Don't Just Turn Up, Turn Up
The vague term of "music festival" is one that is all-encompassing. It can range from happy hippies with substandard hygiene to sweaty metal heads flailing at each other and swallowing up passersbys in their mosh pit. Then, of course, there's the way too young MDMA addicts with whistles being far too annoying.
French music festivals, for better or for worse, are no different in variety and flat-out weirdness. If you want to experience a music festival a la française, check out a non-exhaustive list of what's going down in 2016 around France.
Image Credit: Le Cabaret Vert
1. Cabaret Vert, Charleville-Mézières, 25-28 August
Cabaret Vert is a varied music festival that takes place just next to the border with Belgium. It includes styles of music from rock, reggae, electro, rap, blues, metal, pop, and jazz.
Lineup 2016: Indochine | Louise Attaque | M83 | Eagles of Death Metal | Jake Bugg Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings | Breakbot Damian "JR. Gong" Marley | Seratones Feu! Chatterton | Mass Hysteria
2. Main Square Music Festival, Arras, 1-3 July
Main Square hosts a lineup that mainly focuses around rap, indie Rock, and electronic music. It's planned to be held in the Citadel of Arras in Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Lineup 2016: Iggy Pop | Disclosure | Louise Attaque | Ellie Goulding | Flume | Boys Noize | Jeanne Added | Yelawolf | The London Souls | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | The Offspring | Nekfeu | Birdy Nam Nam | Walk Off Earth | Marina Kaye | Salut C’est Cool | Mass Hysteria | Les Insus | Editors | Ghinzu | Years & Years | L.E.J | Odesza | Band of Horses | Last Train | The Struts | Tiggs Da Author
3. Pitchfork, Paris, 29-31 October
This music festival, which was held at the Grande Halle de La Villete last year, focuses mainly on alternative, electro dance, and similar styles of music. The Lineup for 2016 has yet to be announced.
Lineup 2015: LA Priest | DJ Allie Teilz | Speedy Ortiz | Empress Of | Mura Masa | Bully | Børns | Moses Sumney | Mild High Club | SG Lewis | Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes | Beach House | Ratatat | Godspeed You! | Black Emperor | Run The Jewels | Laurent Garnier | Battles | Four Tet | Deerhunter | Spiritualized | Kurt Vile & The Violators | Hudson Mohawke | John Talabot | b2b | Roman Flügel | Ariel Pink | Rhye | Father John Misty | Unknown Moral Orchestra | Health | Hinds | Curtis Harding | Destroyer | Kirin J. Callinan | Hoelos | Rome Fortune | Dornik | NAO
Image Credit: Electric Forest
4. Festival Vieilles Charrues, Carhaix, 14-17 July
This music festival hosts big names across many different genres, ranging from alternative to dance. It takes place in Brittany, close to Brest.
Lineup 2016: Lana Del Rey | Major Lazer | The Libertines | Synapson | Louane | Editors | Ladylike Lily | Organic Bananas | Sourduire | Katé Mé | Les Aves | The Avener | Jain | Les Insus | Pixies | Jeanne Added | Disclosure | Mickey 3D | Michel Polnareff | Etienne de Crecy | Parov Stelar | Guizmo | Lou Doillon | Mansfield.TYA | Vald | Last Train | Soom T | Her
5. Eurockeennes, Belfort, 1-3 July
Only the first 15 artists have been announced so far, but don't think that this is just a small music festival. Eurockeenes is an independent festival in Eastern France, produced for the non-profit Territoire de Musiques. Styles range from rock to rap to alternative.
Lineup 2016: Les Insus | Disclosure | M83 | The Last Shadow Puppets | Louise Attaque | Nekfeu | Mr Oizo | Foals | Action Bronson | Ty Segall & The Muggers | Mellow Mood | Mac Demarco | Caribou | Courtney Barnett | Sleep
6. Hellfest, Classon, 17-19 June
Metal and Hard Rock is what you should expect if you're headed to Hellfest. Over 160 artists will fill the festival grounds with three days of music. Get ready to mosh.
Lineup 2016: Rammstein | Twisted Sister | Foreigner | Black Sabbath | Slayer | Megadeth | Korn | Bring Me The Horizon | Disturbed | Bullet For My Valentine | Anthrax | Within Temptation | Volbeat | Disturbed | King Diamond | The Offspring | Dropkick Murphus | Paradise Lost | Testament | Bad Religion | Jane's Addiction | Decide | Luscifer | Killswath Engage | Bring Me The Horizon
Image Credit: Phillip Aldridge
7. Nuits Sonores, Lyon, 4-8 May
A huge festival of electronic and indie music, Nuits Sonores simply has too many names playing to list. Expect to see quite the host of French artists.
Lineup 2016: L'Effondras | Turzi | Pantha du Prince | Red Axes | Dixon | Dallas Frasca | Røhåd | Regis | Paula Temple | Peaches | Cakes Da Killa | L'Homme Seul | Mérovée | Isolée | Male Gaze | The Monsters | DJ PJ | Cømpass | Aurora Halal | French 79 | Wavesonik | Housewives | Robert Owens | The Bellrays | Russian Circles | Powell | J-ZBEL | Pouvoir Magique | Africaine 808 | Weval | Moderat | Last Train | Palma Violets | Juliano | Maceo Plex | S3A | DJ Harvey | 47 Soul | A-Wa | Lil' Louis
8. Baleapop, Ciboure, 5-9 August
A music festival taking place in the Pays-Basque, Baleapop is a celebration of contemporary art. It features a wide lineup of music, all meant to culminate into an appreciation of all art forms.
Lineup 2016: Acid Fortwins | Anne-Charlotte Finel | Aurélien Cornut Gentille | Baleabeach | DK | Dual Split | Flumaca Preta | Geena | High Wolf | Graham Gussin | Joujou | Karaoké | Kiblind Crew | La Decadanse | Lena Willikens | Camera | Bingo | Benjamin Artola | Further Edwin Crew | Kartei | The Lookers | Superpitchers | Txkiclub | Paris Psych Fest | Polar Inertia | Moï Moï Band | Olivier Metzger | Disco Sharky Klub | Pierre Labat
9. Electrobeach Music Festival, Port-Barcarès, 14-16 July
The biggest electronic music festival in France with some of the world's major DJs, Electrobeach brings visitors from around the globe. It takes place in the South of France during what might just be the best time of the year for a rave on the beach.
Lineup 2015: Avicii | Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike | Alesso | Axwell & Ingrosso | Steve Angell | Armin Van Buren | Tiesto | Madeon | Zedd | Firebeatz | Dzeko & Torres | Syn Colo | Arty et Matisse & Sadko | Madeon | Martin Solveig | Arias | Dirty South | Nervo
