Posted Jul 1, 2022, 12:13 PM
The figures for the 2022 edition of the Beauregard festival, organized in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, near Caen (Calvados), looked promising. However, in recent weeks, additional costs have accumulated for the organizer. The price of the floor of the VIP lounges has gone from 18,000 to 33,000 euros, that of fuel to supply the generators has doubled, from 60 euro cents to 1.20 euro.
With a budget of more than 8 million euros for five days of festivals, the calculations are jostling in the head of Paul Langeois, programmer and co-director of the event. “Over such a period and with a gauge limited to 30,000 entries per day, we had, according to our forecast, a filling rate to respect of 85% to amortize our budget”, he explains. This time, the deal between the pre-crisis forecast and today is no longer the same. The filling rate to be respected must now reach 93%.
The filling rate to be respected must now reach 93%.
However, after two years of absence, the organizers wanted to celebrate their return with pomp. For the first time in its history, which began in 2009 over two days (20,000 admissions), the program will be spread over five days, from Wednesday July 6 to Sunday July 10. “We wanted to hit hard, to show that we were still alive after this health crisis and these two 2020 and 2021 editions that we prepared and then canceled”, notes Paul Langeois.
Complete muse in forty-eight hours
Each evening, the headliners will jostle, from Muse to Clara Luciani, from Madness to Orelsan, from Martin Solveig to Liam Gallagher, from M to Juliette Armanet. As soon as the announcement of the arrival of the three Englishmen from Muse, expected on July 6, 12,000 tickets left in five minutes and the evening was sold out in forty-eight hours. “It does us so much good, it’s the greatest gift from an audience that has been loyal to us from the start”, welcomes the co-director. Good news, because ticketing accounts for 60% to 65% of revenue.
Since then, Saturday July 9 has also been announced as full and the figure of 150,000 festival-goers over the entire duration should be approached. On the 35 hectares of the park of the castle of Beauregard, in full preparations, the two large stages are mounted. Four weeks are needed to prepare everything. Again, last scare a few days before the event. The lack of manpower also affects the world of entertainment; a new main stage had to be found for lack of fitters at one of the hirers of the imposing structure, so awaited in Normandy.
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