an RN deputy denounces “a scandal”

Young people benefiting from the Culture Pass cannot use it to go to Puy-du-Fou, unlike the Fête de l’Huma. A scandal for an RN deputy who calls for a rethinking of this measure which offers the youngest 300 euros to spend on cultural works.

The Huma Festival with the Culture Pass rather than Puy-du-Fou. While in the last quarter of 2024, 29,700 show seats were reserved by young people with their Culture Pass, none would have allowed them to go to Puy-du-Fou, Philippe de Villiers’ amusement park which evokes the history of France.

This is what the RN deputy for Val-d’Oise Anne Sicard assures: “It’s a real scandal with the banning of Puy-du-Fou, despite being crowned the best show in the world”, launched the MP on the occasion of the hearing of the president of the Pass culture company, Sébastien Cavalier. “Puy-du-Fou was excluded from the Culture Pass even though it had submitted an application for the title of live show, just like the Cité de l’histoire, why such an oversight?” she asked without question. answer according to her.

No Puy-du-Fou but escape games and the Huma Festival

Anne Sicard believes that the Culture Pass must be overhauled, criticizing an offer “which gave pride of place to American blockbusters and escape games”. She also deplores that the Pass culture company, “an SAS of 180 employees financed 90% with public funds, is running at full speed in contempt of the taxpayer”. As proof, she wants “an expensive head office in an upscale district of Paris (rue de la Boétie in the 8th near the Champs-Elysées, editor’s note), a payroll of 11.3 million euros and communications costs that have exploded.

“The result is a slippage in spending of around 300 million euros which weakens the budgets allocated to the restoration of heritage and live shows”, including Puy-du-Fou.

The Culture Pass does not allow you to purchase tickets for theme parks like Walt Disney, Parc Astérix and Puy-du-Fou. On the other hand, the Culture Pass allows you to buy a ticket for the Huma Festival.

The Court of Auditors scrutinizes the Culture Pass

Puy-du-Fou is praised for the quality of its shows but singled out by many historians for its biased presentation of certain historical events under the guise of “political propaganda”. The park is also singled out for acts of animal cruelty, in particular against ostriches slaughtered at the end of the season, drugged camels and beaten horses, mistreatment that Nicolas de Villiers, the president of the park himself admitted .

The Culture Pass is not free from criticism either. Last December, the Court of Auditors drew up a harsh assessment of this offer which costs 244 million euros per year, for “a limited impact on the cultural practices of young people over time”, calling in particular to review its mode of governance. .