The Importance and Financing of Festivals in Pays de la Loire: Regional Surveys Reveals the Cultural and Economic Impact

Throughout the year, festivals punctuate the cultural life of Pays de la Loire. Music, street theater or cinema, culture is in the spotlight, but how are these festivals financed? What are the new challenges for organizers? Regional Surveys “The Pays de la Loire, land of festivals”, is this Wednesday at 11 p.m. on France 3.

Whether it is music, cinema or theater, in Angers, Saint-Nazaire or Mayenne, the festivals prove how rich and abundant cultural life is in Pays de la Loire.

Mathieu Guillerot and the Enquêtes de Région team went to meet these organizers, creators and volunteers who bring a city, a village or an emblematic place to life during a festival.

The entire Enquêtes de Région team at the Poupet festival • © France Télévisions/Pascal Tosi

These events are, for the hundreds of thousands of spectators, moments of escape and pleasure, but also a real industry and a showcase for the region. How are these festivals financed? With what priorities and what new challenges? What are the benefits for the economy and tourism in Pays de la Loire?

Each festival is unique in its programming, its artistic choices, but also in its economic model.

Festivals in France are mostly created by associations and/or communities. In this case, financially, these events are therefore dependent on subsidies.

For some, it is the municipality which entirely finances the event, like the Les Accroche-Cœurs festival in Angers. They then depend on the city budget which may decide to revise its budget downwards. This completely free street festival is a way for the municipality to show its attachment to culture, it is a showcase to promote its city.

Angers Accroches-Coeur Festival • © France Télévisions

Another economic model is self-financing (ticketing, bar, ancillary products). This is the case of the biggest festival in France, Hellfest which takes place in Clisson in Loire-Atlantique. This year, this metal music festival with a budget of 35 million euros recorded 240,000 paid entries.

Most often, it is a careful balance between public and private funding. For the Les Escales de Saint-Nazaire festival, 74% of the funding comes from their own resources, the rest comes from sponsorship, patronage and public aid.

It is Saint-Malô-du-Bois in Vendée, on the benches of the Théâtre de Verdure, that Mathieu meets Philippe Maindron, the founder of the Poupet festival, he explains to us the financing of this festival created in 1987.

Whether they are very public or more intimate festivals, the economic benefits can be very significant. Hellfest, again, is for this year 2023, more than 40 million euros in economic benefits. A windfall for a small town like Clisson and one that shines far beyond.

Alexandre Thébault, delegated advisor for culture at the Pays de la Loire Regional Council, explains to us the importance in terms of tourism, but also in terms of employment of these cultural events.

duration of video: 00h00mn44s

Alexandre Thébault, delegated advisor for culture and heritage at the Pays de la Loire regional council • ©France Télévisions – Pascal Tosi

Volunteers are essential to the organization of a festival. Without them, they simply could not function. Whether at reception, in the car park, at the refreshment bar or in security, they are there to ensure the smooth running of these events which sometimes see more than 200,000 festival-goers arrive in a few days.

Volunteering that is inseparable from the “festival spirit” where enthusiasts give freely of their time and energy for the success of the event…

Volunteers, the asset of festivals • © France Télévisions

Sound, light, structures, security, during the health crisis, they were the great forgotten ones of culture. However, the service providers are essential and they are the ones who keep the festivals running all summer.

After two difficult years, they are back on the scene again. Activity, which had slowed down for a while, has resumed despite the lack of equipment and labor…

duration of the video: 00h04mn30s

Regional surveys on festivals: workers in the shadows • ©France Télévisions/C. Dupeyrat/F. Borius/A. Ropert/D. Germany/S. Boismain

An article written in collaboration with Mathieu Guillerot

The guests of the show:

Corentin Charbonnier – Doctor in anthropology – University of Tours Philippe Maindron – Founder and president of the Poupet Festival Nicolas Boisnard – Author and singer of the group “Archimède” Frédéric Boisnard – Composer and guitarist of the group “Archimède” Alexandre Thébault – Regional advisor of the Pays de the Loire to culture and heritage

Also in the broadcast of reports: