Festival Sitaara

Festival Sitaara: Where France and India Meet in Music in Courbevoie

Sitaara – "star" in Hindi – is the poetic name chosen for this unique festival born in 2023 in Courbevoie. Founded by Yvana and Gamil, two enthusiasts of Franco-Indian cultures, Sitaara is an open-air event that unites France and India for a bohemian, bucolic, and sensory evening in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department.

A Place Steeped in History: Parc de Bécon and its Pavillon des Indes

The festival takes place in the open-air theatre of Parc de Bécon, a few meters from the Pavillon des Indes, an emblematic monument of Courbevoie from the 1878 Universal Exhibition. This pavilion, restored thanks to long-term collective effort, is the living symbol of the historical link between France and the Indian subcontinent. The festival's first edition in 2023 coincided with the 10th anniversary of the restoration of the Pavillon des Indes, thus anchoring Sitaara in the city's cultural heritage.

Parc de Bécon, located at 156 boulevard Saint-Denis, offers a green and peaceful setting that delightfully contrasts with the energy of the nearby La Défense district. The park's former natural amphitheater creates ideal natural acoustics for open-air concerts.

A Unique Musical Fusion: Bollywood Meets French Song

The artistic heart of the festival is its unprecedented musical offering: French and Indian musicians who reinterpret iconic melodies from Bollywood and French variety music, making them dialogue through original arrangements. Under the musical direction of Jan Erdos, artists – including Sumana, Mahina Khanum, and Sérana Mesureur – weave sonic bridges between two great musical traditions, creating a hybrid language that transcends cultural borders.

Tablas and sitar intertwine with piano and guitar, Indian ragas dialogue with the harmonies of French song, and voices alternate between Hindi, French, and English in a concert lasting one to two hours that keeps the audience captivated from beginning to end.

An Immersive and Sensory Experience

Beyond the concert, Sitaara offers a complete experience:

• Free visit to the Pavillon des Indes from 6 PM, with collections evoking late 19th-century India
• Indian street food: samosas, curries, lassis, and sweets under the park's trees
• Performances of classical Indian dance preceding the concert
• Craft and Indian product stalls

A Festival Supported by the City of Courbevoie and the Indian Embassy

From its very first edition, the Sitaara Festival has benefited from the support of the City of Courbevoie and the Embassy of India in Paris, two institutional partners who recognize this festival as a vector for intercultural dialogue, fraternity, and openness to the world. This support allows it to offer accessible prices, especially for families and children.