Rock en Seine () is a multiple-day rock music festival, held at Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, the Château de Saint-Cloud's park, west of Paris, inside the garden designed by André Le Nôtre.
Name The name is a pun, based on exactly the same pronunciation in French of the words scène meaning 'stage' and Seine (the river separating Saint-Cloud from Central Paris after which the Hauts-de-Seine département is called).
History 2003: Birth of Rock en Seine on 27 August, with two stages and ten bands. 2004: The festival extends over two days. It welcomes new artistic forms with Rockfolio, Rock en Strophes and Rock en Clips. 2005: The festival site gets bigger: the third stage appears, as well as a campsite. 2007: The festival extends over three days. 2010: 105 000 people attending to this edition. 2011: The fourth stage is emerging. 2014: 120 000 people attending to this edition. The new stage named "Ile-de-France" hosts the Avant-Seine's bands. 2017: Sarah Schmitt becomes the new director of the festival. The festival welcomes a "Firestone" stage.
COVID-19 pandemic: 2020 and 2021 editions On 12 May 2020, it was announced that the 2020 edition of the festival would be cancelled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 edition was also cancelled due to the same reason.
Previous years 2003: 1st year, 2 stages, 10 artists, 22,000 spectators 2004: 2nd year, extended to Two days, 22 artists, 48,000 spectators 2005: 3rd year, Three stages, 30 artists, 46,000 spectators 2006: 4th year, Three stages, 30 artists, 57,000 spectators 2007: 5th year, extended to Three days, 45 artists, 68,000 spectators 2008: Three stages, 34 artists, 76,000 spectators 2009: Three stages, 47 artists, 97,000 spectators 2010: Three stages, 47 artists, 105,000 spectators 2011: Four stages, 63 bands, 105,000 spectators 2012: Four stages, 62 artists, 108,000 spectators 2013: Four stages, 56 artists, 110,000 spectators 2014: Five stages, 65 artists, 120,000 spectators 2015: Five stages, 66 artists, 110,000 spectators 2016: Five stages, 65 artists, 110,000 spectators 2017: Six stages, 78 artists, 110,000 spectators 2018: Six stages, 78 artists, 90,000 spectators (to confirm) 2019: Five stages, 62 artists, 100,000 spectators 2022: Five stages, 58 artists, 150,000 spectators
The venue The festival takes place in the down of the Park of "Domaine national de Saint-Cloud", a historical place at the gates of Paris, and five minutes from the nearest subway station, métro Boulogne - Pont de Saint-Cloud.
The park and the garden were designed by Le Nôtre in the 17th century, and it is the first park to be classed as a Monument historique in 1994. It is a 4.6 km2 park, and there are gardens and forest with basins, thickets, cascades, and statues.
Avant-Seine In 2005, for its third edition, and with the support of Ile-de-France, Rock en Seine inaugurated "Avant-Seine", a selection of bands from Ile-de-France which join the official programming of the festival. Every year, six selected groups are playing on a stage, and one of their tracks is published on a compilation spread for free.
2005: Stuck in the Sound, Flying Pooh, HushPuppies, Herman Düne, Sayag Jazz Machine, Hopper. 2006: Rhesus, Dead Pop Club, Daddy Longlegs, Neïmo, French Paradoxe, Fancy. 2007: Housse de Racket, Hey Hey My My, Nelson, Pravda, Rodeo Massacre, I Love UFO. 2008: Narrow Terence, Brooklyn, The Latitudz, Molecule, Da Brasilians, Fortune. 2009: Lilly Wood & The Prick, Hindi Zahra, Cheveu, Gush, Jil Is Lucky, The Tatianas. 2010: Success, King of Conspiracy, I Am Un Chien, Quadricolor, Viva & the Diva, Roken is Dodelijk. 2011: Frànçois and The Atlas Mountains, Concrete Knives, The Feeling of Love, Myra Lee, Beat Mark, Birdy Hunt. 2012: Granville, Owlle, Yeti Lane, The Lanskies, Versus, Hyphen Hyphen. 2013: FAUVE, Team Ghost, FI/SHE/S, J.C. Satàn, St. Lô, Wall Of Death. 2014: ALB, Dorian Pimpernel, Feu! Chatterton, Jessica93, PEGASE, Petit fantôme. 2015: DBFC, VKNG, Forever Pavot, We Are Match, Jeanne Added, Last Train. 2016: KillASon, O, Adrien Soleiman, Kaviar Special, Maestro, Théo Lawrence & The Hearts. 2017: Inuït, Barbagallo, 99Plajo, Gracy Hopkins, Lysistrata, Therapie Taxi, Rendez-Vous. 2018: 8 In Bloom, La Veine, Lily, Yanse, The Cage, Moons
