The very mention of its name takes us back in time, and reminds us of the extent to which the Fête de l'Humanité has stood the test of time, establishing itself over the years as France's most popular annual event .
Every September, for three days, this musical and festive event opens its doors to thousands of festival-goers, eager to hear the artists programmed for the occasion. The Pink Floyd, Joan Baez, The Who, Chuck Berry, Léo Ferré, Ray Charles, Johnny Hallyday, Nina Hagen, Noir Désir, La Mano Negra, Carlos Santana and Patti Smith are just some of the countless artists who have already had the honor of gracing one of the stages at the Fête de l'Humanité. But there's much more to the event than concerts. Far from it. The Fête de l'Huma is a multicultural event where exhibitions, cinema, circus and theater also have their place. And of course, the Fête de l'Humanité is above all characterized by its militancy, marked by numerous debates.
Last year, the Fête de l'Humanité left its historic site in Seine-Saint-Denis and moved to Essonne, France, so we thought we'd take a look back at the history and origins of this popular musical festival.
It all began when Marcel Cachin, director of the newspaper l'Humanité from 1918 to 1958, devised an event to support the Communist daily. The Fête de l'Humanité was held for the very first time on September 7, 1930, in the Parc Sacco et Vanzetti, in Bezons, Val-d'Oise.
At the time, this popular festival was an opportunity to make repeated calls for workers' unity and the Popular Front. The event featured a number of stalls, lotteries, theater, brass bands and sports, including basketball and the famous sack races.
Shows soon took on greater prominence. In 1935, for example, the Fête de l'Huma hosted Jacques Prévert's musical " Vive la presse ". In 1937, the festival opened its doors to French Cancan and singer-actress Marianne Oswald. A year later, Charles Trenet took part. While the Fête de l'Humanité was the first in France to introduce microphones for shows in 1935, the event organized its first major concerts in 1936 during the Popular Front. The event proved a great success, with attendance exceeding the 300,000 mark that year.
After an enforced pause between 1939 and 1944 due to the Second World War, the Fête de l'Humanité asserted the need to rebuild France, and attendance hit a new record with a million people gathered in 1945 in the Bois de Vincennes.
Then, with the advent of the Cold War, the Fête de l'Human ité was placed under the aegis of peace. Among other things, the popular event denounced the crimes of French imperialism. The growing number of wars in the world between 1950 and 1975 also prompted the Fête de l'Human ité to take sides, notably against the Indochina and Vietnam wars.
It was also during this period that restaurants were set up on the event site. By 1951, there were over 300 stands. What else was new? The vignette-bon de soutien au journal l'Humanité was created in 1952, while several major exhibitions were held in 1966, featuring works by Picasso and Fernand Léger.
Then, in the early 1970s, the famous debates between communists, socialists and left-wing radicals were held on the stands.
At the same time, the Fête de l'Huma pursued its major campaigns, such as the release of Angela Davis and Nelson Mandela, or support for Ireland in the presence of Bobby Sands' brother in 1981. The event also opened up to more surprising worlds, such as fashion. In 1988, the festival welcomed the Yves Saint-Laurent fashion show to the Grande Scène!
1999 marked a turning point, as l'Humanité ceased to be the central organ of the PCF. From then on, the Fête de l'Huma set out to establish itself as a major event for social movement players to meet and exchange ideas. In the 2000s, the Fête de l'Humanité became a huge gathering of the social and political left. NGOs, associations, trade unions and other political forces are all welcome, and the Fête de l'Huma now sees itself as a place where social struggles and international solidarity converge.
Since its creation in 1930, the Fête de l'Humanité has regularly changed venue: Bezons, Bois de Vincennes, Montreuil, Meudon, not forgetting of course La Courneuve; its historic site. The move to Essonne in 2022 marks a new turning point in the history of this festival, which is determined to remain France's biggest popular event!
Fête de l'Huma 2024: MC Solaar, Pomme, Tiken Jah Fakoly... join the program
The Fête de l'Humanité is back. The event, organized every year by the newspaper L'Humanité, will take place on Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September 2024 at the former air base 217 at Plessis-Pâté, in the heart of Essonne! On the program? Calogero, rapper SCH, artists Jain and Santa, producer Vladimir Cauchemar, the talented Angélique Kidjo, not forgetting rapper MC Solaar, famous artist Pomme and the ever-popular Tiken Jah Fakoly! [Read more]
Official website
fete.humanite.fr
Fête de l'Huma 2024: MC Solaar, Pomme, Tiken Jah Fakoly... join the program
