A Very Visual Stage
With its monumental decorations, flaring flames, and post-apocalyptic atmosphere, Hellfest offers a unique playground for amateur photographers and festival-goers equipped with smartphones. Every sculpture, every scene turns into an iconic photo, a feature that explains its dominance in this ranking.
Right behind it, the Eurockéennes of Belfort entice with their concerts by the water and spectacular sunsets, a natural setting that inspires over 130,000 festival-goers each year. Finally, Rock en Seine, held in Paris within a green oasis, rounds out the top three with its elegant atmosphere and the visual creativity of its audiences.
When images become inseparable from music
Today, the festival experience goes beyond just music; it's also found online. Hashtags, stories, and TikTok videos turn a weekend of concerts into a true cultural phenomenon. Festivals have grasped this concept and are paying even more attention to their staging, decorations, and immersive installations. From Solidays, which combines commitment with grand shows, to the youthful yet already iconic Rose Festival in Toulouse, each one strives to stand out visually.
A driver for the local economy
Behind the likes and stories, there are also economic stakes. As Gabriel Destremaut, public relations manager at SumUp, points out: “Festivals attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, generating significant benefits for local businesses, restaurants, accommodations, and transportation.
locales. »Indeed, a festival, even a modest one, becomes a catalyst for the local economy. Fully booked hotels, bustling terraces, artisans and producers finding a wider audience—the impact goes far beyond just music. Many independents also seize the opportunity of festivals to offer catering, related products, or entertainment.
Methodology
To establish this ranking, SumUp counted the number of posts related to the official hashtags of each festival and cross-referenced this data with the event attendance. The verdict: the visual power of a festival often reflects its ability to attract visitors well beyond regional borders.