Cancelled at the last minute on June 26 due to the heatwave that swept across France at the end of June, the Solidays festival has left Solidarité Sida in a critical financial situation. Since July 2, the organization has been appealing for donations to ensure its survival. Founded in 1992 to defend the rights of people living with HIV, it operates neither on subsidies nor on regular donations: the festival is its main source of funding, representing nearly 70% of its annual resources. "The future of the organization and the numerous programs it supports in 21 countries is at stake," the organization stated in a press release. Since its inception, the festival's proceeds have funded more than 2,550 AIDS prevention programs and supported people living with HIV in over 42 countries through 250 partner organizations.
"The first time in France that a festival has been produced and then cancelled in its entirety."
Luc Barruet, director and founder of Solidarité Sida, told L'Humanité about the magnitude of the shock. "The cancellation, announced that very morning, was a source of frustration for activists," he said, emphasizing that there is no precedent in France for a festival to be produced and then canceled in its entirety. Unlike 2020, when the cancellation due to Covid was anticipated and required less production spending, the 2026 edition had been almost fully committed financially. "If the organization doesn't recover, there might not be another Solidays," warns Barruet, who hopes that some ticket holders will forgo all or part of their ticket refunds when the online platform opens next week.
A Leetchi crowdfunding campaign launched by a content creator has already raised 9,182 euros.
In addition to direct donations on the Solidarité Sida website and the purchase of merchandise such as the Solidays football jersey, a content creator specializing in HIV awareness, @supersero on Instagram, launched a Leetchi crowdfunding campaign, "all of whose funds will be donated to Solidarité Sida to compensate for the financial consequences of the cancellation." It had already raised €9,182 at the time of publication, exceeding its initial goal of €10,000. "Since the cancellation, we have seen a real outpouring of generosity, with many donations and purchases of festival merchandise," observes Luc Barruet, for whom "this new challenge cannot be overcome without you."
