Could this be the last edition of the festival? Old plows, a true Breton institution? In a long press release published on Monday 22 April, France’s largest open-air festival warned very frankly about its future: “ If nothing changes by this summer, the 2024 edition of Vieilles Charrues could be the last. »
In question, ” incessant inversions » which caused a conflict between the organizers, the Poher community and the city of Carhaix.
Various organizational conflicts
To understand the roots of this dispute we need to go back to March. First of all, a conflict around the pre-emption of a building, that of the former consular chamber, located at the main entrance to the festival and which the organizers wanted to acquire to avoid the costs of installing temporary infrastructure. A sales agreement was signed last December and the building would be occupied from summer 2024. According to the Vieilles Charrues association, the municipality announced at the last moment that it wanted to bring forward the construction.
Another controversy erupted in April, when the Carhaix city council approved rental fees for the Kerampuilh land, where the event takes place, reports Western France.
According to the festival, this fee is “ excessive and unfair “, because it would cause ” an invoice of 367,000 euros for the use of the Kerapuilh lawn, buildings and the provision of municipal agents “. A surprise for the association which is based on the agreement signed in July 2023, which provides for the free supply of the plots for five years.
The organizers believe they have “ there is no more room for maneuver »
Furthermore, it is expected that from 2026 the festival campsites will be moved from Kergorvo II to another area, New Farm, close to the site. But the new Casale is already “75% used”, “this would force festival-goers to travel double the distance they previously traveled to reach the campsite”we read in the press release.
“The accumulation of these decisions leads us to a dead end. In recent years we have had to constantly adapt. Today we no longer have any room for maneuver or fallback around the festival. »
The organizers of the Vielles Charrues festival.
“ Visceral attached to Carhaix » and their model « 100% associative, non-profit », the organizers of Vieilles Charrues highlight their economic impact on the Central Brittany region: ” Five millions “.
The organizers then launched an appeal: “ We cannot imagine the end of the Vieilles Charrues: we now ask the elected representatives of the Breton center to save the festival. »
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
