An Inside Look at the Rock en Seine Music Festival in Paris

Visiting Paris in the summer and love live music? A three-day rock music festival, Rock en Seine is just the event for you!

I came here in August with a friend, and we absolutely loved it. I arrived to Paris and went to this music festival, missing the live music scene and the VIP access I was used to having in Austin, where I’m originally from. I highly recommend checking out the music scenes in Austin and taking a few tours of Austin while you’re there.

However, when my friend invited me to this Parisian rock event, I was super impressed with the live music and bands I witnessed at the music festival. With bands from France and England, I realized I had stumbled on one of the biggest hidden (for tourists, at least) music and cultural gems in Paris, as far as annual events go.

What is the Rock en Seine music festival?

This event dedicated to rocking out is held annually, normally at the end of August. Rock en Seine hosts concerts, inviting pop-stars, rock-stars, and other exciting musicians to the Château de Saint-Cloud park, aka the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, which is located to the very west of Paris.

It’s a great way to escape the sometimes overwhelming urban vibe of Paris and feel like you’re embarking on a live-music getaway, when you’re actually still very close to the city. We were just on the outskirts and could see the city from our pocket hidden there, right on the Seine river.

Fun fact: The name is a play on words, as “scène” in French means stage, so “Rock en Seine” is both “rock on stage” and “rock on the Seine river.”

History of the Rock en Seine festival

The festival was founded and began in 2003, with only two stages and around 10 performing bands, but it’s since expanded to a six-stage extravaganza, with around 120,000 people attending during the three days.

However, when I was there, it didn’t feel too overwhelming being around so many people because the park has large trees and encourages a calming, forest feel where most of the crowd is usually hidden from sight if you’re on an opposite side of a performance. Along with more attendees, there are also more catering restaurants and bars that participate, which made it very exciting during our down-time, between performances to try different tastes and flavors of Paris from afar, all in one place.

Of the famous bands who have arrived in Paris to play this event, here’s just a sampling:

• Foo Fighters
• Massive Attack
• Green Day
• Mahalia
• Iggy Pop
• The Chemical Brothers
• Billie Eilish
• Muse
• Radiohead

My review

When I was there, I personally got to see Mahalia, Jungle, and Jorja Smith, some of my favorite performing artists. I only went for one day, which cost around €60, but there were student discounts and even discounts for people who live in the direct area around the park because of the disruptive nature of the festival during the three days it’s held.

It was incredibly fun and exciting to be a part of the audience, and I’m looking forward to going back in future! This music festival is one of the best ways to experience the Parisian lifestyle, with live bands playing at all the stages surrounding lots of food and drink booths from great bars and restaurants in the city of Paris among lots of locals.

If you enjoy music festivals, you will enjoy this one a lot. It has the attendance and top-quality artists that make it like a giant music festival (think Austin City Limits or Coachella), but with a more intimate feel as you walk around and explore the woods of the park on the water, discovering bands around every corner.