Under the Spotlight: Sarcus Festival

Phones are locked away, guests and artists are asked to travel by rail rather than fly and the goal is to create a renewable experience which excels and represents the very best of underground music culture.

Oh and then there’s the music. This year they’ve booked the likes of Bambounou, Luca Lozano, Jane Fitz, Jamie Tiller, Voiski and many more.

We invited the crew to record a mixtape and show us all about the sound of the festival, whilst they reflect on what makes Sarcus so special.

More details HERE and tickets HERE.

– Sara, living arts programmer

Describe the original concept behind Sarcus Festival and what does it personally mean to you?

At the beginning, when I got into Sarcus, it was a small team, quite young, whose commitments were only beginning to rise. We were not friends, we spent time together because we wanted to party differently, to offer different types of music and live performances. And because we worked together, we became closer to each other and started to debate and to grow up together in our awareness in sustainability, feminism, digital sobriety, etc (even if we wouldn’t – and still don’t – always agree).

Sarcus means to me a welcoming place with people I’ve learned to love, where I’ve grown a lot, just as much as the festival did.

How would you say it has evolved and of which elements are you most proud to have seen grow?

It has evolved in many ways. At the beginning of Sarcus, it was huge to see it growing, as well as the evolutions of our own reflections and awareness about the environment, what we wanted to see on stage, the way we wanted to party, etc.

I am proud to have seen a concept developing into something concrete : our engagement for the environment – the way everyone in the team felt very concerned about it, and how much it can raise awareness for festival-goers to take care of it. It shows that if the organizers take an issue seriously, it can change the way people party – and that’s something that we have to do for violence, inclusion and discrimination in our speech and actions as well.

As the performing arts programmer, I’m proud to see the Indri Scene grow (the scene dedicated to performing arts), which didn’t exist at first. I feel lucky for the special relationship we have with the artists. It is still a small scene and we have a lot to improve, which is a nice challenge to have !

Why is It so important that your festival is environmentally friendly and pro active in this initiative?

Because we can’t do otherwise in the current context, especially in the music and live performance industry, which have a heavy environmental impact. We can’t pretend to reconnect to human beings and nature if we don’t respect them. It pushes us to question our personal commitments.

There is a real ethos of detachment from technology set around the festival, the no phones policy plays into this, why is this important?

When we feel lonely, our first instinct is to look at our phone, without enjoying the simple fact of being here. It’s incredible to see how much people are scared to be away from their phone. Being disconnected forces us to go out of our comfort zone, it helps us to go out there and meet new people. So many of us met people at the festival thanks to that, when they were lost (and drunk !). And, of course, it feels great to enjoy a play or a show without watching it through the smartphone of the guy who’s in front of you !

From an artistic perspective how would you define the festival?

The Indri scene has always been driven by the desire to promote emerging artists, just like Noé did with musical programming. We seek to showcase artistic performances that one would not usually see in institutions or mainstream music festivals. The point is not to bring institution-based theatre to the festival, (as the audience is not necessarily familiar with classic theater), but to find performances that integrate the festival’s natural and wonderful site. It also creates an atmosphere in which there is always something or someone that can entertain/surprise the audience. Moreover, festival-goers rarely come to Sarcus to see a specific performance – and that’s where the wonderful stuff can happen… One day, someone told us that they had only come for the music and that their best memory of the festival was a drama performance.

This year, we can say that the lineup travels throughout music, cabaret, drama, dance, poetry —  always with an inclusive and poetic perspective. Even if there is a scene dedicated to the performing arts, you will find shows all over the festival during Saturday, in unexpected places !

How would you describe the festival in three words?

Hybrid, welcoming and experimental.

– Léo, head of sustainability

Describe the original concept behind Sarcus Festival and what does it personally mean to you?

The original concept of Sarcus is a three-day time frame where you can be with people you know and don’t, and feel free, in symbiosis with music and nature. To me, it means offering people an escape from their everyday life, which can be as rich as cutting off the outside world.

How would you say it has evolved and of which elements are you most proud to have seen grow?

A festival, by definition, is constantly evolving in many ways. I’d say we have always worked hard on providing a genuine experience. Through the lineup, the activities, and the site we are growing in, with local providers, with the artists, and with a team that is more of a community today. If people say that they experienced a one-of-a-kind festival this year, we would be proud of that.

Why is It so important that your festival is environmentally friendly and proactive in this initiative?

It’s not only important, it is necessary. First, to always match with our values as a team. Secondly, to know for sure that what we are doing is not impacting the environment in a negative way. Finally, to try and share with people what can be done by all at our level and why it’s important. We’re lucky to be in a surrounding where nature takes it all, and it comes naturally to the people there to respect it.

There is a real ethos of detachment from technology set around the festival, the no phones policy plays into this, why is this important?

It’s really important to create a setting where people can be free from technology, which has become more of a compulsive habit than a beneficial tool. Technology is now everywhere, sometimes you don’t even realize it, and people won’t turn it off of their own will. But once you are detached from it, you can actually be around other people, be yourself and really be aware of what’s happening around you.

From a musical perspective, how would you define the festival?

Sarcus is all about music discovery and creation in the electronic music landscape. For many years, the festival has focused on the local scene. Today, it seems that it doesn’t need so much help in reaching out to more people, so we are opening the lineup to international artists. It’s also a way to open even more the paths of musical discovery and let experiences be even more unique.

How would you describe the festival in three words?

Respectful, creative, human

Do you feel any other festivals offer a similar or like-minded experience to that of Sarcus?

It seems that more festivals are trying to commit to something (sustainability, artistic vision, human value…) and it’s a good thing. But it’s not easy yet to find a festival that does it all. I’d say that Boom in Portugal is a great example but it’s been here for more than ten years so… 🙂

This year you are keen to broaden the audience, why so?

It’s very difficult for a festival to break even, it can take a few years. This year, broadening the audience is a way to develop many investments we are making for people to always get the best ecological, human and artistic experience. But that would be the limit, if we were to broaden it more, we wouldn’t be following our values and ecological engagements.