THE HELLFEST - A PILGRIMAGE FOR METALHEADS

The study presented here shows, through the analysis of the Hellfest, an annual metal music festival held in Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique region of France, that this music constitutes a true culture.To understand the current position the Hellfest holds for the metal community, it is necessary to know its evolution since its creation, to examine the relationships it promotes between the festivalgoers themselves, and between the festivalgoers and the artists, and to examine its role as a place where a community with no real geographical foothold can be united during a given period of time.The various sociabilities that are experienced at the Hellfest cannot be understood without taking an interest in the particular economy set up by the organisers, an economy that contributes to the recognition of the event and influences its sociabilities. The organisers have had and are committed to addressing the wishes of the festivalgoers of all subgenres of metal music, making them actors and not just mere consumers and involving local economic actors as well.The Hellfest allows each metalhead to take a break from his or her life in a particular space, for a defined period of time, offering everyone the opportunity to assert or reassert his or her identity through different rituals. It is thus the pilgrimage of the entire metal community