Biarritz en Été

Biarritz en Été: A Fleeting but Memorable Festival

The festival Biarritz en Été was born in 2018 with the ambition to create a new cultural highlight for the summer in Biarritz. This ambitious project, born from the collaboration between the City of Biarritz, the contemporary music center Atabal, and the artistic agency Super!, offered an original formula combining music, Basque culture, and eco-responsibility.

The Cité de l'Océan and Milady

The festival took over two complementary sites:

• Gardens of the Cité de l'Océan: The main stages hosted evening concerts in an exceptional setting overlooking the ocean
• Milady Village: During the day, a free space dedicated to Basque culture, culinary heritage, surf culture, and local music collectives

A Promising First Edition

The inaugural edition in July 2018 brought together around forty artists on two stages over three days (July 20-22). The lineup included headliners like Phoenix and Etienne Daho, in various genres: pop, electro, hip-hop, and rock. The freely accessible Milady Village allowed it to reach a family and local audience.

A Sudden Cancellation

The second edition, planned from July 19 to 21, 2019, was canceled on May 23, 2019, by the organizers for financial reasons. The municipality described this cancellation as "inexcusable on the part of professionals." In response, the City of Biarritz organized additional evenings as part of the "Jeudis de l'Océan" and a large free concert on July 10 on the Côte des Basques in collaboration with Atabal.

A Cultural Legacy

Despite its short duration, Biarritz en Été helped affirm Biarritz's musical vocation and demonstrated the public's appetite for quality musical events in an exceptional natural setting. The momentum created fostered the emergence of other festivals like Ocean Fest.