France Festivals

Founded in 1959, France Festivals, the French federation of international music festivals, today includes 88 festivals. The federation's mission is to represent and defend its members' interests before governmental organisations and authorities, and promote the artistic events that its members organise.

These festivals are among the most prestigious French seasonal events with international reputations. They take place throughout France from January to December and are an exceptional asset for cultural development. Thanks to them, France has a reputation as a 'country of Festivals'. France Festivals actively works to promote the artistic identity of the festivals and underscores the cultural, economic, and social importance of the festivals, both locally and nationally. The festivals represent an important vehicle for economic development for our country, as the following figures show.

Membership is based on several criterion: the quality of the programme, notoriety, longevity, continuity, national and international reputation, the existence of a judicial and administrative structure, and a balanced budget.

The federation undertakes to inform public authorities of the cultural and economic roles of festivals. Today the federation is seen as an important point of reference for public authorities concerning festivals within the performing arts field.