The CNM has published its early review of the 2025 festivals, and the findings are both encouraging… and brutal. Audiences are still there, the stages are running, the party is alive. But behind the figures, the business model is crumbling. Of the 947 festivals surveyed, nearly 79% say they ran into difficulties this year.…
Of the 947 festivals surveyed, nearly 79% say they ran into difficulties this year. Unsurprisingly, finances are on the front line: soaring artistic costs, rising fees, pricier production and security… It is above all the contemporary music festivals that are taking the hit. Add to that increasingly unpredictable weather, from heatwaves to storms to violent downpours, and the room for manoeuvre shrinks even further.
And yet audiences are following: an 80% fill rate, average attendance of 8,700, and even growth for one festival in two. But this collective energy is not enough: a third of events end the year with a deficit of more than 5%, despite full sites.
The sector is responding: two thirds of festivals are changing their format, adjusting capacity, lengthening or shortening their run, reconfiguring their stages. A forced adaptation rather than an artistic choice.
Fortunately, two strong signals are confirmed: a massive commitment against sexist and sexual violence, and genuine attention paid to environmental impact.
2025 confirms one truth: the public’s passion remains intact, but the festival model has reached a turning point. And if the party goes on, it comes at the cost of a balance that grows more fragile every year.
