In Cannes, final adjustments before the big Electronic Beaches party

Thursday, 3:30 p.m. In the Festival Palace. The many technicians, who have been working hard for the past ten days, are giving their final push to finish setting up everything needed to welcome the public and ensure the Electronic Beaches run smoothly: bars, stages, sound system, lights, etc.

Starting this Friday afternoon, partygoers from all over the country and beyond will be passing through the doors of the Palace, with one desire: to dance to the rhythm of electro music, but not only that.

In total, there are six stages - plus one, dedicated especially to karaoke and hosted by festival-goers - which will be playing some great sound.

"Each stage has its own identity, and festival-goers can wander through different worlds..." explains Allegra Trichard, the festival director.

An auditory relaxation room is also in place: "We will install deckchairs, we will diffuse the scents of nature and we will put on videos and waterfall sounds."

And, from midnight, it will host… the after-parties!

A space with a 360° view

Table football, giant deckchairs, a village of associations, spaces dedicated to local designers with jewelry, clothing, makeup artists and even a tattoo stand... "What we try to offer at the festival are lots of different spaces. You can experience it to the fullest, in the middle of the dancefloor, but you can also experience it in VIP areas or in the premium area, a terrace that we built on the sea wall, a little higher up..."

Also new this year: "We're giving away tickets to go up above the control room and get a 360° view."

"We have an audience that has aged with the festival"

At Plages Electro, "you can come and party hard, but there are plenty of places where you can get a bit of perspective and watch things in peace... The festival will be 20 years old next year. We have an audience that has aged with it, and we don't always have the same way of partying..."

"Happenings" will also take place once a day between certain shows.

"We're going to organize a giant karaoke and we have a group of dancers who have prepared a choreography too..."

Many new features are therefore on the program for this festival, which is becoming increasingly important every year. "We had 60,000 admissions in 2024 and, in 2025, we expect 66,000 festival-goers..."

Economic impact on the rise

Every year, the Gece research and survey institute surveys festival-goers on their behavior during their stay in the region, and thus calculates the economic impact of the Plages Electro festival.

"For the 2023 edition, we were at 10 million in economic impact, and 14 million in 2024, rejoices Allegra Trichard. This is the 7 million injected by festival-goers into hotels, restaurants, businesses... added to what we inject into the local fabric: hiring staff, service providers, suppliers..."

And, to also boost this local economic fabric, a business village was set up this year.

"We invited local stakeholders to the festival. On Friday, we organized meetings between start-ups – mainly from La Bastide Rouge – and potential financiers and their professional networks: investment funds, banks, CCI, BPI... And on Saturday , we invited all socio-professionals: palaces, hotels, tourism and cultural stakeholders... It's a good way to network."

August 8, 9 and 10 at the Palais des Festivals. Tickets at www.plages-electroniques.com