Katy Perry, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Jean-Louis Aubert, Mika, and Interpol … oh, and Auracast were all on the bill for this year’s Festival des Vieilles Charrues.
The French music festival – whose name means The Old Ploughs – returned for its 34th year over four days.
Originally a fair by the water, with activities including boot throwing and plough pulling (hence the name), it has since expanded to become a full-on musical event. A move from its original location to the town of Carhaix meant the end of plough pulling; instead, the stage became the focal point for the event.
The event has since moved to its new home, and attracts up to 55,000 festivalgoers each day, with many opting to camp, wear fancy dress and have a whale of a time.
Les Vielles Charrues has become a firm fixture in the French calendar and attracts people mostly from the 18-30 age bracket.
This year’s festival ran from July 16-19, in Carhaix-Plouguer, Brittany.
Like many festivals, it takes its commitment to accessibility seriously, offering support for people who need a bit of extra help. Organisers say that around 900 such people are “welcomed with care and kindness”, with a team of 100 volunteers, including nurses and educators, on hand.
Benefits include a reserved parking area, raised platforms for viewing the concerts, and practical support such as earplugs, survival blankets, chairs, medical fridges, and charging stations.
There are around six million people in France who have issues with hearing, and for those attending the festival who need help to hear, Les Vielles Charrues had three measures in place.
Five vibrating vests were available. These vests, also used in the Eurovision Song Contest, turn sound into vibrations and help people with visual impairments, reduced mobility, cognitive issues, and hearing impairments to experience the music like never before.
For those with Telecoils, Les Vielles Charrues made hearing loops available: a portable loop was on hand for one-to-one communications, while each stage had a Telecoil area. Four receiver units were available as well.
And, for the first time, Les Vielles Charrues used Auracast on the Glenmor stage, using the AuraGate solution.
Its website stated (translation): “This new solution complements the existing accessibility features to provide an even more comfortable and inclusive experience”.
The installation was managed by Neora, a French AV company that specialises in Auracast. Its website promises turnkey solutions for venues.
GN Hearing France was among those present for the event.
In a post on social media, they noted: “For ReSound Vivia patients, the experience was complete: pure, immersive and uncompromising sound, directly in their hearing aids via the ReSound Smart 3D app.”
We’re delighted that another festival has been equipped with Auracast and hope that this leads to other festivals making this a standard going forward.
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