The 2023 edition was Safia Nolin in the wet grass in the early hours of the morning. Klô Pelgag and Michel Pagliaro, like surprise gifts, and Philippe Brach too, who was celebrating his birthday. Jean-Michel Blais in a quartet, smiling and hair blowing in the wind, at the end of the quay, at high tide. Daniel Bélanger, Ingrid Saint-Pierre, Patrick Norman, les Trois Accords, Bleu Jeans Bleu. Enough to blow your mind too, with the Australians Amyl and the Sniffers or Backxwash, the colorful folk of the Ukrainians DhakhaBrakha, the Balkan Paradise Orchestra brass band, or the gypsy jazz of Homebrew Remedy. Headliners, international, underground and emerging: a spicy mishmash. Sweet in mass.

The poetry of the Festive

She was alone at the piano, in the middle of a crowded street, in a quiet little town. Overflowing even on the steps of the houses, nestled on the balconies above, festival-goers, contemplative. With a faded purple cap and short, slightly tangled hair, Klô Pelgag charmed the gallery, unpretentiously, whispering her poetry, bursting forth cries from the heart. Her melancholy, in captivated silence.

At the Parc de la Virevolte, in a cocoon made of wood, like a beaver's hut, Ingrid Saint-Pierre took refuge with her lover, the percussionist, and his musicians. Sitting on crates, under the drizzle, the spectators were nestled against each other, very close. Sunny in her vaporous dress, the singer revealed the power of gentleness. With a disarming intimacy, a fragile and luminous voice, she took us under her wings. Her words skillfully sing the beauty of the world.

And at the end of the road, the wind rippled on the fingers of Jean-Michel Blais who caressed the grand black grand piano, against the backdrop of the sea. At the mouth of the River, on the shoals and in the water, the crowd gathered, fell silent, spellbound. The notes traveled so well in the salty air. And the virtuoso blended into this moving setting. A communion to the sound of the rustling waves. A suspended moment, out of time. Magical and poetic.

Humanist and ecological values that shine through

“ What really gets me going are moments like Jean-Michel Blais at the quay… or a surprise show by a Polish band in the yard of someone who’s playing along. We want to keep that essence!” That’s the kind of goal pursued by the founder, general and artistic director of Festif. “A festival isn’t just about music, it’s also a celebration. There’s so much behind the shows themselves, it’s an incredible experience.”

"At festivals, we mostly remember the atmosphere, this way of experiencing music. With the proximity, we experience something with the artist, but also with the audience. It's a question of emotions." He wants more than anything to preserve the experience on a human scale and the intimate, out-of-the-ordinary events. "We already did Klô Pelgag in a field and the producer next door said his cows had freaked out!"

Clément Turgeon is a former street worker, a youth worker. The human and social side is important. The community side too. So he involves local businesses, he makes sure that residents are happy, he integrated a school component year-round to network and introduce young people to culture, and during the pandemic, he created the Tournée des portes and the Tournée des résidences to continue to offer music to people. "The secret to success? A community that supports us. When we do new projects, we always try to do them in connection with the community." He's a real guy with a heart. And his values are reflected in his festival, known for being atypical, but also committed and warm.

He is very proud of his fourteenth edition. "We are experiencing a memorable Festif": 105 artists, 47,000 people, a tight-knit organization, without a hitch, satisfied festival-goers, happy businesses and a city already back on its feet. Indeed, the festival has a solid sustainable development policy: GHG offsetting, zero waste, almost no printed matter (you have to download a mobile application), entirely pedestrian, with shuttles between sites, carpooling encouraged; circular economy beers, reusable or biodegradable tableware and drinking water stations to fill water bottles; cigarette butt recovery stations; awareness workshops; a 100% local food offering, with culinary pop-ups from local restaurants and bulk food for the artists in the dressing rooms. Festival-goers even have to sign a commitment promise. On Friday, there is a riverbank clean-up activity, with the Valaire band.

A beautiful model of success. A young entrepreneur who knew how to anchor his values within his project. Festif is acidic, bitter, sweet and really very sweet .