Going to a music festival in Paris has been on my bucket list ever since I booked my flight from California!
The 3-day musical festival scene has become the "thing to do" in California, especially with the huge social media followings at Coachella and Outside Lands music festivals. I'd been to Outside Lands on a whim as a spontaneous adventure last summer, and it was easily one of the best concerts I had ever been to. The stages featured up-and-coming indie electronic artists, as well as some bluegrass and alternative rock, which seemed to offer something for everyone.
Music festivals usually feature a wide variety of bands and music genres, but Rock en Seine was mostly rock (hence the name of the festival) with some acoustic and electronic artists at the side stages. The festival-goers surprised me with its diverse age group - there were several families with their little ones enjoying casual picnics of baguettes and pâté (minced meat spread, a French favorite) on the lawns in front of these stages. It was refreshing to see past the (smaller) standing crowd of Tame Impala from a spread out picnic area, where many on the lawn enjoyed music and danced from afar. And what do Parisians wear at music festivals in 90°F weather? It was comforting to see that many at Rock en Seine swapped their stiff blazers and long pants for more casual and relaxed (and revealing!) clothes than their everyday wear. Weirdly, it seemed like they were trying to mimic American clothing styles seen at festivals, with a little boho flair, crop tops, and high-waisted shorts. To top off the amazing setlist, Ben & Jerry's was a sponsor of the festival and gave out free ice cream for almost the entire day. We may have returned at least three times! You can check out the Rock en Seine 2015 official playlist below to tune in on the awesome music at the festival from Tame Impala, alt-J, The Libertines, Ben Howard, Marina and the Diamonds, Forever Pavot, Years & Years, Glass Animals, WE ARE MATCH, and more below. |