Notown Festival

Twenty-five years of independent music on the banks of the Loing

The Notown adventure began in 2000, when a group of music enthusiasts founded the Notown association in Nemours, with the ambition of creating a cultural event in a rural area of southern Seine-et-Marne, lacking major music venues. The name "Notown"—literally "no town »—claims this peripheral identity and makes the absence of a metropolis an asset rather than a handicap.

From the very first editions, the festival has been held on the lawn of the Scène du Loing, at 135 route de Moret in Nemours, a green space by the river that offers a bucolic and intimate setting. The concept is appealing: live music on two stages, an associative village, a local bar, artisanal catering, and a participatory spirit.

MusiQafon: from festival to territorial project

In 2008, the Notown association became MusiQafon to professionalize its support for cultural projects. The association works in the southern Seine-et-Marne region—Nemours, Fontainebleau, Moret-sur-Loing, Château-Landon, and their surroundings—to support residents' animation projects, especially those of young people aged 11 to 25.

At its peak in 2019, MusiQafon led and/or invested in nearly 80 projects, mobilizing 4,000 people, including a thousand young people, and reaching 20,000 inhabitants. In 2020, the association acquired a former café-restaurant in Nanteau-sur-Lunain, transformed into a community third place: the Notown Café, which serves as a bar, a cultural stage hosting concerts and exhibitions, and a social space offering workshops and activities throughout the year.

An eclectic and committed festival

The Notown Festival is distinguished by its musical eclecticism. Each edition offers a broad panorama of genres: reggae, rock, pop, French chanson, jazz, afro, soul, manouche, hip-hop, funk, world, and roots. Two stages host established bands and emerging talents, often from the associative network and MusiQafon's workshops.

Beyond music, the festival includes visual arts, performances, creative workshops, and an associative village where artisans, creators, and local stakeholders meet. This participatory dimension makes Notown an event rooted in the values of popular education and social economy.

The 25th edition: a quarter-century of Notown

In August 2025, the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special edition bringing together 25 acts that have marked Notown's history, including Holy Hamond (groove and soul), Les Vieilles Peaux (chanson), Ich Bin Wallou (funk world rock), Oxy-Moore (rock), Triple V (hip-hop), Smokin'Fuzz (soul steady), and Guive and the Ora (reggae).