Le Kardinal Festival Forced to Relocate After Bans in Morbihan
The Kardinal Festival, a legal two-day electronic music gathering in France, was forced to relocate at the last minute after local authorities banned the event citing public order concerns. Originally scheduled to take place on private property in Rieux within the Morbihan department, organizers scrambled to find a secret alternative venue just days before the September 18 opening, contre-attaque.net reported.
The event was designed to comply fully with the newly introduced French legislation known as the RIPOST law. Planned for a strict capacity of 200 attendees alongside 50 staff members and volunteers, the festival featured hired private security, an on-site harm reduction booth, fire safety equipment, and portable sanitary facilities.
Local authorities block festival despite regulatory compliance
Despite meeting regulatory standards, organizers received a phone call on Monday, September 14, informing them that the event was cancelled. The mayor of Rieux stated that the local administration would bar the venue rental for the weekend, admitting directly that the festival was paying the price for illegal unauthorized gatherings elsewhere.
Local authorities, including the town hall, the prefecture, and the gendarmerie, collaborated to block the event. Organizers received pointed phone calls from gendarmes linking the private indoor festival to independent free parties and warning them that law enforcement held their personal contact numbers.
The municipal prohibition decree categorized the event as a free party taking place in a former pigsty. Officials justified the ban using preventative arguments regarding potential drug use and general public unease rather than any actual legal infraction committed by the organizers.
Surviving Enforcement Through Clandestine Operations
Facing administrative blockades, the organizing associations secured a backup location at the last minute to keep the festival alive. Fearing further state retaliation and abrupt cancellations, organizers halted all public announcements and relied exclusively on direct messaging and word-of-mouth.
The sudden relocation forced the production back into the clandestine communication methods typical of underground raves, despite the associations’ initial efforts to operate completely inside the legal framework of the RIPOST legislation.
What was the planned capacity of the Kardinal Festival?
What was the planned capacity of the Kardinal Festival?
The event was legally capped at 200 ticketed attendees, supported by 50 volunteers and organizational staff members, to comply with regulatory standards.
Which French law were the organizers attempting to follow?
The organizers structured the safety, security, and sanitary measures around the requirements of the RIPOST legislation.
Where was the festival originally supposed to take place?
The gathering was initially booked in a private rented hall in Rieux, located in the Morbihan department of France.
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