Dancing along the Seine in Paris

Just put this in your calendar for next year

Tell me I'm going to Paris and I'm intensely happy. Also add that I get to go to a festival there for three days and then we have the perfect equation for a happy Elke. The two things I might love the most in life, when we're not talking about family and friends for a moment, are Paris and music. And especially discovering new music. I can look forward to my latest Discover Weekly on Spotify, but how cool is it if that can just be live? In Paris, no less.

Rock en Seine was my destination last weekend, along with 110,000 others in three days, and if you think from the name that this festival is purely based on rock music; it is not. Disco, electro, indie, hip hop, and even a bit of pop music can be found here. And what also struck me is (for a city known as one of the fashion capitals) that the showpieces as we know them in the Netherlands (guilty, I always think carefully about what I wear) are hard to find. Comfort is key is the motto here: just denim shorts with a shirt and sneakers, because here it genuinely revolves around the music.

Kudos to the French as well, because I think I've never experienced such a clean festival. Nowhere, but really nowhere on the grounds will you find plastic cups or trash on the ground. Everything is seriously sorted neatly when thrown away. I found this a notable mention, and definitely something they can learn a lesson from in the Netherlands. They also worked with a wristband with a ‘cashless’ system, so you didn't have to buy coins, but you could load your wristband to buy drinks and food. Handy to keep track of how much you spend AND as a result, the lines everywhere were also a lot shorter when you wanted to order something.

The nice thing about Rock en Seine is that it is also easy to combine with exploring the city itself. I started my days at my favorite spots in the city (coffee at Hotel Amour, wandering around Palais Royal and of course just checking in on my old hood  in the seventh) and then around three/four o'clock heading to Parc de Saint Cloud to close the last hours of the day dancing (fun fact: this park was where my graduation ceremony was ten years ago and it is also the park where I often found myself with my family and our dog, so this weekend was quite nostalgic).

Music tip: 

Before the performance of MØ and Flume on Friday night, I walked around the grounds and came across a band I had never heard of: Hercules & Love Affair. Well, band, it's actually a DJ and two singers together. If you're looking for something to dance to; these guys are your new best friends.

Alright, Rock en Seine is checked off. Now let's see which festivals I'm going to pick from this list next year.