone to find what they are looking for.
For the Pratgraussals site
Pratgraussals is a haven of greenery in the heart of Albi, easily accessible from the city center. This is where the biggest parties have taken place since 2013: it is the epicentre of the festival which welcomes some 17,000 people per evening, making Pause Guitare the second event in the Occitanie region in terms of attendance.
For its OFF festival and the diversity of the stages
Pause Guitare, supported by the Arpèges et Trémolos association, is also a project that is not only linked to the large Pratgraussals stage. In total, there are about ten stages with three quarters of the programming being discoveries. The Grand Théâtre with this Wednesday MPL and Aliocha Schneider, the Scène Découverte “Chez Pollux Asso” at the Jardin national, the Acadienne stage on the Place du Vigan, the Talents de Quartier or even the Athanor with the Québécopholies and the Prix Magyd Cherfi. Not forgetting Lautrec, where the Café Plùm is also taking part in the party!
Because Arpeggios and Tremolos
It is the association that has been organizing the festival for nearly 30 years with its conductor Alain Navarro. “Pause Guitare is a love story that we wanted to create and the public feels it”. The DNA of the festival is above all a human adventure that brings together more than 1,500 volunteers through a program that has shaped the festival as a musical stronghold in Occitania. Faced with competition from festivals run by majors or municipalities, Pause Guitare is resisting. An event like Arpèges et Trémolos: equal, eco-responsible, anchored in its city and in constant movement.
Because 2024 is a pivotal year
Arpèges et Trémolos is currently working on the possibility of offering a real festival experience in 2025 with the creation of a campsite for example. The arrival of the pedestrian bridge over the Tarn could also change everything next year. “We are thinking about setting up a new history of the festival, explained Alain Navarro recently. We experienced act 1 in Monestiés. Act 2 with our arrival in Albi on the Place Sainte-Cécile. Act 3 was the installation on the Pratgraussals site. In 2025, we would like to compose a new history that would allow us to create foundations for the next 7 to 8 years.”
