{{Infobox music festival | name = We Love Green | image = | genre = Musique Indépendante, Indie, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, Dance, Electronique |location = Plaine de Saint Hubert, Bois de Vincennes, Paris (since 2016) | years_active = Since 2016 | capacity = Debut: 40,000 / day (Capacity: Plaine de Saint Hubert, Bois de Vincennes) | founded = 2010 | founders = Marie Sabot<ref name=LeMonde2017>{{Cite web|title=Marie Sabot : « We Love Green, ce n'est ni du vernis ni du "green washing" »|website=M le magazine du Monde|date=2017-06-07|author=Aurore Merchin|access-date=2017-06-07|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/femmes-a-part/article/2017/06/07/marie-sabot-we-love-green-ce-n-est-ni-du-vernis-ni-du-green-washing_5139808_5102575.html}}</ref> (director)<br>Emmanuel de Buretel{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz|2018|p=89}} | organised = Because Group (Because Music, Corida), We Love Art, Sony Music | website = http://www.welovegreen.fr | logo = Logo2016Welovegreen.png }}
'''''We Love Green''''' is a French electro-pop music festival organized in Paris since 2010, taking place in June.
== History ==
Marie Sabot founded We Love Art in the mid-2000s with Alexandre Jaillon (Trax). This organization allowed for the hosting of events and nights related to art, music, or commercial brand promotion.{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz|2018|p=89}} A few years later, in 2011, the festival, primarily featuring electronic music, was launched at parc de Bagatelle 13,000 attendees.{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz|2018|p=89}} Year after year, the musical lineup diversified as the festival moved to Bois de Vincennes. In 2018, the festival had a permanent team of about fifteen people and a budget of €4.6 million.{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz|2018|pp=90, 91}} Despite minimal subsidies, it remained unprofitable and challenging to organize due to logistical issues imposed by the protected site of Bois de Vincennes.{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz2018|p=90}}
In July 2025, the festival was acquired by the Combat group and AEG Presents France, who take an 80% stake. We Love Art and Because retain a 20% share.<ref>{{Cite web|language=fr-FR |title=Le festival We Love Green racheté par Matthieu Pigasse et AEG {{!}} Les Inrocks |url=https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/concert/le-festival-we-love-green-rachete-par-matthieu-pigasse-et-aeg-677217-24-07-2025/|access-date=2025-07-24}}</ref>
== Concept ==
The festival was launched to demonstrate that it is possible to combine major musical events with environmental respect, a concept integrated from the start.<ref name=LeMonde2017/><ref name=PWE>{{Cite news|author1=Tanneguy de Kerpoisson |title=Spécial festivals : la révolution verte |work=Le Parisien Week-end|number=23253 (supplement) |date=2019-06-07|pages=40–42}}</ref> It is organized by the event communication agency We Love Art founded by Marie Sabot, the music label Because] represented by Emmanuel de Buretel, and the tour organizer Corida.<ref name=Figaro2012>{{Cite news|first1=Raphaël|last1=Bosse-Platière|title=We Love Green : le festival où musique rime avec nature|work=Le Figaro|date=2012-09-11|issn=0182-5852|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/sortir-paris/2012/09/11/03013-20120911ARTFIG00589-we-love-green-le-festival-o-musique-rime-avec-nature.php|access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> The team strives to implement good environmental and energy practices already widespread abroad into the festival; the goal is to then spread these practices through the technicians employed for the event. The organization also aims to raise awareness among festival-goers about these issues.<ref name=PWE/> The themes explored include both waste management and sustainable food for the festival-goers, and powered by a renewable energy supply. Additionally, the festival reserves spaces for associations engaged in these issues<ref name=Figaro2012/> and since 2015, an entire stage dedicated to interventions and debates on ecological transition.<ref name=LeMonde2017/>
== Attendance ==
{| class="wikitable alternance" style="text-align:left; display:inline-table;" |- ! Year !! Attendants |- |2011 |{{formatnum:13000}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://business.lesechos.fr/entrepreneurs/communaute/030369765838-quand-un-festival-se-veut-incubateur-de-jeunes-pousses-310380.php|title=Le festival We love Green se veut incubateur de jeunes pousses|website=Les Échos|author=Martine Robert|date=2017|access-date=2021-05-06}}</ref> |- |2014 |{{formatnum:22700}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latribune.fr/green-business/l-actualite/20140603trib000833183/gaspillage-alimentaire-phenix-trouve-une-seconde-vie-solidaire-aux-invendus.html|title=Gaspillage alimentaire : Phenix trouve une seconde vie solidaire aux invendus|website=La Tribune|author=Baptiste Roux|year=2014|access-date=2021-05-06}}</ref> |- |2016 |{{formatnum:47000}}<ref name="monde16">{{Cite news|first1=Stéphane|last1=Davet|title=De PNL à PJ Harvey, édition majuscule pour We Love Green|work=Le Monde.fr|date=2016-06-06|issn=1950-6244|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/2016/06/06/de-pnl-a-pj-harvey-edition-majuscule-pour-we-love-green_4938447_1654986.html|access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> |- |2017 |{{formatnum:58000}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Le-festival-We-Love-Green-offre-Bjork-tete-affiche-2017-11-22-1300894025|title=Le festival We Love Green s'offre Bjork en tête d'affiche|website=La croix|date=2017|access-date=2021-05-06|archive-date=2021-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505225254/https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Le-festival-We-Love-Green-offre-Bjork-tete-affiche-2017-11-22-1300894025|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- |2018 |{{formatnum:74000}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/we-love-green-toujours-plus-ecolo-pour-sa-huitieme-edition-20190531|title=We Love Green: toujours plus écolo pour sa huitième édition|website=Le Figaro|author=Robin Cannone|date=2019|access-date=2021-05-06}}</ref> |- |2019 |{{formatnum:80000}}<ref name="franceinfrep">{{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/electro/covid-19-le-festival-francilien-we-love-green-reporte-a-septembre_4609559.html|title=Covid-19 : le festival francilien We Love Green reporté à septembre|website=France Info|date=2021|access-date=2021-05-06}}</ref> |- |2022 |{{formatnum:100000}}<ref>{{Cite web|first=Eugene |last=bousque |title=L'instant culture - We Love Green 2022 |url=https://www.kidur.fr/we-love-green/ |website=Kidur |date=2022-06-10|access-date=2023-02-16}}</ref> |- |2023 |{{formatnum: 93000}}<ref>https://www.linternaute.com/musique/festivals/1454020-we-love-green-2023-le-bilan-et-les-photos-du-festival/</ref> |- |2024 |{{formatnum:110000}} |}
== Editions ==
The represented musical styles are primarily electro, pop rock, and hip-hop.{{sfn|Géniés|Hoëz|2018|p=88}}
== Controversies ==
=== Impact on Biodiversity ===
Christine Nédélec, president of the ecological association France Nature Environnement Paris, denounces the ecological inconsistency of the festival within Vincennes Wood, classified as a Zone of Ecological, Fauna, and Flora Interest. She accuses the festival of greenwashing practices.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|author=Eléonore Disdero |title=We Love Green, le festival écolo qui gâche la forêt ? |url=https://www.liberation.fr/environnement/biodiversite/we-love-green-le-festival-ecolo-qui-gache-la-foret-20230602_UYRVFRJ7VJHVTHT53WLUK44NAE/|website=Libération |date=2023-06-02|access-date=2023-06-02}}</ref> She highlights the impact of the festival on biodiversity, which includes over 300 wild species of lichens and mushrooms, nearly 500 wild plants, and 959 wild animals. She criticizes the presence of tens of thousands of festival-goers and the acoustic impact with sound levels reaching up to 102 decibels.<ref name=":0" />
The organizers claim to have conducted an impact study with Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (League for the Protection of Birds), but they have not published the results. The LPO recommends "large-scale research on reproduction" to truly assess its impact and advocates for a date change. The month of June "coincides with the bird reproduction period"<ref name=":0" /> at a time when "nearly half of the world's bird species are in decline".<ref>{{Cite web|title=La moitié des espèces d'oiseaux en déclin dans le monde, alerte l'ONG BirdLife |url=https://www.liberation.fr/environnement/biodiversite/la-moitie-des-especes-doiseaux-en-declin-dans-le-monde-alerte-long-birdlife-20220928_R6MCOSWP7FAP5FFPGISUTT35TM/ |website=Libération |access-date=2023-06-05}}</ref>
Marie Sabot considers it "difficult" to change the festival dates because they are scheduled in consultation with the industry to avoid competition with Solidays at the end of June, Lollapalooza Paris in July, Rock en Seine in August and September, and the Fête de l'Humanité.<ref name=":0" /> She believes she does not have "the decision-making power".<ref name=":0" />
In spring 2023, We Love Green commissioned an annual impact study on the flora and fauna of Bois de Vincennes in response. The festival follows the recommendations from the Paris City Hall.
Marie-Noëlle Bernard, head of the local branch of ''Groupe national de surveillance des arbres'' (the National Tree Monitoring Group) and the collective ''Sauvons le Bois de Vincennes'' (Save Vincennes Wood), points out the responsibility of the Paris City Hall, which manages the woods and selected this location for the festival following a call for projects in 2016. The 12th arrondissement of Paris subsidizes ''We Love Green'' and the ''Peacock Society Festival'' to the tune of €22,000. In return, the city hall receives a fee equivalent to 8% of its revenue under a public domain occupancy agreement, amounting to between €200,000 and €300,000.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|author=Cyril Peter |title=Le festival écolo We Love Green «n'est pas encore rentable» |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/economie/le-festival-ecolo-we-love-green-n-est-pas-encore-rentable-09-05-2018-7706643.php |website=Le Parisien |date=2018-05-11|access-date=2023-06-05}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
=== Press === * {{Cite news|first1=Bernard | last1 = Géniés|first2=Frantz | last2 = Hoëz|title=Le rock, c'est bio|work=Le Nouvel Obs|number=2795 |date=2018-05-31|pages=88–91|issn=0029-4713}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.welovegreen.fr/ Official site]
Category:Electronic music festivals in France