Musical Acts
Edition 2003 Grande Scene Petite Scene Wednesday 27 August - K's Choice- Morcheeba- Beck- PJ Harvey- Massive Attack - Uncut- Electric 6- Tanger- Tom McRae- Eagle-Eye Cherry- Keziah Jones
Edition 2004 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Friday 27 August - Yann Destal- Flogging Molly- The Roots- Sonic Youth- The White Stripes- The Chemical Brothers - Blanche- Wax Poetic- Electrelane- Daniel Darc- Joss Stone Saturday 28 August - Nosfell- Hoggboy- Buck65- Radio 4- Melissa Auf der Maur- Muse - Kaolin- Colour of Fire- Mr. Vegas- Zero 7- Archive Replaced Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Edition 2005 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Friday 25 August - Michael Franti & Spearhead- Fort Minor- Arcade Fire- Queens of the Stone Age- Pixies - The Subways- Athlete- The Sunday Drivers- Hot Hot Heat- Jurassic 5 - Stuck in the Sound- Flying Pooh- HushPuppies- Alkaline Trio- Vitalic Saturday 26 August - La Phaze- Amp Fiddler- Saïan Supa Crew- Foo Fighters- Franz Ferdinand - Asyl- Goldfrapp- Baby Shambles- Feist- Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - Hopper- Herman Dune- The Departure- The Film- Sayag Jazz Machine
Edition 2006 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Friday 25 August - Calexico- Nada Surf- Dirty Pretty Things- Patrice- Morrissey - Wolfmother- India Arie- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Kasabian - The Raconteurs - Dead Pop Club- Neïmo- French Paradoxe- TV on the Radio- DJ Shadow Saturday 26 August - Taking Back Sunday- Phoenix- The Dead 60s- Beck- Radiohead - Broken Social Scene- Xavier Rudd- Skin- The Rakes- Editors - Fancy- Daddy Longlegs- Rhesus- Grand Corps Malade- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Replaced Richard Ashcroft
Edition 2007
Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Friday 24 August - Dizzee Rascal- Mogwai- The Shins- The Hives- Arcade Fire - Rock and Roll- Dinosaur Jr- M.I.A.- Émilie Simon- 2 Many DJ's - Rodeo Massacre- Hey Hey My My- Biffy Clyro- The Noisettes- Unkle Saturday 25 August - The Fratellis- Cold War Kids- Jarvis Cocker- The Jesus and Mary Chain- Tool - Puppetmastaz- Hellogoodbye- Erik Truffaz- C.S.S.- Les Rita Mitsouko - I Love UFO- Pravada- Calvin Harris- Terry Poison- Alpha Sunday 26 August - Daby Toure- Mark Ronson- Kings of Leon- Faithless- Björk - Bat for Lashes- Devotchka- Kelis- Just Jack- Craig Armstrong - Housse de Racket- Nelson- Albert Hammond Jr.- Bromheads Jacket- Enter Shikari Replaced Amy Winehouse Replaced The Horrors
Edition 2008 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Wednesday 20 August - Blood Red Shoes- Lostprophets- Mix Master Mike- Rage Against the Machine - N/A - N/A Thursday 28 August - Apocalyptica- Hot Chip- Serj Tankian- Kaiser Chiefs- R.E.M. - Infadels- These New Puritans- The Do- Dirty Pretty Things- Tricky - The Latitudz- Da Brasilians- Narrow Terence- Plain White T's- Wax Tailor Friday 29 August - Louis XIV- Scars on Broadway- The Roots- The Raconteurs- The Streets - dbClifford- Jamie Lidell- The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion- Kate Nash- Justice - Molecule- Fortune- Brooklyn- Black Kids Were meant to play on the Scene de l'Industrie but were added to the Grande Scene when Amy Winehouse cancelled at the last minute for unknown reasons. She never arrived to the festival site, despite her support musicians being there.
