It’s 20.30 Sunday evening, and there are mutterings of cancellations going on behind. I’m ignoring it as I’ve got to a juicy part in my current book
This year, Paris’ annual techno, electro and slight fantasia style festival landed at Le Bourget Airport. From the VIP lounge you could enjoy €10 vodka and cokes in line for the slightly cleaner toilets while watching private jets land in front of a massive rocket.
I kid you not. David Bowie would have loved this.
I attended my first festival last year and unlike a lot of kids from my island (yes I’m from an island…) my preferred method of foot-bruising as a teenager was from NME indie gigs in the next town over rather than from techno raves.
So God knows what happened to me last weekend in Paris. In fact, I imagine it’s a lot like what people go through when they do find God. That moment when they’re like holy macaroni I get it. I just hope that coming up for the ripe old age of 26 I’m not too old to start liking electro music?
Because I really bloody liked it. The whole weekend. The night at Zig Zag. And most of all, Weather Festival.
Weather Festival Paris
The girls from the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau had bagged us all a swanky pair of orange sunglasses to help us fit in and, in my case, save for next year’s King’s Day in Amsterdam.
So that was how a group of bloggers and journalists ended up like little orange ducklings behind the Weather Festival crew on a pit-stop tour of the four main stages.
And you guessed it… the stage names are Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter! In French though of course because we all know how protective the Parisians are of their mother-tongue.
We’d arrived a littler after opening and if the thudding techno beats weren’t putting us in the mood the guys walking past in their soft caps and flannel shirts definitely did. If guys are your thing you will be swooning…
If guys aren’t your thing I’m afraid I was too distracted by them to check out the girls but after a while it doesn’t even matter because you’ve swapped the €10 vodkas for €4 beers and you’re at the rear end of a conga winding its way through the Summer stage crowd.
The dude below with his tongue out is Aftab and his face is literally how I felt inside for the entire Weather Festival.
The only time I didn’t like Weather Festival was when I tried to buy anything outside the VIP area. When I’m hungry, I’m hangry. When I’m thirsty, I’m grouchy. The cashless system has something to with a bracelet and PayPal, and as I’m a pretty unorganised person this was a bit much.
But as the 2016 festival has now closed its curtains I’ve got a whole year to figure it out before I return. Which I’m totally doing. I’ve already told people they’re coming with me. Why?
Because an early bird ticket costs less than €100. And it costs less than €200 for the whole weekend including camping! And if you want to camp in style they even offer tipi tents!!
And for those of you that prefer hostels to soggy tents, there was a deal this year with Generator Paris so if the same deal returns next year you can sleep off your hangover in backpacker luxury…
If I haven’t yet convinced you that Weather Festival should definitely be on your agenda for next year’s festival season then press play below…
If I have convinced you… see you there!
But first, help me!! Tell me your favourite DJs in the comments so I can set up a playlist for next year’s Weather Festival practice!
I was a guest at the Weather Festival for the ‘Young & Festive’ weekend run by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and hosted by Generator Paris. However, and as always, all opinions are honest and my own.