The First Paris Music Festival
October 24-28, 1969
Posters & Handbills
Any comments, corrections or additions to this listing would be greatly appreciated.
The First Paris Music Festival, October 24-28, 1969
The First Paris Music Festival was a five day music festival, organized by the people who ran the BYG-Actuel record label in France. The festival, scheduled to be held in October 1969, was, as the name implies, intended to be held in Paris, France.
Two possible sites were considered, one at the Parc St. Cloud, Paris, and the other in Les Halles, Paris.
However, the organizers of the festival, Jean Georgakarakos and Jean Luc Young, ran into problems setting up the festival at these locations.
1a) Parc St. Cloud, Paris magazine ad
There are no posters found with the Parc St. Cloud or Les Halles locations printed on them.
There are only advertisements in magazines advertising the festival in Paris, such as this one showing the Parc Saint Cloud location:
Having been unable to set up the festival in St. Cloud or Les Halles, the organizers decided to move the festival to Pelouse de Reuilly, Vincennes, France.
Vincennes is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
Posters for the event were printed up with the Vincennes location on them.
2a) The First Paris Music Festival, Vincennes poster #1
Date & Venue: Pelouse de Reuilly (Vincennes), France October 24-28, 1969
Bands: Ten Years After, Colosseum, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Alan Jack Civilization, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene, 360 Degree Music Experience, Free Music Group / Pink Floyd, Freedom, Keith Relf's Renaissance, Alexis Korner & the New Church, Blues Convention, Grachan Moncur III, Arthur Jones, Joachim Kuhn, Don Cherry / Martin Circus, Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciferius, Indescriptible Chaos Rampant, Nice, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Ame Son, Archie Shepp, Kenneth Terroade, Anthony Braxton, GERM / Yes, Pretty Things, Chicken Shack, Sam Apple Pie, Frogeaters, David Allen group, Keith Tippett Group, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Burrell, John Surman, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Acting Trio / Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, East of Eden, Fat Mattress, Zoo, Alan Silva, Robin Kenyatta, Chris Macgregor, Steve Lacey, Dave Burrell Big Band, Musica Electronica Viva.
Poster Size: 20" x 15 1/8"
Notes: Poster for The First Paris Music Festival after the site was moved to Vincennes, France. Pink Floyd is listed on October 25, 1969.
2b) The First Paris Music Festival, Vincennes poster #2
Date & Venue: Paris, France October 24-28, 1969
Bands: Ten Years After, Colosseum, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Alan Jack Civilization, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene, 360 Degree Music Experience, Free Music Group / Pink Floyd, Freedom, Keith Relf's Renaissance, Alexis Korner & the New Church, Blues Convention, Grachan Moncur III, Arthur Jones, Joachim Kuhn, Don Cherry / Martin Circus, Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciferius, Indescriptible Chaos Rampant, Nice, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Ame Son, Archie Shepp, Kenneth Terroade, Anthony Braxton, GERM / Yes, Pretty Things, Chicken Shack, Sam Apple Pie, Frogeaters, David Allen group, Keith Tippett Group, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Burrell, John Surman, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Acting Trio / Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, East of Eden, Fat Mattress, Zoo, Alan Silva, Robin Kenyatta, Chris Macgregor, Steve Lacey, Dave Burrell Big Band, Musica Electronica Viva.
Poster Size: 39" x 25"
Notes: Poster for The First Paris Music Festival. Pink Floyd is listed on October 25, 1969.
After having printed up the posters, the promoters found that they could not get a license to hold the festival anywhere in Paris (or in France for that matter).
The French government, citing "environmental reasons," refused permission to allow the festival to be held in Paris.
The French authorities, including the Minister of the Interior Raymond Marcellin, would not allow the festival to proceed.
It is believed that the events of May 1968, the student occupation protests, demonstrations and strikes, had much to do with this decision.
Having no success with the French authorities, it was decided to move the festival out of France entirely, and move it to Belgium.
The festival was moved out of France to avoid having to deal with the French authorities. But since this was called "The First Paris Music Festival," the organizers wanted to keep it as close to Paris as possible. So a site just across the border from France was selected. The festival was moved to Tournai, Belgium.
Since posters had already been printed with the Vincennes location on them, they quickly altered the posters, blacking out the Vincennes information and printing the Tournai location on them.
