2024

• 8 stages

• +200 concerts and shows 

• 250'000 spectators

• 5'400 volunteers

• Poster designed by Princess de La Cruz and Tae-Yun Aum

Paléo Festival Nyon will draw to a close tonight after a radiant week. Buoyed by an exceptional audience, generous artists, and fine weather, this magical 2024 event brought together some 250,000 people in a playful, free-spirited atmosphere. After two years of major changes, the Paléo team is delighted with the results, and with a layout that has proved its worth. The line-up for the final night will feature Mika’s colourful pop, Sofiane Pamart’s sweet melodies, and Gims’ thumping bangers. 

Godmother of punk Patti Smith opened the festival with disarming sincerity, while rising star Burna Boy fulfilled the promise of his new iconic status with a stellar performance, and Sam Smith offered a musically grandiose concert on a magical night. And then there was the legendary Nile Rodgers, who rallied audiences with his countless hits. 

The Festival witnessed a magnificent interplay of generations around crowd-pleasing artists. Véronique Sanson’s moving performance left a lasting impression, 10 years after her last appearance. The Véga stage saw the consecration of Zaho de Sagazan, who performed in front of an ecstatic audience of 25,000, one year after her first appearance at the Club Tent. There were also striking performances by Norwegian pop star Aurora and talented singer-songwriter Hoshi. 

Audiences also got grooving to rap beats, with huge crowds flocking to the Main Stage. Rap lynchpins IAM pulled off the feat of getting all generations on the same wavelength. Alongside them, up-and-coming performers PLK and Gazo & Tiakola whipped the crowds into a frenzy with some phenomenal shows. A couple of stages further, Ziak’s drill beats turned Véga on its head, and Geneva-based artist Slimka had the Club Tent bursting at the seams. 

Electronic music offered timeless, trance-like moments. The Worakls symphony orchestra and techno legend Paul Kalkbrenner brought an open-air, rave-like atmosphere to Véga. The gorgeous, colourful Belleville stage – a synthetic bubble at the heart of the Festival – gave pride of place to underground musical niches, such as the Chilean neoperreo of Tomasa del Real, the techno of Italian duo 999999999, and the old-school sounds of rising star Estella Boersma. The drum’n’bass scene, spearheaded by Kara and Lens, also continued to prove its relevance in the contemporary musical landscape. 

This year’s Village du Monde, dedicated to the Balkans, saw an increase in attendance, thanks in particular to an adapted schedule. The party was everywhere, from the Dôme to the cosier stage under the bridge structure, and even in the artists’ dressing rooms… Highlights included mesmerising performances by non-binary artist Božo Vrećo and Serbian trumpeter Boban Marković. The 2025 Village du Monde will look towards the Maghreb. 

Organisation 

In terms of organisation, there were no notable incidents to report. The Festival team is delighted with an exceptionally peaceful edition. The campsite welcomed 7,000 campers, the same number as in 2023. 

Paléo is delighted to note that the extensive public transport offer has worked very well, resulting in fewer cars in the car parks. On the other hand, there has been a marked increase in the number of bicycles in the dedicated car parks – an excellent sign for the development of the Festival’s sustainability policy. 

Paléo extends its heartfelt thanks to the 5,400 volunteers who worked on this extraordinary 2024 festival. We could not have done it without them.