WHY PARIS LOVES WE LOVE GREEN AND WHY YOU SHOULD TOO.

“Bigger, greener, crazier” is what “We Love Green” aims for this year. Held this coming weekend, the festival, organized by coveted music label Because and steered by Marie Sabot, prides itself on being the most eco-friendly festival in France.

Inspired by other pioneering festivals such as Way Out West, Secret Garden and End Of The Road, which focus on reducing their visitors’ carbon footprint, We Love Green offers a greener and more intimate alternative to gargantuan festivals like Glastonbury or “Les Vieilles Charrues”, which accommodate up to 200,000 visitors a day.
Held in the illustrious botanical gardens and park “Le Parc de Bagatelle”, an urban paradise filled with free roaming peacocks and other botanical wonders, the festival consists of two stages, a pristine line up and combines all the comforts of a modern festival with an environmentally friendly backdrop. Here are four good reasons why we think you should don your festival gear and join the festival fun.

1- THE LINE UP

For those of you who haven’t heard of Christine and The Queens who will be headlining the festival, Héloïse Létissier (Christine and the Queens’ real name) has been hailed as France’s latest revelation and national pride. A hybrid between Michael Jackson and Kate Bush, the solo artist quite literally nails it on stage with her incredible voice and impeccable dance routines. Inspired by the king of pop’s dance moves and the drag queens who danced with her at the dawn of her career, Christine and the Queens describes her style as “freakpop”, or as we see it alluring, breezy, melancholic and transcendent pop music.

Julian Casablancas+The Voidz, whizz-kid rapper Joey Bada$$, and electro geniuses Ratatat, to name but a few, will also be performing over the weekend. In sum an eclectic and prestigious line up which caters for all tastes.

2- The eco-friendly vibe

As Marie Sabot states in a recent interview with charity organization Solidarité International, “We aim to prove that you can have a good time and stay respectful towards the environment.” In terms of sustainability the festival has gone to great lengths to limit pollution that such events can produce (ex. noise pollution and excessive consumption of plastic and electricity). The lighting on the main stage will be solar powered, all restrooms will be equipped with dry toilets; the food on site will be organic and locally produced (think scrumptious vegan burgers and yummy veggie falafels). Finally, most of the equipment on site consists of recycled material like used squishy tires or cushioned crates for festival buddies (and bodies) to chill out on.

3- A warm up to summer

Remember when you had to trek painfully, like a dehydrated donkey from one stage to the next in the middle of a heat wave? Followed the next day by an epic summer storm which left you either playing poker in your cramped Airbnb flat with 10 other dejected roommates, or trudging through an apocalyptic mud fest? August festivals are notorious for being unpredictable whereas “We Love Green” benefits from la Dolce Vita brought by those mild May evenings. No storms, no sweat, no back breaking heat wave, only glamour, good hair days, fresh food and light jackets: total bliss.

4- The Location

Located near Neuilly-Sur-Seine, the “Parc de Bagatelle” and its adjoining castle were built, after a wee bet was made between Marie-Antoinette and the Comte D’Artois, in 1775… in a whopping 64 days (the golden days of gluttony and luxuriance before pesky peasants with pikes started knocking on royal doors and heads began rolling on the floor).
The splendiferous park is large enough to cater two stages, keeping the festival intimate, accessible and in harmony with its awe-inspiring surroundings.

Furthermore, unlike some of the bigger festivals which require you to hopscotch at 3 am over intoxicated zombies snoozing in survival blankets, We Love Green is family friendly offering many activities on site: a children’s play area, conferences on sustainable growth, games, and DIY workshops (the real flower head crown workshop is a favorite among festival goers).

© Credit Yulya Shadrinsky

And if you still aren’t convinced, take a minute to check out our carefully selected “ We Love Green” playlist concocted by our Deezer Editors.