Paléo Festival

The Paléo Festival de Nyon, usually just called Paléo, started in a small way in 1976 as the Nyon Folk Festival. It was differently located, near the Lake Geneva and had only two stages. But today it is the second biggest open-air music festival in Europe, after the Sziget Festival. Today this event has grown to include internationally known artists. It has also moved towards the field of L'Asse, accessible either by walking, bus or the Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez narrow-gauge railway.


The festival lasts six end-July days, from Tuesday to Sunday and the final main stage concert is preceded by a great firework display with music.

Since its start, 3.5 million spectators and 2500 artists have been part of the Paléo Festival (as of the 2005 edition).

Stages

The Paléo features 6 stages:

• La Grande Scène (the big stage)
• Le Chapiteau (the circus tent)
• Le Club Tent (the club tent)
• La Crique (the creak)(now called 'La Ruche')
• Le Dôme (the dome)
• FMR (regional bands and free stage)

Since 2003, the Paléo has introduced Le Village du Monde (The World Village) section. Its a whole new space reserved for an invited region of the world. This place offers the region's culture and food. It also includes Le Dôme which shows only artists from the invited region.

225,000 visitors participated to the 2007 edition (+3'800 staff).

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased on the Paléo Website. Special offers are available usually as early as November of the year preceding the next Paléo festival with discounted all-week passes. Later in Spring the official program is published and the second, slightly less discounted tickets are available. They are often sold-out very quickly. In the months preceding the festival more tickets are sold at full price.

To fight black market ticket-sale, approximately 500 one-day tickets are held-up to be sold the same day as their validity date and can be purchased either online (to be printed by the buyer) or at the festival's ticket booths.

The lineup used to be revealed on a late-April Wednesday at noon, following which, both tickets and passes would sell out within days. From the 2008 edition onwards, the lineup is unveiled one week prior to the sale, giving people plenty of time to make up their mind and thus rushing them online to get their tickets one week later. In 2009, all 220,000 tickets and passes were sold within a record 2 and half hours.

Transportation

As of the 2006 edition, the hourly buses that maitainted late-night service have been replaced by special trains on the standard CFF network. Trains run approximately every two hours. Carsharing facilities are also available.


Yearly summary

1997
Invited artists:

* Al Jarreau
* Eddy Mitchell
* IAM
* Isaac Hayes
* Jamiroquai
* Jane Birkin
* Johnny Clegg & Savuka
* Khaled
* Morcheeba
* Noa
* Noir Désir
* Pascal Obispo
* Placebo
* Shaggy
* Simple Minds
* Sinéad O'Connor
* Suzanne Vega
* Texas

For a full list see the 1997 history.

1998
Invited artists:

* Charles Trenet
* Claude Nougaro
* Dolly
* Eagle-Eye Cherry
* Faudel
* Herbie Hancock
* IAM
* Jean-Louis Aubert
* Joe Cocker
* K's Choice
* Linton Kwesi Johnson
* Louise Attaque
* -M-
* MC Solaar
* Patricia Kaas
* Portishead
* The Prodigy
* The Wailers
* Run-D.M.C.
* Stereophonics
* Yann Tiersen

For a full list see the 1998 history.

1999
Invited artists:

* Alliance Ethnik
* Ben Harper
* Celia Cruz
* Charles Aznavour
* Cheb Mami
* Fun Lovin' Criminals
* Garbage
* Gotthard
* Iggy Pop
* Stephan Eicher

For a full list see the 1999 history.

2000
Invited artists:

* Beck
* Bloodhound Gang
* Buena Vista Social Club
* Compay Segundo
* Rita Mitsouko
* Louise Attaque
* Massilia Sound System
* Mickey 3D
* Morcheeba
* Muse
* Noir Désir
* Oasis
* Patrick Bruel
* Pink Martini
* Renaud
* Saian Supa Crew

For a full list see the 2000 history.

2001
Invited artists:

* Ben Harper
* Kool & the Gang
* Lynda Lemay
* Manu Chao
* Natalia M. King
* Placebo
* Red Snapper
* St-Germain
* Texas
* The Young Gods
* Tom McRae
* Vanessa Paradis

For a full list see the 2001 history.

2002
Invited artists:

* Zucchero
* Yann Tiersen
* The Cure
* Supertramp
* Pet Shop Boys
* MC Solaar
* Jovanotti
* Noir Désir
* Indochine
* James Brown

2003
Invited artists:

* Asian Dub Foundation
* R.E.M.
* Alanis Morissette
* Ibrahim Ferrer
* Jimmy Cliff
* Massive Attack
* Nada Surf
* Renaud
* Ska-P
* The Cardigans

For a full list see the 2003 history.

