Presentation

Fiesta

Around the universal theme of the Party, this new edition is an opportunity to find new ways of coming together, enabling us to escape the increasing individualisation of society. We’ll be celebrating with parades, parties, banquets, balls and carnivals. 

A highly varied programme – transforming public spaces, exhibitions, shows, theatre, dance, concerts, innovative events, participatory projects, literary encounters, debates and film – will enable every visitor, of whatever age, to share in the emotions, whether as a spectator or an active participant in the projects. 

Why Fiesta today?

While it may seem like a kind of provocation to party in a world on high-alert (war, climate crisis, etc.), the very purpose of a party is to bring about a collective effervescence that acts as an antidote to the anxiety or anger generated by today’s world. 

After these years of isolation and lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we can celebrate being together again and rebuild the joy of togetherness. A party restores and stimulates social bonds. Rather than neglecting the problems of the world, it is a celebration that is aware of environmental issues and the context.

In showcasing life in all its forms with the expression of bodies and living beings in all their diversity, a party is also a space for creation, and above all for freedom. Should we remind ourselves that it is in tyrannical regimes that we witness the prohibition of parties which are the very essence of democracy? 

The party: a northern tradition

The reason for choosing the term “Fiesta”, which is more closely associated with Spain and hence the Mediterranean or Latin America for example, is to show how welcoming the north is, and how attentive it is to the south. What’s more, it is to say that a party represents an openness to the world, not the inward assertion of a region or an identity.

The party: A unifying tool

As in its previous seasons on a theme, lille3000 will gather together some major facilities, museums, operas, orchestras, conservatories and music schools, theatres, choreographic centres, performance halls and artistic communities to address this major new theme. It will lend its support to the districts of Lille, the municipalities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the Hauts-de-France region, working closely with them to build together a programme of joyful, festive and unifying events that will showcase associations, artists, communities and residents.

The purpose of these major events is to open up the artistic presentations to as many people as possible in order to capture audiences or, more broadly, populations who may feel alienated from the conventional venues of culture.

lille3000 designs the events it organises as if they were instruments for sharing culture, not only by introducing the local population to artistic creation in a very warm and friendly way, but also by involving them in a process of appropriation and creation, without compromising the excellence of the artistic presentations. 

The party: A source of inspiration

One of the interests of the topical lille3000 events is to provide a cross-sectional view focused on a theme. In this respect, the 2025 event is particularly fruitful because it has resulted in the mobilisation of a number of artists, often rarely showcased in France, who have taken over the “fiesta” in their own way.

It’s hardly surprising that this theme resonates in Spain, Portugal and Brazil (lille3000 is playing an active role in the France-Brazil season which also starts in April 2025) but also in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 2025 edition is designed around major events:

  • The opening parade in Lille on Saturday 26 April 2025
  • Large-scale exhibitions
  • Art in the urban space
  • Participatory projects

Thanks to the success of Utopia in the summertime, we are maintaining the spring-summer dates. This allows us to strengthen the position of the city of Lille, Lille European Metropolis and the Hauts-de-France region as a tourist hotspot, as well as targeting residents who stay at home during the summer holidays.


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