By Gabriel Kenedi
Published on 20 Feb 21 at 12:16
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What will the next few months look like culturally, Toulouse ? While the health situation remains particularly fragile and the players in the world of culture have been completely at a standstill for many months, will there be events organized in the coming months in the Pink City?
Rio Loco, Music Festival, July 14th… We take stock of what is maintained or canceled (to date) in Toulouse.
Carnival: it’s canceled
–There will be no big parade in the streets of Toulouse. The Carnival, which was to be held on April 4, 2021, will not take place due to the health situation. A blow for the Cocu association (Organizing Committee of the Unified Carnival), which had already been forced to cancel the edition in 2020. For its part, the Toulouse town hall said it was open to rethink the shape of the carnival. “The carnival is canceled in its usual form. But we are in contact with the organizers to reinvent this carnival. Nothing is done yet. We are moving slowly, ”says Jonnhy Dunal, delegated city councilor in charge of events.
Rio Loco: maintained, with a gauge of 5000?
–It is a must-see festival in Toulouse. Postponed to 2020, Rio Loco will take place in June 2021, on the Filters meadow, on the banks of the Garonne. But due to health constraints, the festival dedicated to world music has decided to adapt.
Rio Loco has been lengthened and will last eight days, from June 13 to 20, 2021. No more standing concerts, seats will only be seated. As for the gauge, it will be limited. Initially, a maximum capacity of 2,000 people per evening was envisaged (instead of the usual 20,000). But the announcements of the Minister of Culture could lead the festival to increase the 5,000-seat gauge per evening. “If the regulations allow it, we will. We are currently studying whether this is feasible, ”explains Francis Grass, deputy mayor in charge of culture. The theme will be that of last year: Africa. For the moment, the schedule has not been revealed.
Rose Festival, Electronic Siestes …: festivals in the dark
Will the “Rose Festival”, dedicated to contemporary music and organized by Bigflo and Oli, take place on September 3-4 in Mondonville (Haute-Garonne)? For the moment, no advertisement has filtered concerning a continuation or a postponement of the event. In Toulouse, the Electronic Siestes are still in the dark, whether or not the event will continue. The Bricks Festival (dedicated to electronic music), scheduled for La Mounède Park on June 12 and 13, is meanwhile being maintained.
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Music Day: no event at Place du Capitole
–The Music Festival will it be maintained this year? It is still too early to know. For its part, the Toulouse town hall has already decided and will not organize no event on the Place du Capitole June 21, 2021. “We will not carry an event that risks bringing together more than 5,000 people on the Place du Capitole”, explains Jonnhy Dunal. For now, it’s hard to know what this Fête de la Musique will look like… Will there be concerts in the street? Again, everything will depend on the health situation and government decisions.
Snapshots: the amplified manifestation
–Last year, the Toulouse town hall had set up through “The Snapshots”, around twenty free events (dance, music, theater, etc.) in public spaces (squares, gardens). This device will be renewed and extended this summer. “We will more than double the number of events, which will take place in the city center and in the neighborhoods, in order to animate the City and support cultural players,” says Francis Grass. “Summer Toulouse”, it will not be maintained, especially for financial reasons.
July 14: four fireworks in one
–The big evening of free concerts organized by NRJ on the occasion of July 14, which is usually held on the Filters meadow – and which brings together almost tens of thousands of people on the Filters meadow – will obviously not take place this summer. But the town hall of Toulouse still wishes to organize more modest events.
“We will try to make musical and popular entertainment in each district town hall. The idea is that there is not a single gathering in Toulouse, but several scattered in all the districts, ”explains Jonnhy Dunal. What about the fireworks display, which was canceled last year? “If we did it on the banks of the Garonne, people would crowd together and we could not control the event in terms of health. I made the choice to maintain a fireworks display, which will be erupted in several places. Wherever we are in Toulouse, we will be able to see it. We are in the process of identifying four places that will host this fireworks display“, Details the chosen one.
Other events
Other cultural events should take place this summer. These include the outdoor cinema at the Cinémathèque or the Word Marathon.
The major exhibitions in the museums of the Pink City (which will open as soon as the green light is given by the government) should also punctuate the summer. Let us mention in particular “Magic and Witchcraft” in Museum, “From Love” to Quai des Savoirs or the exhibition dedicated to Saint-Exupéry at Flight of the Pioneers. Other cultural places will open their doors as soon as the health situation allows (Machine Hall, Cave Poésie, theaters, performance halls, etc.).
Spring of September
Canceled in 2020, Spring of September will take place, from September 17 to October 17, 2021. This free festival dedicated to contemporary creation (painting, sculpture, video, music, etc.) will therefore celebrate its 30th anniversary next fall. “We’re trying to see if it’s possible to organize it in Severe but we are also looking for a complementary place, ”explains Francis Grass.
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