Hellfest, Rock en Seine... why festival prices are exploding

Ticket prices for major summer festivals continue to skyrocket. According to data collected by Le Monde , ticket prices for major French contemporary music festivals have increased by an average of 60% over the past ten years.

An increase that goes well beyond the inflation observed during the same period. 135 euros for a day at Hellfest , 94 euros for Rock en Seine, 75 euros for Garorock… An analysis of 13 events that can accommodate more than 30,000 festival-goers per day shows disparities, some, like We Love Green (Paris), Cabaret vert (Charleville-Mézières) or Rock en Seine (Paris), have more or less doubled their prices, despite an occupancy rate above 90%.

However, organizers aren't making more money—quite the opposite. According to data from the National Music Center covering 85 contemporary music and variety festivals, two-thirds are expected to be in deficit in 2023. Worse still, 33% of festivals posted a negative result.

The explanation is the surge in costs since Covid . Technical production costs have doubled since 2019. Insurance costs have also doubled in the face of climate risks. But above all, it's the surge in artists' fees, who can now rely less on record sales or streaming to earn a living.

At the same time, cultural subsidies, on which many festivals depend, have not tended to keep pace with inflation. They will even decline in 2025 in most regions, as the SMA lamented in April.