Q&A: Kem Lalot on this year’s record Eurockéennes

IQ has spoken to Les Eurockéennes de Belfort’s head of booking Kem Lalot about the success of this year’s edition.

The French festival returned to Lac de Malsaucy Belfort between 4–7 July, featuring artists including David Guetta, Lenny Kravitz, Sum 41, Dropkick Murphys, Gazo, Bigflo & Oli and more.

Here, Lalot discusses how his team grappled with weather, costs and clashes with the Euros and the elections to produce a record-breaking 35th edition…

IQ: Are you happy with this year’s edition?
KL: Oh yes, very happy! I am proud of my team and all the people who worked for the success of this festival. With a very special mention for our technical teams who worked in very difficult conditions due to very complicated weather this year.

I am also proud of the diverse musical programming which was generalist and transgenerational. From Heilung to David Guetta via Oumou Sangaré and Idles via the new Chilean musical style “Neoperreo” to the new French icon Zaho de Sagazan, without forgetting the sure values ​​that are Lenny Kravitz, Sum 41, The Breeders and Pretenders!

What was attendance like at this year’s festival?
The total attendance of this 2024 edition was 127,500 people: Thursday 25,000 people, Friday 35,000 people (sold out), Saturday people 35,000 people (sold out) and Sunday (32,500 sold out, only the main stage open).

“We allowed festival-goers to complete and validate their voting proxy at the festival campsite”

Which records did you break with the 2024 edition?
Four records were broken! This includes the highest number of individuals who came to the festival because the sale of day tickets is now higher than those of 2,3,4-days packages. Otherwise, we welcomed 154 business patronage from mostly local companies. We also benefited from the support of the largest number of sponsors ever welcomed to the festival! And last but not least, we sold out the festival merchandising sales for the first time!

How would you describe ticket sales for this year’s edition?
Very fast! Sunday, with David Guetta as a headliner, was sold out 10 days after the mid-December first names announcement, Friday was sold out a week before the festival and Saturday was sold out on the opening day of the festival. During the technical festival assembly, we suffered from bad weather conditions with regular rain that affected ticket sales for the opening day.

This year’s festival clashed with both the elections and the Euros… how did you manage that?
From the opening of the festival on Thursday, we allowed festival-goers to complete and validate their voting proxy at the festival campsite, with the help and kindness of state services. There were also the quarter-finals of the Euro football on the evening of the Friday of our festival where the French won against the Portuguese. What a crazy atmosphere at the end of the match!

“Increases in artists’ fees are also a recurring problem which limits us in the choices of headliners that we can confirm on our lineup”

What were the main challenges this year?
The main challenge was the weather conditions with incessant rain during the last week of technical assembly and during two days of the festival, which induced mud all over the festival area. In addition, the lineup was complicated to finalise on Thursday with too long a wait for a headliner who ultimately decided not to go on tour. Plus, increases in artists’ fees are also a recurring problem which limits us in the choices of headliners that we can confirm on our lineup. We want to keep the entry price affordable for our audience.

Did you raise ticket prices this year?
We have increased the price of day tickets (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) from €62 to €65, those for the special day of Sunday from €62 to €69, also three-day packages from €144 to €149 but we have reduced the price of the 4-day package from €209 to €199. And for the first time, we have implemented a two-day package formula for €115. This formula à la carte was a great success!

Weather has been a persistent issue for the festival, have you taken any measures to mitigate this?
We have employed a young meteorologist for two years who informs our technical team during the construction and of course during the festival. He warns us and the festivalgoers in real time of the arrival of potential weather incidents and precautions. We have also taken out insurance for various cancellation risks, including a clause on the consequences of damage of weather-related risks on the construction site.

“We have employed a young meteorologist for two years who informs our technical team during the construction and of course during the festival”

What are the challenges for French festivals in the years to come?
One of the main challenges for French festivals will be to work on reducing costs because most must reach full capacity to just balance the accounts… Some have budgets so high that their point of balance is at 110% which is crazy. For our part, we are at the balance point at 87% which is already quite a challenge to get there every year and which clearly shows the fragility of our economies.

Another challenge will be managing the constant price increases (artists, staff, service providers, etc.) while maintaining an attractive, diverse and transgenerational programme and keeping prices accessible for everyone. We have also been engaged in an eco-responsible approach for several years and continue to evolve in this direction by changing our ways in all sectors of the festival.

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