This year saw the first Village du Monde. Africa was invited with Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries from that continent.

2004
Invited artists:

* Eros Ramazzotti
* Jamel Debbouze (a French comedian in the festival's only non-musical show scheduled on the main scene)
* Pascal Obispo
* Peter Gabriel
* Stephan Eicher
* Starsailor
* Texas
* Muse
* Myslovitz (From Poland)

Latin America was invited at the Village du Monde. Specifically Venezuela, Colombia, Equator, Peru and Mexico among others.

2005
In 2005, the following world-renowned artists participated at the Paléo (among many others):

* Lenny Kravitz
* George Clinton (funk musician)
* Jamiroquai
* Starsailor
* Rammstein
* IAM
* Stress (singer)
* Pink Martini
* Babylon Circus
* Franz Ferdinand

That year was considered very successful with a cool but clear weather for most the week (except some short showers on Sunday).

Asia was the region invited to the Village du Monde including China, Tibet, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan.

2006
Paléo took place from the 18th until the 23rd of July 2006 with the following artists:

* Depeche Mode
* Placebo
* The Who
* Tracy Chapman
* Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
* Pixies
* Goldfrapp
* Ziggy Marley
* HIM
* The Dandy Warhols (cancelled)
* Dub Incorporation
* Benabar
* Feeder
* The Kooks
* Indochine

Eastern Europe hosted the Village du Monde.

2007
Invited artists:

* Björk
* Muse
* Arctic Monkeys
* Jean-Louis Murat
* Rachid Taha
* Arcade Fire
* Arno
* Malouma
* Pink
* Robert Plant
* Laurent Voulzy
* Grand Corps Malade
* Joey Starr
* Stress
* Oxmo Puccino
* Daby Toure
* Zucchero
* Lynda Lemay
* Ayo
* Groundation
* Bitty Mc Lean feat. Sly & Robbie
* Tryo
* Sanseverino
* Emily Loizeau
* Gad Elmaleh
* Air
* The Young Gods
* Cassius
* Renaud
* Zazie
* Gogol Bordello
* The Locos
* La Ruda
* Tinariwen
* Michel Corboz
* Natacha Atlas
* Idir

2008
Invited artists:

* The Hives
* The Raveonettes
* Massive Attack
* Mika
* Yael Naïm
* R.E.M.
* Justice

And REM headlining the Sunday night.

2009
2009 edition of Paléo took place from the 21 to 26 July 2009. Below list includes some of the musicians who performed during the concert:

* Rodrigo Y Gabriela
* Moby
* Amy Macdonald
* Placebo
* The Ting Tings
* Kaiser Chiefs
* Tracy Chapman
* Ayo
* Gossip
* The Prodigy
* Fatboy Slim
* Pete Doherty
* TV On The Radio
* Franz Ferdinand
* Sophie Hunger
* White Lies
* Izia
* Daily Bread
* The Bianca Story
* Peter Kernel
* Girls in the Kitchen
* The V.AC.
* The Young Gods play "Woodstock"
* Ghinzu
* Pascale Picard Band
* Peter von Poehl
* The Black Box Revelation
* Yodelice
* Bonaparte
* Mama Rosin
* Thomas More Project
* Commodor
* 2manydjs
* Hugh Coltman
* Karkwa
* Naive New Beaters
* Heidi Happy
* Tim & Puma Mimi
* Brutus
* Charlie Winston
* Naive New Beaters
* Toboggan
* Josef Of The Fountain
* Santigold (ex Santogold)
* Cold War Kids
* Caravan Palace
* Grace
* Evelinn Trouble & Trespassers
* DatA
* Kate Wax
* Nancy Glowbus
* The Proteins
* Trilok Gurtu
* Anaïs
* Julien Doré
* La Chanson du Dimanche
* Dhoad Gypsies from Rajahsthan
* Masaladosa
* Kiran Ahluwalia
* Dhabi
* Olli & the Bollywood Orchestra
* Alborosie
* Omar Perry & Homegrown Band
* Takana Zion
* La Pulqueria
* Achanak
* Ska-P
* Zone Libre vs Casey & B. James
* La Pulqueria
* Tumi and the Volume
* Ska Nerfs
* Francis Cabrel
* Les Ogres de Barback
* La Grande Sophie
* Debout Sur Le Zinc
* Zedrus
* Raghunath Manet
* Karsh Kale & MIDIval Punditz
* Musafir - Gypsies of Rajasthan
* Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band
* Abd Al Malik
* Oxmo Puccino
* La Gale et Rynox
* Trip In
* Tweek

India was the region invited to the Village du Monde.

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