Rave at the palace: Macron resumes his pre-Covid concert

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday invited music fans to a socially distanced techno party at the presidential palace, relaunching a pre-Covid event to mark the country’s annual street music festival.

France celebrates music in all its forms with a giant street party on June 21.

In 2018, Macron began opening the paved courtyard of the Elysee Palace to dance fans that day, with a concert featuring stars of the French electro scene.

This year’s Music Day comes a day after the government lifted the 11 p.m. curfew, one of the last steps in a gradual lifting of Covid restrictions.

Last year’s festivities took place but were muted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, with the number of infections at their lowest level in nearly a year, the country is in party mode again.

While inclement weather put a damper on events in the cities to come, the hardiest souls were not deterred.

“Seeing people, their smiles, it feels good,” said Laure, 40, who had taken her two nine-year-old children to a show despite the pouring rain in the north-west of the port city of Brest.

“We heard there were mini concerts and we went out wanting to relax and have fun.”

Bands of musicians from classical to rock performed at pop-up events across the French capital, adding a new layer of life to the slowly reopening Parisian social scene.

Only a few days after the opening of tennis, the central court of Roland-Garros hosted around forty artists, including Patrick Bruel, Vianney and Kendji Girac, performing in front of 4,000 seated and masked spectators.

Crooners have given way to dance tunes at the Presidential Palace, with French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre and 1970s disco king Cerrone headlining the concert in the courtyard where Macron normally hosts performers. visiting heads of state.

Unlike previous editions, where Macron and his wife Brigitte happily joined in the dance, spectators had to content themselves with stomping their feet.

Participants have been asked to remain seated and social distancing will be respected.

To mark this year’s festival, the government announced that nightclubs, closed for 15 months, will reopen on July 9.

Clubbers will need to present a new health passport stating that they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, have a clean PCR test, or have had the virus in the past.

Masks will not be mandatory in clubs, which will only be allowed to operate at 75% of their capacity, said Alain Griset, the minister in charge of small businesses.