Edition 2009 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Friday 28 August - Just Jack- Asher Roth- Amy Macdonald- Vampire Weekend- Madness - James Hunter- Keane- Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Madness- Bloc Party- Vitalic - The Tatianas- Gush- Passion Pit- Bill Callahan- Oceana Saturday 29 August - Noisettes- Ebony Bones- Billy Talent- The Offspring- Faith No More - Kitty, Daisy & Lewis- The Asteroids Galaxy Tour- Dananananaykroyd- The Horrors- Calvin Harris- Birdy Nam Nam - Cheveu- Jil Is Lucky- Zone Libre- Yann Tiersen- School of Seven Bells Sunday 30 August - Baaba Maal- Macy Gray- Eagles of Death Metal- MGMT- The Prodigy - Metric- Robin McKelle- Sliimy- Le Petit Pois- Klaxons - Lilly Wood and the Prick- Hindi Zahra- Sammy Decoster- Veto- Patrick Wolf Madness, who played earlier, replaced headliners Oasis, after a fight between the Gallagher brothers backstage which lead to the band's disbandment. Replaced Esser
Edition 2010 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Friday 27 August - All Time Low- Kele- Skunk Anansie- Cypress Hill- Blink-182 - Minus The Bear- Band Of Horses- Foals-The Kooks - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- Underworld - Roken is Dodelijk- Kings of Conspiracy- Beast- French Cowboys- Deadmau5 Saturday 28 August - K'naan- Stereophonics- Paolo Nutini- Queens of the Stone Age- Massive Attack - Chew Lips- Plan B- Two Door Cinema Club- Jonsi- LCD Soundsystem- 2 Many DJ's - Viva and the Diva- Quadricolor- Martina Topley Bird- Naive New Beaters- Jello Biafra Sunday 29 August - The Temper Trap- Eels- Beirut- The Ting Tings- Arcade Fire - Wallis Bird- Black Angels- Wayne Beckford- Fat Freddy's Drop- Roxy Music - Succes- I Am Un Chien!!- Rox- Wave Machine- Crystal Castles
Edition 2011 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Scene Pression Live Friday 26 August - Smith Westerns- Odd Future- CSS- The Kills- Foo Fighters - Biffy Clyro- Herman Dune- Kid Cudi- General Elektriks- Paul Kalkbrenner - Beat Mark- The Feeling Of Love- Funeral Party- Big Audio Dynamite- Yuksek - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes- Seasick Steve- Wolfgang- Grouplove- Jamaica- Death in Vegas Saturday 27 August - HushPuppies- Blonde Redhead- The Streets- Interpol- Arctic Monkeys - The Black Box Revelation-Cage the Elephant- BB Brunes- Cocorosie- Death From Above 1979- Etienne de Crecy - Myra Lee- Birdy Hunt- Austra- Keren Ann- Sexy Sushi - Pollock- Gruff Rhys- Le Corps Mince De François- The Jim Jones Revue- Wu Lyf-The Wombats Sunday 28 August - The Vaccines- Simple Plan- My Chemical Romance- Deftones- Archive - Crocodiles- Lilly Wood & The Prick- The La's- Anna Calvi- Nneka - Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains- Concrete Knives- Miles Kane- Tinie Tempah- Lykke Li - The Naked and Famous- Cat's Eyes- Cherri Bomb- The Horrors- Trentemoller Replaced Young the Giant Replaced Q Tip
Edition 2012 Grande Scene Scene de la Cascade Scene de l'Industrie Scene Pression Live Friday 24 August - Billy Talent- Asteroids Galaxy Tour- Dionysos- Bloc Party- Placebo - Citizens!- Get Well Soon and l'Ondif- The Shins- Sigur Ros- C2C - Owlle- Yeti Lane- The Knux- Para One- Miike Snow - Crane Angels- Grimes- Beth Jeans Houghton- Dark Dark Dark- Gesaffelstein, Brodinski & Club Cheval Saturday 25 August - Of Monsters and Men- Maxïmo Park- Deus- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds- The Black Keys - Speech Debelle- Alberta Cross- Caravan Palace- The Temper Trap- EODM- Agoria - Granville- Hyphen Hyphen- Deap Vally- The Bewitched Hands- The Black Seeds - Ume- Toys- The Bots- Bass Drum of Death- Mark Lanegan Band Sunday 26 August - Bombay Bicycle Club- Stuck in the Sound- The Dandy Warhols- Social Distortion- Green Day - BRNS- Family of the Year- The Waterboys- Grandaddy- Foster the People - Versus- The Lanskies- Little Boy- Little Dragon- DOPE D.O.D - Friends- Kimbra- Passion Pit- Avant Seine All-Stars- Beach House
Edition 2013