Blues sur Seine

Blues sur Seine: The Blues at the Heart of the Seine Valley

Blues sur Seine was born in 1999 in the Mantois region, a multicultural host land in the Yvelines, from the desire to keep the tradition of blues and African-American music alive in the western Île-de-France region. For over twenty-five years, this traveling festival has irrigated the Seine Valley every autumn, transforming theaters, concert halls, media libraries, schools, and alternative venues into blues stages.

A Traveling Festival in Twelve Towns

Traveling is at the heart of Blues sur Seine's identity. The festival unfolds in a dozen municipalities in the Yvelines: Achères, Andrésy, Aubergenville, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Follainville-Dennemont, Fontenay-Saint-Père, Guerville, Limay, Mantes-la-Jolie, Mantes-la-Ville, Mézy-sur-Seine, Les Mureaux, Poissy. This geographical dissemination allows it to reach a large and diverse audience, going out to meet residents in their neighborhoods and towns.

An Exceptional Program

Throughout its editions, Blues sur Seine has hosted internationally renowned artists: Ana Popovic, Lizz Wright, Ben l'Oncle Soul, Faada Freddy, Alela Diane, Bjørn Berge, Too Many Zooz, and many others. The program embraces blues in all its diversity—traditional blues, blues-rock, soul, gospel, funk, African-American music—while also opening up to world music and emerging artists through the Tremplin Révélation Blues sur Seine (Blues Revelation Springboard).

Much More Than a Concert Festival

Blues sur Seine is distinguished by its social and educational commitment. Every year, the festival organizes numerous initiatives in schools, musical workshops, conferences, and screenings, reaching thousands of students. The BD Blues Award recognizes a comic strip related to the blues. Photographic and artistic exhibitions mark the festival's journey. The Tracteur Blues (Blues Tractor), a nomadic spring event, extends the festival's spirit throughout the year.

International Recognition

Blues sur Seine has received the Keeping the Blues Alive award from the Blues Foundation of Memphis (Tennessee), a prestigious distinction that recognizes the festival's exceptional commitment to the preservation and dissemination of the blues worldwide.