An associative and alternative place at the foot of the chimneys of the old EDF power station, Kilowatt regularly organizes concerts and festivals and has established itself over the years as one of the cultural and party places in the east of Paris. But on Wednesday, the association announced on its Facebook page that the events of the second half of September have been canceled. For several months, the site was in the sights of the residents of Vitry-sur-Seine and the surrounding municipalities (Alfortville, Villejuif) due to the end of the concerts in the early morning. A petition which has collected just over a hundred signatures was even launched on Change.org.
“In addition to noise pollution, local residents report non-compliance with the imposed closing time, we also motivate the office of the prefect. The closing time of the drinking establishments is fixed by the Prefecture of Val de Marne at 2 am, except for exceptions. However, it has been noted on several occasions that this 2-hour time has not been respected. Three letters were sent by the prefecture to the plant on April 22, May 4 and June 9, 2022. Following the observation of a new calendar overrun on June 12, a fourth letter was notified to the manager on June 28, 2022 , as a warning, indicating that any new crime could lead to the closure of the plant “.
Too overgrown in July
It is in this context that, on the night between 9 and 10 July, the police went to the scene and found that the amplified music continued to be broadcast over a large area, after the authorized hours. “Faced with the multiplicity of these crimes and after the implementation of an adversarial procedure, the prefecture has decided to adopt an administrative closure of fifteen days against the establishment”.
“15 days of closure, it may seem short, but for a fragile membership structure it is economically dramatic”
The closure is from 13 to 28 September. Kilowatt deplores this sanction and fears consequences on the financial sustainability of the management association. “For months, however, we have been asking for a dialogue to be opened to build and find, together with the competent authorities, solutions that make it possible to keep the industrial area of Vitry-sur-Seine a place of celebration, life, creations and new imaginations. Acoustic impact study, installation of a sound pressure limiter, orientation of the diffusion systems … Without forgetting the presence of the Red Cross, risk prevention and reduction associations, a professional safety team trained by us, a consequent staff and alert, attentive and dedicated volunteers… What future do we want for the Festival? What cities do we want to build? What is the price to pay to keep our territory the only place for nightlife? Our closing period is 15 days. It may seem short, however, for a fragile membership structure like ours, it is economically dramatic. But it is above all the symbolism of this “punishment” that strikes us the most and that affects our determination and all the time spent doing our job well “deplores the association that manages Kilowatt.
Michel Leprêtre, president of the Grand-Orly Seine Bièvre, showed them his support on Twitter. “I ask for the opening of dialogue with the state services so that this magical place in the heart of the metropolis can live”, begs the chosen one. Aurélien Rozo, artistic director of Kilowatt questions this decision and defends the interest in ending the evenings between 4 and 5 in the morning. “It’s a question of transportation. It is out of the question to let thousands of attendees leave Kilowatt with no way home. Also, it might be tempting to continue the evening in the Ardoines district or on the banks of the Seine. The police trust us, we are organized. The authorities have not reprimanded us as we have been having this type of evening for several years. We ask ourselves the times ”.
