La Croix: You have just taken over the presidency of Printemps de Bourges, what are your ambitions?
Gerard Lacroix: The ambition is to try to get the public to be there. Reservations have been delayed since this winter. Even if we have a clarification of the sanitary conditions, the Printemps de Bourges opens the ball of the festivals in a complicated context. Part of the population has lost the habit of going out. There are worries related to the ever-present circulation of Covid, anxiety to spend in times of economic uncertainty and anxiety over the war in Ukraine.
What can we expect for the 2022 edition?
G. L. : Find a real festival in its full dimension. It is necessary that Printemps reinvests the city, that the weather is good, that we find the festival-goers. Three creations will be presented to them, the concert program is delightful. We will have Jacques and Thomas Dutronc, Gaëtan Roussel, Vianney, Clara Luciani, Juliette Armanet, Olivia Ruiz, Pomme, Brigitte Fontaine, Albin de la Simone, Sofiane Pamart, Uèle Lamore, IAM, Michel Houellebecq… Everyone is waiting of this edition to make a new start.
→ REPORT. “Dutronc & Dutronc”: Jacques and Thomas in the countryside
What attendance do you expect after the 2019 record, with 80,000 paying spectators and 250,000 people in the city?
G. L. : We will be below this level in ticketing, between 10% and 20% less, according to our forecasts. We don’t know what the behavior of those who go out to town will be during the festival, the same I hope, especially since we are investing in the town more strongly. We will have the Demain le Printemps village on the forecourt of Saint-Étienne cathedral, with even a party at 6 p.m. for the youngest. In my opinion, we will be on an equivalent attendance for these outings. Animations in town, it is a will, an ambition.
Does the culture pass represent an important boost?
G. L. : The culture pass is very welcome for the Printemps de Bourges! Almost half of the ticket purchases for our hip-hop concerts are financed by this youth pass.
The Printemps de Bourges is also frequented by professionals who come to spot artists and launch their programme…
G. L. : This year they are very present at the rendezvous. We’ve really had our fill, with more than 2,000 pros programming far away. We reinforce the reception with debates on the future of the profession, new technologies. It is very important to strengthen the professional dimension of Printemps de Bourges, which addresses the challenges of the future, post-Covid, the digital shift which is an increasingly significant subject. The profession is changing.
→ MAINTENANCE. Printemps de Bourges: “I trust the artists to make us experience extraordinary months”
Festivals face increasing costs and a lot of uncertainty, how do you balance the budget?
G. L. : Le Printemps has an overall budget of six million euros, so the slightest shortfall can represent a lot of money. On the one hand, we are facing rising logistical costs (security and health precautions); on the other hand, we want to stay at reasonable prices, from 30 to 40 € per concert on average. We are therefore looking for partners to help us finance, they are there.
Our budget is financed by the ticket office for 30%, public subsidies for 25%, private partners for 25% and additional revenue (concessions, food stands and refreshments, etc.) for 20%. As we are not increasing the prices, we can only play on the quantity to succeed in progressing. Especially since if we sell fewer tickets, additional revenue decreases accordingly.
Is purchasing power a major concern?
G. L. : The question of purchasing power is very present among our audience. This is one of the explanations for the difficulty in bringing him back. We thought that the end of the Covid crisis and the end of health restrictions would result in an immediate acceleration in the purchase of concert tickets, this is not the case. A festival outing is a budget for young people and families! In Bourges, the price of seats is tight, but the public often comes by car, there is the price of gasoline, the restaurant before the concert, the bar after… which add to the amount of the outing.
This is the first time that we have had so few advance reservations. Ticket purchases are accelerating in these last days before the festival, and therefore perhaps we will be able to catch up on this delay, at least in part, at the very last minute. But we had never felt such anxiety.