On the last weekend in May, 2024 Cercle hosted a two day EDM festival in Paris at the National Air and Space museum. The museum is on the field of Le Bourget airport, and displays aircraft and rockets, from fighter jets rockets. It was a wonderful backdrop for an event. Three stages were constructed, one in front of the Ariane rocket, one beneath the tail of the world’s largest passenger plane, an Airbus 360 and one inside a hangar beneath a Concorde. There was a fourth “secret” stage in the former control tower, accessible only to those with access cards related to a promotion with W hotels. Each of these stages had their own unique feel based on how they were situated.
Unlike festivals in the United States, there were no guests on the stages, only the D.J.s and their co-performers. It made the event more elegant in a way. At big events in the U.S., there tend to be crowds on stage behind the D.J., dividing the crowd into the privileged and the masses. The Cercle event was warmer because there was no differentiation between fans. They were all there to share the experience of the performance. It made for a much more cohesive feel among the attendees. In fact, as the last night of the show concluded, the crowd exited cheering and clapping for the Cercle team which had worked so hard to put the event on.
As the event was held on the airport’s tarmac, there was plenty of room at every stage for the audience to gather. The stages themselves were wrapped with an silver reflective film, including the underside of the roof stretched over the stage, giving myriad opportunities to watch the D.J.s play, and to simultaneously see in the reflections how the performers worked the board.
Cercle itself is an interesting company. They plan events everywhere, always with a unique theme. They also build experiences surrounding events like taking certain VIP ticket holders to fly propeller aircraft prior to the event.
The talent at the event was top notch. There was a broad distribution of styles, from that of Eli & Fur to Dixon, Disclosure, Shimza and Indira Paganotto.
The food and beverage choices were excellent, well priced and easy to obtain. There was an element of hospitality in the way in which the festival attended to the music goers. When the food and drinks are accessible and affordable it removes a primary pain point and replaces it with a party atmosphere. Even with their merchandise options, Cercle made a point to be accretive to their event by providing unique and accessible options.
Because Paris in late Spring remains light outside well into the evening, most of the acts played in daylight. This crowd acted like they were at a garden party, unbothered by the light, comfortably moving with and alongside the crowds who gathered at each stage. And, at each stage the feeling was different. The Concorde stage was a marvel as the stage sat adjacent to the wheel struts beneath the fuselage. There, inside the hangar, the sound was insistent and the crowd moved fast. There was a certain intimacy beneath what was once the world’s fastest publicly available aircraft. At the stage outside the 177 foot Ariane rocket there was a different sense of wonder as the sounds from the stage filled ears while at the same time this massive space rocket made everything else seem relatively inconsequential. The most “normal” stage was just beneath the tail of an Airbus 380, which was positioned in such a way as to be there but not particularly imposing. This was the stage where the crowd itself was the most interesting thing to view. Even as the second day came to an end they were cohesive, polite and engaged in the music and in the community which had formed around the Cercle programming.
This bonhomie is the ideal result of a festival event. The individuals who came merged into a community between themselves and the musicians who played. Their experience was enhanced by the visual interest which the aircraft and flight line provided along with the usual lights of a festival show. Those in attendance were engaged, amused and satiated as the weekend drew to a close. That is a win for the fans and a fairly strong indicator that Cercle will see many of these same people again at their future events.
Pay attention to their upcoming calendar of events. Cercle is always innovating. But, as their community grows, the speed at which they sell out their shows increases. Stay vigilant. Don’t ever sleep on a good time.
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