Tohu-Bohu, the small Valais festival that plays in the big leagues – rts.ch

From September 1 to 3, the Tohu-Bohu festival takes up residence in Valais in Veyras, a village located in the municipality of Noble-Contrée. On the program for this 2022 edition, artists like Meimuna, Danitsa, Sopico, Sofiane Pamart, Ben Mazué and Rone.

The Tohu-Bohu, whose first edition was held in 2005, has continued to grow year following year. But last year, due to the pandemic, the festival was forced to reduce its sails. A more intimate edition that won over the organizers. They have therefore decided to do the same this year by lowering the gauge by around 600 places. 1,400 people per evening are expected at Tohu-Bohu compared to 3,400 per evening for the biggest editions.

A festival on a human scale

The Tohu-Bohu is a festival on a human scale where festival-goers can be close to the artists, this is what the organizers have always defended. “We find it really nice to be able to offer renowned artists each year, in warm and festive atmospheres”, explains Lionel Martin, director of the event, to RTS. “The particularity of the festival is that it takes place in a residential area, in a green square, a playground for children. […] on a site surrounded by trees”, explains Lionel Martin.

The organization of the festival makes it a point of honor to care for the reception of its artists. “They appreciate coming to play in a festival on a human scale where they are the only headliners. This makes a big difference compared to other Swiss and European festivals where you can sometimes line up six or seven headliners in one evening. With us, there is only one or even two”, specifies Lionel Martin.

Great novelty of this 2022 edition: the “seated” configuration to welcome the classical pianist Sofiane Pamart scheduled on the main stage on Thursday September 1st.

Pianist Sofiane Pamart is on the bill for the 2022 edition of the Tohu Bohu festival in Valais. [Hans Lucas – AFP]

The social role of Tohu-Bohu

In its very first editions, the festival was organized by the association of young people from Veyras. An association taken over in 1999 by Lionel Martin and his friends. “The president of the association at the time challenged us to organize a festival because there was none in the region”, explains the director of Tohu-Bohu. He and his friends decide to propose the idea of ​​the festival to the municipality and this is how the first official edition of the event was born in 2005.

Le Tohu-Bohu can count on 110 volunteers for whom the festival has sometimes awakened vocations. “A volunteer who had never done access controls became a security officer, another volunteer, responsible for welcoming artists, became director of the tourist office… The festival also has a role social and can give rise to vocations. This is also one of the goals: we organize this festival together, we all pull together,” enthuses Lionel Martin.

Interview by Laure Brender

Web adaptation: Lara Donnet

^{The Tohu Bohu festival from September 1 to 3, 2022 in Veyras (VS).}