Thousands at illegal French rave on 'dangerous' military site

By Alexander Kazakevich Published on 02/05/2026 - 18:12 GMT+2•Updated 19:03 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copied

While authorities fear shell explosions at the site, the organisers are denouncing the 'criminalisation' of party venues. Illegal rave parties could soon be punished more severely in France, with penalties of up to six months in prison.

Some 20,000 people from all over Europe have been gathering since 1 May at Cornusse, near Bourges in the Cher department, for several days of rave partying. The site is a firing range that was used until recently to test the Caesar cannon, which authorities describe as dangerous.

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The regional officials cited 'pyrotechnic' risks, linked to the possible presence of unexploded munitions, particularly in the wooded area that is declared off-limits.

According to the local press reports, some 2,000 vehicles are already on site, and organisers are expecting up to 30,000 ravers over the weekend.

The party continued on Saturday. No dispersal operation has yet been announced, although up to 600 gendarmes have been mobilised.

"Throughout the weekend, day and night, the security forces are monitoring the area of the illegal demonstration and securing access," said the prefecture, adding that checks were "systematically carried out to record infringements and issue fines."

According to a provisional report, 32 tickets have been issued since 5 pm on Friday, mainly for possession of narcotics, and four people have been taken into police custody. Twelve people have been treated by emergency services. Local authorities reported that damage to military barracks and tagging have also been reported.

Although signs indicate that this is a military site, there are no physical barriers restricting access, and a departmental road, currently closed in both directions, crosses the area. Officials are urging motorists to exercise caution, pointing out that "there are many pedestrians in the area."

On Saturday, the Prefect of the Cher department, Philippe Le Moing Surzur, is due to meet with farmers and the Directorate General of Armaments.

A protest teknival

This is not the first teknival to be held in the Centre-Val de Loire region, and the Cher prefect had anticipated this eventuality.

An order banning rave parties and the "circulation of sound equipment" had been signed for this long weekend. Noting that the event was taking place, the prefecture also authorised the gendarmerie to fly drones over the camp to capture images.

In a press release, the teknival organisers deplored the "epidemic proliferation of bans" and published a parody of an administrative text stating that "all festive gatherings such as rave parties, free parties and teknivals are authorised and necessary in the Cher department."

In this hijacked "decree", they also justify the choice of site, describing the polygon as a "deadly laboratory as well as a base for experimenting with all types of weapons on behalf of the French army and private operations."

With Bourges, the department's capital, having been elected European Capital of Culture in 2028, the organisers even urged Frédéric Hocquard, the general delegate in charge of the project, to include the free party in the cultural events programme.

Overall, the anonymous text denounces a "political attack on dancing bodies" and calls for the abandonment of any legislation "criminalising party spaces".

In its sights is Horizons MP Laetitia Saint-Paul's proposed law on "criminalising the organisation of rave parties," which provides for a penalty of up to six months imprisonment and a €30,000 fine for "contributing" to the organisation of an unregistered or banned musical gathering.

The aim is to combat noise pollution affecting local residents, who are often farmers.

Adopted at first reading by the Members of Parliament on 9 April, the initiative has now been sent to the Senate, although it is not scheduled for inclusion on the agenda.

Also, the "Ripost" bill, adopted by the Council of Ministers at the end of March, targets not only rave parties but also urban rodeos, which expose participants and pedestrians to serious accidents, as well as the use of firework mortars.

"What could be more accessible than a free party?

Jean (first name changed), a DJ and party organiser in the Lyon region, tells Euronews that the toughening of the anti-rave penalty arsenal worries him, citing the "vague" legislative contours and the introduction of prison sentences. "We talk about it a lot between organisers, it's very problematic."

"It's a whole counter-culture that the state wants to see disappear," he asserts.

At a time when festival tickets in France cost around 50 euros and day passes can exceed 100 euros, Jean is convinced of the economic stakes: "The majority of the free public doesn't have access to other party venues which have become unaffordable."

Deploring a "repressive" approach, which he believes pushes organisers into "dangerous territory" in order to guarantee a certain "restraint" in the intervention of the forces of law and order, Jean believes that the state "could support" these collectives, "helping them to establish a framework."

Questioning the attitude of the authorities, the thirty-year-old is astonished that the French Touch, which brings together the leading artists on the French electro scene, is to be declared France's intangible heritage in December 2025, while the government wants to impose "prison sentences on the organisers of free parties and rave parties, and even on the participants."

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