Paco Tyson

A festival born from Nantes' electronic passion

Paco Tyson was born in April 2017, driven by two enthusiasts of the Nantes electronic scene: Julien Laffeach, aka C.H.I.C.H.I., and Nicolas Viande, founder of Sweat Lodge. The festival's name is a nod to the French proverb 'Noël au balcon, Pâques au tison' (Christmas on the balcony, Easter by the fire), as the event was initially held during the Easter holidays. Self-funded, this first edition attracted nearly 10,000 festival-goers over two nights, with three stages dedicated to house, techno, and trance/hardcore, on a site near the Chantrerie park.

Ramping up (2018-2019)

The second edition, from April 27 to 29, 2018, marked a turning point. The festival settled on the Chantrerie Grandes Écoles site, a 17-hectare estate on the banks of the Erdre river. The lineup featured legends like Laurent Garnier, Ricardo Villalobos, Ellen Allien, and Robert Hood, alongside a hundred other artists. More than 17,000 people attended. A chill zone with hip-hop, funk, disco, and jazz complemented the musical offering.

In 2019, deprived of its usual venue, the festival reinvented itself by taking over several emblematic Nantes locations from April 18 to 21: Le Lieu Unique, Le Warehouse, Le CO2, and L'Altercafé. This edition, spread across the city, hosted artists such as Infected Mushroom, Mathew Jonson, and DJ Nobu.

Reinvention and summer format

The year 2020, marked by the health crisis, saw the festival held online and the creation of the Paco Tyson Records label. In 2022, the collective launched Into the City, a 36-hour open air event on Rue du Sénégal on Île de Nantes, with after-parties at Le Warehouse.

Since 2023, Paco Tyson has transformed into a free summer festival hosted by Station Nuage on Île Forget in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire. The Blue Friday, bi-monthly evenings from May to September, and Parc O Tyson, the largest free open air event in the Nantes metropolitan area attracting up to 5,000 people, have become the essential summer gatherings in Nantes.

In 2025, the collective is co-organizing Euphoria Nantes Festival at MIN de Rien on Île de Nantes, with a Paco Tyson evening on May 30 featuring Ellen Allien, Cassius, Mac Declos, and Pureblast.

A diverse musical identity

Paco Tyson's strength lies in its ability to bring together all aesthetics of electronic music: techno, house, trance, hardcore, drum and bass, and ambient. The festival makes it a point of honor to combine international artists with emerging talents from the collectives of Western France, offering an eclectic program accessible to all audiences.