The legislative elections, on June 30 and July 7, play spoilsport. By announcing the dissolution of the National Assembly and the holding of new ballots on June 9, Emmanuel Macron took everyone by surprise, including the organizers of summer festivals who must adapt to this new situation.
Many people have encouraged festival-goers to vote on their social networks. This is the case of the Macki Festival, which is held on June 29 and 30 on the banks of the Seine. The festival has also put in place an exceptional measure by offering a free place for Sunday, in exchange for a written commitment to go to the polls.
“It is not neutral for the economy of the festival but, for us, it is essential to encourage festival-goers to vote,” explains Fantin, the co-founder of the festival. However, he does not give voting instructions. “The important thing is to go and vote,” he argues.
As the Cinema Festival returns from June 30 to July 3, the Ti Hanok cinema in Auray (Morbihan) is launching a similar initiative. For any purchase of a place for 5 euros, a second one is offered, provided you present a stamped voter card.
In Quimper, the Irréducible festival which takes place from June 28 to 30 promises to offer a sausage pancake (or equivalent) to festival-goers who present a stamped electoral card or any other proof of voting in the first round of the legislative elections on Sunday. An incentive to vote “without taking sides”, specify the organizers.
A “flattening” of reservations
The concomitance of the dates certainly pushed some of the festival-goers to give up the party, among other reasons such as gloomy weather or the cost of living. Solidays (June 28 to 30), for example, is struggling to fill its gauges. In six editions, “this is the first time that Solidays is not sold out two weeks before,” explains Luc Barruet, head of the festival, to AFP. “People leave Paris to go vote,” he recalls
Pierre Gendronneau, director of the Avignon Festival, recognizes in the columns of Le Monde that “until June 9, reservations were rather better than last year on the same date”. Then, he noted a “settling”, anxiety preventing “part of the public from projecting themselves into the Festival” which takes place from June 29 to July 21.
The “Off” had to adapt with a closure from July 6 at the end of the day to July 8. The cause was occupied premises that will serve as a polling station during the second round of the legislative elections.