Jean-Louis Aubert, SDM, Véronique Sanson, Clara Luciani... The rich program of the Francofolies 2025

Jean-Louis Aubert, Véronique Sanson , rappers SDM and Hamza, and pop stars Santa and Clara Luciani ... The Francofolies de La Rochelle, which opens Thursday, July 10 with a renewed management team, remains a key event on the French-speaking scene. In love as in music, there is something for everyone.

On the rap side, " with SDM, Ronisia and Bekar, it's one of the first full nights, where we know we'll have an average age of 25 " and for Thursday's with " Véronique Sanson, Jean-Louis Aubert or Kyo, we'll have another generation of festival-goers, more zen, older, " explains Emilie Yakich, the festival's new co-director, to AFP. While the lineup is all over the place, from the soaring duo Air to the crazy Philippe Katerine and Matthieu Chedid's joyful band Lamomali, the novelty of this edition is also found behind the scenes.

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Last year, a new chapter was marked: Gérard Pont, who had been the director of the Francos for 20 years, succeeding Jean-Louis Foulquier, stepped down. He remains president but has passed the torch to the duo of Emilie Yakich and Dimitri Gavenc. Both know the festival inside and out, having worked since the early 2000s in the organizing structure, which employs nine people year-round, working on this event and a series of cultural activities.

They are opening a new chapter for an event that is " very anchored in the region " and has stable attendance, whose financial balance is based on " 20% public aid to support creation and emergence, and 80% of its own resources, between ticket sales and partnerships ," explains Emilie Yakich. Like others, the festival is not immune to the overall rise in costs, but is capitalizing on its aura. " Artists want to go through the Francos ," for their " prestigious side " and their " likeability ," observed programmer Pierre Pauly in November. In 2024, the festival was sold out with some 150,000 festival-goers who came to celebrate its 40th anniversary, with Sting and Jean-Michel Jarre as a special treat.

This " something magical ," according to the co-director, stems from the oceanfront setting of this festival, whose main stage takes over the Saint-Jean d'Acre esplanade, near the Old Port. But it also takes place in venues of varying capacity, perfect for more intimate concerts—Laurent Voulzy, Michel Jonasz, Aldebert, Salif Keïta—or those promoting new artists, such as Yoa, Styleto, and Théodort.

The announced presence of actor Jean-Paul Rouve, for a show between literature and music, has however been cancelled, replaced by a concert by Jeanne Cherhal . The contemporary music venue La Sirène is hosting "Collective Nights": electro on Saturday around Cassius and other members of the Ed Banger label led by Pedro Winter, then metal on Sunday with four groups including Novelists, straight back from Hellfest . The party will also be everywhere in the city, such as through sung ballads with a tour guide and musical surprises.

This edition also features a tribute to the singer Dani , who died in 2022, with Alain Chamfort and Emmanuelle Seigner, the concert "La Traversée", bringing together four French and Canadian artists, but also a creation to celebrate the 50 years of Renaud 's career. Eight artists from the younger generation, from Emma Peters and Voyou to rapper Youssef Swatt's, are planning a hell of a racket on Thursday evening around the revisited repertoire of this figure of French song, who is working on a future album hoped for 2026. " Renaud will be there, he has been very involved in this creation since the beginning ," says Emilie Yakich. Will the performer of Mistral gagnant take the stage? The co-director mischievously dodges: " We are never safe from a surprise at the Francofolies! "