According to Jean-Marc Sevault, mayor of the village of a hundred inhabitants located north of Châteauroux, the first vehicles arrived during the night in the town, where no one had been warned.

At midday, the prefecture of Indre, which had banned any gathering of this kind for the long weekend of Ascension, estimated "at about 10,000 the number of teknivaliers".

According to the statement of the prefecture, the Teknival "could be held throughout the end of this week".

A source close to the organizers told AFP he expected about 30,000 participants at the height of the event, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Teknival by rave party enthusiasts.

The festival settled "on a private domain, a plot of land that is not cultivated" and whose owner was not warned, said AFP Jean-Marc Sevault.

Participants at the Teknival, on May 18, 2023 in Villegongis, Indre © GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP

"We were presented with a fait accompli, like everyone, including the gendarmes" who are on site to supervise the event, said the mayor.

In the Indre as in many neighboring departments, the prefecture had taken this week orders to prohibit "the illegal installation of any temporary festive gathering of a musical nature", apparently in vain.

"Now that it's launched, there's nothing left to do except make sure it goes as smoothly as possible, in good conditions and without incident," Sevault said.

A security and rescue device is being deployed on the ground, she adds, recommending "strongly" to avoid the sector, where controls are carried out by the police on the basis of prefectural orders.

Eleven associations from various regions of France said they had deployed on the Teknival site itself a health system mobilizing 130 volunteers to provide care and advice to participants (alcohol, drugs, sexual health, etc.).

According to photos and videos posted on social networks by participants, the first walls of loudspeakers had begun at midday to play their electronic music on this vast tree-lined meadow.

Participants at the Teknival, on May 18, 2023 in Villegongis, Indre © GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP

Renowned throughout Europe, the Teknival was created thirty years ago. Its holding had been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic which had prevented large gatherings.

The last "official" Teknival took place in May 2019 on the Millevaches plateau, in the Creuse, suffering particularly harsh weather conditions for the season, including snowfall.

© 2023 AFP