Contributing WriterIn the realm of global music festivals, Family Piknik has carved out a unique niche, consistently earning recognition as one of the world’s premier festivals. As we delve into this interview with the visionary behind Family Piknik, Tom Pooks, we explore what sets this festival apart and the journey it has taken since its inception in 2012. From its family-friendly concept and vibrant atmosphere, to its impressive lineups and commitment to environmental consciousness, Family Piknik offers a refreshing take on the festival experience. Join us as we uncover the inspirations, challenges, and future aspirations that continue to drive this remarkable event.
Congratulations on the success of Family Piknik, being recognized as one of the world’s leading festivals for consecutive years in the DJ Mag Top 100 Festival Awards. What do you think sets Family Piknik apart from other festivals?
When I launched the festival in 2012, I really wanted to set up a strong concept. I got inspired by some open-air events taking place in Canada and Germany, but I was aware there were none running in my own country. I decided to create an open-air festival, day time, open to all generations, with free entrance for kids and seniors aged 55+. A big family, in a way. Also, I wanted everyone to bring their own food (pique-nique in French), so I had the DNA of Family Piknik. Year on year, this concept seduced more and more party people, not only in France, but from 30 countries.
Family Piknik has evolved significantly since its inception in 2012. Can you share some insights into the festival’s journey and how it has grown over the years?
At the beginning, we had something like 1200 attendees and we went up to 25000 over the weekend in our previous editions. It shows how much we have grown over the years. Our festival experience is really different from the usual electronic « techno » festival. We open doors in the morning and close at 2am. We are based next to the Mediterranean sea with a hot weather during the summer, which gives a very « southern » atmosphere to the crowd, who love playing with our flamingos and colorful decoration elements. It’s a kind of a renewal for the flower power era…
The lineup for Family Piknik 2024 looks incredible, featuring over sixty artists across three stages. How do you go about curating such a diverse and impressive lineup each year?
Thank you ! Each year, we try to have exclusive performances with some of the most influential artists. I’ve been deejaying for three decades, running a label, being friends with many international artists like Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Josh Wink and many others. It helps me to have a good overview of the music evolution, but also the trends and the emerging artists that deserve our attention before they break through on the international scale. With the help of my collaborators, I always try to combine ticket sellers and new talents, covering a quiet wide spectrum of electronic musics so we don’t fall into something too repetitive year after year. We love to surprise and that’s what we do again this summer with the first Hard stage of our history.
This year, Family Piknik is expanding with a new stage and doubling the camping zone. What inspired these expansions, and what can attendees expect from these additions?
Exactly, we’ll run a third stage and it’s a real test for us as it’s the first time we open to hard music. We’ve partnered with Pandemic, a solid promotor based in southern France and expert in this musical genre. We also have received great feedback from last year’s camping, which was sold-out. So we have worked on increasing the surface for campers. For festival attendees, we’ll have tons of surprises, but I want to keep things undisplayed for now. We’ll tease these news on our socials in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned!
The festival emphasizes its core values of community and environmental consciousness. How does Family Piknik incorporate these values into its planning and execution?
Environment is our common responsibility. It’s hard for a festival to apply all we dream of but we’ve done many things to move in the right direction. We’ve stopped selling plastics since 5 years, we’ve been a pioneer with free eco-cups, we use solar energy to power the event, we link to green local collectives to clean oceans, prevent from cigarette pollution, etc… We’re proud of the messages and values we share with our attendees.
Hosting a free opening party has become a tradition for Family Piknik. What motivated the decision to offer this event, and what can attendees look forward to during the opening party?
Yes, we found out it’s a bonus people love. We started making this in 2018 and we maintained the idea. Now that we have the camping opening for 3 nights, it’s a very good reason for people to enjoy a whole week-end on site. They can walk to the beaches, enjoy oysters and all the marvellous things we have in our geographic area.
Family Piknik attracts a wide range of attendees, from different generations and backgrounds. How do you ensure that the festival caters to such a diverse audience while maintaining its unique identity?
I think the key is to lock in your initial concept with strong values and defined principles. Then it’s easier to stick to these and playing around year on year. Fun, mixity, happiness are the keywords for our events, so we have to gravitate around these, no matter how you innovate on each edition.
With the 2024 edition coinciding with the Olympic Games, how do you anticipate this will impact Family Piknik? Are there any special plans or collaborations in place to capitalize on this opportunity?
Olympic games have been a threat for most of the festivals taking place in France this summer as the government clearly recommended big events not to run during the olympic period. As we are not considered as a « big » event according to the scaling of the institutions, we have not been impacted negatively. We’ll be one of the few music festivals taking place in the south of France at this period, so it might even become a positive aspect in terms of frequentation.
Family Piknik is known for its vibrant atmosphere, with colorful decorations and interactive performances. Can you tell us more about the various activities and experiences attendees can enjoy beyond the music?
We have a chill zone where you can relax, have a massage, meet creative minds, enjoy local food, play games… We also encourage our attendees to take benefit from the environment before / after they come to dance with us. Biking inside the countryside, go for sailing, sunbathing, experimenting sea pleasures, looking at the wild nature just around them, etc…
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of Family Piknik? Are there any new initiatives or goals you’re particularly excited about pursuing?
We’ve been working to expand our brand to new territories and I’m happy to see it’s becoming concrete as we’ll go to Cyprus on August 29-30th for our first big production abroad. There should be more and more exports, we feel like our brand is now mature enough to experiment new countries. Don’t forget we are flamingos and we do have wings… 😉
