Can you brief us on the Nuits Sonores Festival?

The festival has been in existence since 2003. It is a festival dedicated to electronic culture, digital culture and independent music. It takes place over five days in May.We present 250 artists, half from the International scene, 30/40% from the regional scene and of course some French artists as well. The artists come from the independent rock scene, hip hop scene and of course the electronic scene. We have a more prominent digital culture now which includes visual creation. Nuits Sonores is constantly increasing; it hosted 15,000 people in its infancy, however has hosted 80,000 for the past 2 years. 10/15% of visitors are international; annually the concert is sold out.

What is the hallmark of this Festival?

This is an urban festival which takes place in over 60 locations within the city. It is the originality of Nuits Sonores, because the other big festivals are held in parks outside of cities. People come to the festival to feel the energy of Lyon and discover the city differently in the most unusual places. For 10 years, we have chosen places like the Rhone swimming pool, industrial factories such as SLI in the 9^th district, the roof of Perrache, Market station or the ice Charlemagne.

Outside the Festival, does Lyon offer an interesting musical background?

Lyon has an important creative scene which is particularly diverse. It offers a rich choice of concert halls, from small concert rooms to large venues. These include Grrrnd Zero, le Sonic, l'Epicerie Moderne, la salle du Marché Gare, le Ninkasi and the Transbordeur. Lyon is not only known for its football and cuisine, but also its music scene, visual design and contemporary art. Lyon is truly a city that moves.

Photo Credits in the video : Brice Robert, Denis Chaussende, Nicolas Darthial