Solidays
Solidays is a French annual music festival that takes place at the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris at the end of June. Organised by Solidarité sida (a French HIV/AIDS awareness group for youth), the event brings together more than 150 artists and 170 000 festival-goers for three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). The proceeds from the festival are donated to organisations fighting against HIV/AIDS, especially for those focusing on the African continent.
| Solidays | |
|---|---|
 Main stage of the 2013 edition | |
| Dates | Mid-June |
| Location(s) | Longchamp Racecourse, Paris, France |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
| Founded by | Luc Barruet |
| Website | www |
The festival has been held since 1999. The performers involved in Solidays accept a reduced fee or appear for free as a sign of their solidarity.[1] The 2013 edition raised over 2 million euros.[2] The festival also features bungee jumping in addition to the music.[3]
Over the years, many French and foreign artists have appeared at Solidays, including DJ Snake, Bigflo & Oli, Kungs, Mac Miller, Vanessa Paradis, M83, Synapson, Paul Kalkbrenner, Bénabar, Madeon, Shaka Ponk, David Guetta, Kool & the Gang, Stromae, Louis Bertignac, Lily Allen, Louise Attaque, Grand Corps Malade, Earth, Wind & Fire and Diplo.
2020 edition and COVID-19 pandemic
On 13 April 2020, the festival announced on its website that the 2020 edition of the festival would be cancelled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Luc Barruet, the founder of the festival, asked festival goers not to ask for reimbursement because he said that the cancellation was putting the festival in danger.[5]
References
- «Hé Solidays ! On va le tuer ce virus ?», Le Figaro (in French), 26/6/2011.
- «Solidays 2013, record battu», Le Figaro (in French), 1/7/2013.
- "Saut à l'élastique aux Solidays" (in French).
- "Sous le choc". solidays.org. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
La décision d’annuler le festival est l’une des plus difficiles que nous ayons eue à prendre. Elle plonge Solidarité Sida dans une réalité brutale. 3 millions d’euros de résultat attendus vont disparaître. Dès lors, comment financer les nombreux programmes d’aide aux malades et de prévention menés ou soutenus grâce à Solidays ?
- "Le festival Solidays 2020 n'aura pas lieu : le fondateur Luc Barruet appelle à ne pas se faire rembourser sa place". France Info. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Une procédure de remboursement va être mise en place pour ceux qui le souhaitent. Mais "nous demandons à ceux qui le peuvent de ne pas solliciter le remboursement des billets déjà achetés. Ils ne seront pas valables pour une édition prochaine", indique Luc Barruet.