Festival goers watch as French Alpha Jets of the 'Patrouille de France' fly over giant 'EUROCKS' letters during the 31st Eurockeennes music festival in Belfort. File / AFP

Gulf Today Report 

The surge in coronavirus cases and slow vaccine rollout has forced organisers of French festivals to cancel again.

Before the announcement of a third lockdown in France, the French government put a limit of 5,000 people on events this summer and they must be seated and socially distanced. 

However, President Emmanuel Macron announced a third lockdown, kicking off on Saturday following the spike in cases.

The casualties include some of Europe's biggest summer music festivals: Solidays, Hellfest, Garorock, Eurocks, and Lollapalooza in Paris, among others -- together accounting for more than one million ticket sales. 

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The organisers of Eurocks, which hosted 128,000 people in 2019, said the rules were a "straitjacket" and "completely incompatible with the spirit of a lively event".

"We aren't denying the pandemic, but what makes us sick to the stomach is that we are cancelling even earlier in 2021 than we did in 2020," said director Jean-Paul Roland.

A handful of events are still holding out in the hope of adapting to the situation.

France's biggest music get-together, Les Vielles Charrues, which had a 270,000-strong crowd in 2019, and more easily adaptable events such as the Avignon theatre festival and Cannes Film Festival are still hoping to go ahead in July.