La Nuit de l'Erdre — Festival of contemporary music in Nort-sur-Erdre

Born from a village festival in 1998

In 1998, Michel Leclerc, president of the Nort-sur-Erdre Festival Committee, decided to celebrate the association's 50th anniversary by organizing a concert during the July 14th fireworks. Tri Yann took the stage in front of 5,843 spectators at the town's lake. The experience was repeated in the following years with Michel Fugain and then Axelle Red. In 2001, the event reached a new milestone by programming three artists—including Matmatah—on the same evening, officially becoming a festival. In 2004, it adopted the name La Nuit de l'Erdre and welcomed Yannick Noah to a crowd of 9,644 festival-goers.

From the lake to Parc du Port Mulon

In 2006, the festival moved to Parc du Port Mulon, a 5-hectare green space on the banks of the Erdre, offering much greater development possibilities. Under the presidency of Marc Jolys, the event became more professional while retaining its associative and volunteer spirit. The arrival of Olivier Tenailleau in programming in 2007 helped expand the lineup with nationally and internationally renowned artists.

Key milestones followed: expanding to two days in 2011 with Jean-Louis Aubert and Louis Bertignac (16,000 festival-goers), creating the mascot monkey and two alternating stages in 2012 with Manu Chao (20,000 festival-goers), and then adding a third day in 2018 for the 20th anniversary with Shaka Ponk (45,000 festival-goers).

A must-attend festival

Since 2022, La Nuit de l'Erdre has expanded to four days and two main stages—the Scène Maki and the Scène Gorilla—hosting major French and international artists. The 2022 edition marked a turning point with 93,000 festival-goers and a lineup featuring Angèle and Orelsan. In 2023, the festival surpassed the symbolic mark of 100,000 festival-goers with Phoenix and Lomepal, becoming the largest independent and associative festival in the Pays de la Loire region.

In 2024, the event confirmed its status with 97,000 festival-goers, 2,048 volunteers, and 6,000 campers, notably featuring Sum 41 and Bigflo & Oli.

An associative and committed model

La Nuit de l'Erdre is driven by a 100% independent non-profit organization (loi 1901), far from the commercial logic of major entertainment groups. Approximately 2,000 volunteers organized into 28 committees bring the festival to life throughout the year. The association advocates for access to culture for all with attractive prices, free entry for under-11s, and the "Le Tremplin" initiative, which provides visibility to emerging local artists.

Environmental commitment is reflected in reusable cups, selective waste sorting, a green brigade for awareness, partnerships with SNCF and TER to reduce car usage, and a cashless payment system called Monkey launched in 2018.