3a) The First Paris Music Festival, Tournai poster
Date & Venue: Tournai, Belgium, October 24-28, 1969
Bands: Ten Years After, Colosseum, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Alan Jack Civilization, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene, 360 Degree Music Experience, Free Music Group / Pink Floyd, Freedom, Keith Relf's Renaissance, Alexis Korner & the New Church, Blues Convention, Grachan Moncur III, Arthur Jones, Joachim Kuhn, Don Cherry / Martin Circus, Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciferius, Indescriptible Chaos Rampant, Nice, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Ame Son, Archie Shepp, Kenneth Terroade, Anthony Braxton, GERM / Yes, Pretty Things, Chicken Shack, Sam Apple Pie, Frogeaters, David Allen group, Keith Tippett Group, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Burrell, John Surman, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Acting Trio / Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, East of Eden, Fat Mattress, Zoo, Alan Silva, Robin Kenyatta, Chris Macgregor, Steve Lacey, Dave Burrell Big Band, Musica Electronica Viva.
Poster Size: 20" x 15 1/8"
Printing Information: imprime en France-RPM/Paris
Notes: A poster for The First Paris Music Festival after the site was moved to Tournai, Belgium. Advertised as being on the French-Belgian border. Note that the Vincennes location is blacked out at the top of the poster. Pink Floyd is listed on October 25, 1969.
Handbills were newly made and distributed in Paris with the Tournai location on them.
The handbills state that the location is on the French-Belgian border.
3c) The First Paris Music Festival, Tournai handbill
Date & Venue: Tournai, Belgium, October 24-28, 1969
Bands: Ten Years After, Colosseum, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Alan Jack Civilization, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene, 360 Degree Music Experience, Free Music Group / Pink Floyd, Freedom, Keith Relf's Renaissance, Alexis Korner & the New Church, Blues Convention, Grachan Moncur III, Arthur Jones, Joachim Kuhn, Don Cherry / Martin Circus, Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciferius, Indescriptible Chaos Rampant, Nice, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Ame Son, Archie Shepp, Kenneth Terroade, Anthony Braxton, GERM / Yes, Pretty Things, Chicken Shack, Sam Apple Pie, Frogeaters, David Allen group, Keith Tippett Group, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Burrell, John Surman, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Acting Trio / Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, East of Eden, Fat Mattress, Zoo, Alan Silva, Robin Kenyatta, Chris Macgregor, Steve Lacey, Dave Burrell Big Band, Musica Electronica Viva.
Handbill Size: 10 x 7 1/16
Notes: Handbill for The First Paris Music Festival after the site was moved to Tournai, Belgium. Advertised as being on the French-Belgian border. Note that the Vincennes location has been completely removed and now only the Tournai location is shown. Pink Floyd is listed on October 25, 1969.
Despite the efforts made to move the festival out of France and to Tournai, Belgium, additional problems cropped up in Tournai.
So the festival was moved to Kortrijk, Belgium.
However, the promoters were prevented from holding it in Kortrijk as well.
No posters have been found with the Kortrijk location on them.
Still looking for a place to hold the festival, the mayor of the small municipality of Amengijs, Andr Callebaut, came to the rescue.
The festival was finally held in a tent in an open field in the Belgian village of Amougies (Amengijs) on 24 to 28 October 1969.
Pink Floyd performed on October 25, 1969.
4a) The First Paris Music Festival poster with Amougies sticker
Date & Venue: Amougies, Belgium, October 24-28, 1969
Bands: Ten Years After, Colosseum, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Alan Jack Civilization, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sunny Murray, Burton Greene, 360 Degree Music Experience, Free Music Group / Pink Floyd, Freedom, Keith Relf's Renaissance, Alexis Korner & the New Church, Blues Convention, Grachan Moncur III, Arthur Jones, Joachim Kuhn, Don Cherry / Martin Circus, Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciferius, Indescriptible Chaos Rampant, Nice, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Ame Son, Archie Shepp, Kenneth Terroade, Anthony Braxton, GERM / Yes, Pretty Things, Chicken Shack, Sam Apple Pie, Frogeaters, David Allen group, Keith Tippett Group, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Burrell, John Surman, Clifford Thornton, Sonny Sharrock, Acting Trio / Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, East of Eden, Fat Mattress, Zoo, Alan Silva, Robin Kenyatta, Chris Macgregor, Steve Lacey, Dave Burrell Big Band, Musica Electronica Viva.
Poster Size: 39" x 25"
Notes: Poster for The First Paris Music Festival, now being held in Amougies, Belgium on October 24-28, 1969.
This poster is the same as the large Vincennes, France poster, but with a round sticker on it that indicates that the festival is now being held in Amougies, Belgium.
Frank Zappa, who was the MC at the festival, said: "I guess it was more of a political than a musical success. The festival was moved around so much that it was a triumph to get it on at all. It was so disorganized that when all the lights and amplifications worked on the first night, the organizers looked at each other in amazement. They couldn't believe that it was really going to happen. But I was there."
