As an Au Pair, every 6 weeks I have one week off. This is because of how the French School system runs: every 6 weeks students have 2 weeks off. I only have one week to myself because thats when the family is on vacation. The second week I have to watch the children.
My host family allows me to accompany them on their holiday, and I did for 2 days during this Fall Break. I wanted some time to myself, and of course to see more of France. We were in Brittany so I wanted to stay in westward France. I decided to go to Caen because I wanted to see the D-Day beaches. Before I finalized my plans, as I was also debating going to Rennes or Nantes, I searched to see if there were any events the weekend I would be there. Once I saw Caen was hosting a large electronic festival, I booked my ticket!
This festival, called Nördik Impakt, started on Wednesday and ended Saturday night (or Sunday morning). It was the 18th year of the festival, so its hashtag was #NDK18. I bought a day pass for Saturday and it was only 34 euro. I hadn’t heard of any of the acts, so I started listening a few days prior. I was excited because it was a lot of DJs from Europe who were big quite a few years ago. It was going to be one big dance party!
Just like Rock en Seine, this was a Cashless festival. Because I had a day ticket, I did not get a wristband. This meant that I got a reloadable credit card. I really do think this makes buying things at the venue much quicker, but you have to make sure you have enough money on your card. One bad thing is having to reload it, as internet service can be very slow. I don’t recommend the auto-reload option, as you can end up spending more than what you wanted to. One downside of the Cashless is it takes about 2 weeks to be reimbursed for any left over money you did not spend. My strategy has been to upload $30 dollars and only allow myself to reload another $10 at the venue. The biggest reason I like the Cashless system is because it allows and promotes recycling: get your first drink in a plastic cup, return that cup, and the next drink is cheaper.
The first DJ of the night was Petit Biscuit. He is a young French DJ in his teens and he has 2 radio hits already. I really enjoyed his set, as its airy and slow. He was wearing a Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt and played the drums! Petit Biscuit performed on the main stage.
Next up was Fulgeance on a side stage. He had faster beats with more bass. He built up the beat and you could feel the transitions from song to song, which I like. The venue for Nördik Impakt was at the Caen Expo center, which is very large, and had 3 stages. The main stage was in the middle room, and the other two were on either side. It was a very cold night, so I’m glad it was inside, but the side stages and their rooms were pretty cold. The venue was so large I was wondering how many people could fit in the main stage area, as by midnight it didn’t seem too crowded.
After Fulgeance was Mark Hemmann. He was definitely techno as the beat was constantly changing with a severe drop. He was on the main stage, so I stepped aside to a smaller stage to see Carpenter Brut. As soon as I got there I knew it wasn’t for me: it was very rocky. They had an actual band with guitars and drums. It was just too heavy for me.
Dixon was up at 2 am on the main stage. I could tell the arena was beginning to get more crowded. I really enjoyed his set. From the lights to the music, he played Lil Wayne and I think thats what stole my heart. “Let the beat build, BOOM.”
Lastly, but definitely not least, was Ben Klock. One thing I enjoy about concerts in Europe is that I feel as though everyone gives you your space. For example, it would be impossible for me to get to the front of a concert in the States if I wasn’t there from the beginning. I was able to go up to the front of the stage for both Ben Klock, who was wearing some creepy, yet cool, mask and Dixon. Ben Klock played for almost 2 hours, until the lights came on at 6 am, and this was the first time I felt at a legit rave. Everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves with friends. The lights set the atmosphere along with the smoke from everyone smoking inside. By this time, the venue was packed! About 24,000 people were there and you could feel the freeing energy.
The lights came on at 6 am and there was no encore. By this point I was pretty tired so I went back to my AirBnb. I’m so glad I got to experience this festival, as it was advertised all over town. Caen, and Normandy in general, seemed to be very proud of this concert. Even though I went solo, I met 3 different groups of people to drink and dance with. I felt very welcomed and had a blast dancing all throughout the night. Just like any other festival, they had a water station and several bathroom spots. The bathrooms inside always had a line, but the portable pottys outside did not. One thing I thought was creative was they had a face painting station. Concert goers were able to get free face paint in different shapes, much like the zig zags on the advertisements.
Flags like this were all over downtown!
Have you booked a trip solely for a concert or an once a year event?
