From Michel Polnareff to Tiakola, the Bourges printemps opens its 49th edition on Tuesday, at the same time as the ball of the musical festivals, but it is subjected to a “limited decomposition”, between the credits and the costs that fly.
The W, the biggest scene of Bourges Printemps, is about to vibrate in a chain of stars and styles. Clara Luciani, Lucky Love and Fatboy Slim will be present, as well as a successful rappers of rappers such as Tiakola, Sooling or Vald, just back with her “pandemonium.”
The opening night is daring, with the head of the Michel Polnareff poster, which launches a new album on April 25. At 80, the interpreter of “Goodbye Marylou” is stacked for news, and perhaps the last tour, of which Bourges marks the first French date. But during his previous concerts in France in 2023, “the Admiral” had suffered a storm of criticism about the quality of his performance.
This 49th edition is no exception to its habit of presenting new heads and its creations, including one dedicated to the great voice of the Arab world Oum Kalthouum.
An increasingly tense economic situation
Behind the scene, the slogan, “It is not losing feathers in 2025, being there in 2026” and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the event, slides Jean-Michel Dupas, programmer of the Bourges Printemps.
The festival, which combines private associations, such as Credit Mutuel, subsidies and equity (box office, bars …), advances in a crest line. It is still “very subsidized” and “only one room earns money, it’s W,” the organization observes.
However, between concerts in theaters and the free offer in the city of center of France, the event seduced: attracted around 250,000 people last year.
This soft observation is similar to the situation of other festivals, in an increasingly tense economic situation: 44% of those with filling rates greater than 90% completed a deficit edition in 2024, according to the National Music Center.
Compected for the scope of the offer (festivals, rooms, stages), affected by a change in the consumption of young people already mercy of climatic whims, festivals must also compose with an unfavorable economic situation, where culture often suffers political arbitrances.
For the first time in ten years, the Bourges Spring Budget, in 2024, at around 7.5 million euros, was reviewed down, amputated for 400,000 euros in funds.
This plane blow is explained by a decrease in “150,000 euros in sponsorship” and “250,000 euros in public aid,” says the festival director, Boris Vedel at AFP.
Make emerging artists
The State maintained its support and that of the city resisted, but the help of the region of the center of Valía de Loire decreased and those of the Cher collapsed department, he adds. Faced with this “limited decline,” spring has no choice but to “strengthen in the emergency,” according to Boris Vedel.
Highlighting the discoveries has always been in the Festival DNA, particularly through The Incredible. This device has accompanied 1,600 artists since its creation 40 years ago, including Christine and the Queens (now Rahim Redcar) and Eddy de Pretto.
With less developed race and notoriety, they have the advantage of being less greedy in the stamps, which have generally exploded.
“In five, six years, international artists have taken 50% and, in France, we have 20, an increase of 25%, far from inflation,” annoy Jean-Michel Dupas, which specifies that production costs have also increased “25% of the COVID.”
With “the subsidies that fall … it is a good cocktail,” he jokes. “The festivals are taking out their tongue, apart from two or three, it is very difficult.”
In spite of everything, spring, presented as the oldest festival of current music, shows an intact will to take the public in “The Energy of Party, Dance and Emotion” until Sunday.
It is a perpetual heritage: that of its co -founder Daniel Colling, who died in January and who a tribute time between professionals for Wednesday.
Source: BFM TV
