Cœur de Sillery

Cœur de Sillery: When Celebration Champions Inclusion

Nestled in the park of the magnificent Château de Sillery, in Épinay-sur-Orge in the Essonne region, the Cœur de Sillery festival is much more than just an outdoor concert. It is a heartfelt event – as its name suggests – dedicated to an essential cause: the inclusion of people with disabilities and the improvement of their living and care conditions.

Organized by the Fondation Franco-Britannique de Sillery (FFBS), the festival is the annual highlight of an institution committed for decades to supporting people with disabilities. Each edition aims to fund concrete projects within the Foundation's Institut Médico-Éducatif (IME), which cares for young people with disabilities. The flagship project for 2025 was the construction of a gymnasium intended to offer residents a modern space for sports and physical development.

A Prestigious Musical Lineup

To bring as many people together as possible and fulfill its charitable mission, Cœur de Sillery offers an ambitious musical program each year, featuring renowned artists primarily from the French rap, R&B, pop, and urban music scenes. The 2025 edition brought together a high-caliber lineup, including:

• Kery James, a major and committed figure in French rap
• Magic System, pioneers of Ivorian coupé-décalé
• Mokobé, the "Mali Issa" of French rap
• Nej, a revelation from the new pop-R&B scene
• KeBlack and Naza, pillars of the new rap generation
• Ronisia, a voice of French-language RnB
• Waly Dia, comedian and master of ceremonies
• Sinik, a legend of the French rap scene

This eclectic lineup allows the festival to attract a very broad audience – families, teenagers, young adults, rap connoisseurs – thereby maximizing the funds collected for the Foundation.

Château de Sillery, an Exceptional Setting

The festival's setting is one of its most precious assets. The Château de Sillery, a historic building located in the heart of a wooded park in Épinay-sur-Orge, offers an atmosphere that is both elegant and relaxed, far from anonymous large venues. The contrast between the majesty of the castle and the festive energy of the concerts creates a unique ambiance, conducive to celebration and sharing.

The castle park can accommodate several thousand festival-goers in comfortable conditions, with catering areas, rest spaces, and full accessibility for people with reduced mobility – a strong logistical commitment that illustrates the values of inclusion championed by the Foundation.

A Day from 12 PM to 10 PM for a Good Cause

The festival takes place over a single day, from 12 PM to 10 PM, from noon until the evening. This "festive day" format allows families to enjoy the event from the afternoon, with entertainment and food, before the musical program ramps up in the evening. Children under 5 enter for free, confirming the family-friendly and inclusive dimension of the event.

The proceeds from ticket sales and catering activities are entirely donated to the Fondation Franco-Britannique de Sillery, making every purchased ticket a concrete gesture of solidarity towards the people with disabilities welcomed by the IME.

A Model of Engaged Festival

Cœur de Sillery perfectly illustrates how a cultural event can serve a social and human mission. By bringing together popular artists, a quality setting, and a noble cause, the festival demonstrates that celebration can be about solidarity, and that the pleasure of a concert can also be a generous act. This model, rare in the Île-de-France festival scene, deserves to be known and supported.