Yes! As the crowd clapped along to the high octane performance of Caravan Palace in the Chapiteau tent last night there was a celebratory feel to the start of the evening. It was the last night and people were there to enjoy every last minute.
Over in the press conference, Daniel Rossellat accompanied by two gigantic"body guards" (from Paléo's street theatre performers) echoed the celebratory feeling by saying that this year had been an excellent year.
He pointed out the success of the festival in terms of organisation, in particular the introduction of the Ecocups to encourage recycling. He also described some of the logistics involved in such an operation as it meant a large team involved washing over 8,000 cups an hour. However, added benefits of this new environmental initiative resulted in a lot less rubbish around the grounds of the festival.
Although the weather remained fine most days Mr Rossellat did point out that there had been an emergency plan ready to put into action on the third day (Thursday) when the weather turned inclement and very strong winds and storms were predicted. As there was a 40% chance that the winds would be over 75 km per hour then the Paléo team took precautionary measures, taking down parasols, securing equipment and in a worse case scenario were prepared to cancel concerts or postpone them until later if it meant public safety had been at risk. However thankfully the storm more or less passed over the site even though large hail stones and strong winds had damaged crops and property in nearby villages.
The head of concert programming said that many of the artists and performers who had been to the festival that year had remarked on the warm convivial atmosphere at the festival and applauded the dedication of the staff and volunteers. A sentiment I agree with completely.
These volunteers (below) monitored one of the car parks and sat patiently and politely throughout the six day festival, guiding and helping concert goers, and backstage staff.
Adeline Berdin (left) and Jéromine Lancon (right) both said they had enjoyed their first time as a volunteer and would definitely be applying again to do the same the following year. For Jean Fischer (centre) it was his 6th time at Paleo as a volunteer, and he said he liked working in the car parks as there was always a great team that worked there and it enabled him to meet many people.
Jean, who works in communications for the rest of the year is one of thousands of volunteers who help make Paléo what it is, a special event. Without them the atmosphere would not be the same and of course the ticket prices would not be such good value.
The conference also touched on some of the acts that had been particularly successful such as Franz Ferdinand, Caravan Palace, Tracy Chapman, Francis Cabrel and Moby. The decision to put a DJ (Fat Boy Slim) on the main stage was a new departure, but one they felt had worked. They were pleased also at the popularity of Le Detour tent which showcased Swiss bands.
Next year's theme for the Village du Monde will be South Africa and its surrounding countries.
As the fireworks finished off Sunday's closing evening the weather was warm and the sky was clear for the display which lit up the Paléo grounds and the Jura side of Nyon. Although the concerts have now come to an end, Living in Nyon will still be giving you a flavour of the festival with images and more interviews this coming week.
Three students waiting at the station, Mont Blanc as their backdrop
Below - Festival dancer
Caravan Palace