We Love Green kicks off festival season with an incredible line-up
The eco-friendly festival has been a mainstay on the circuit for over 15 years now.
Photo: @isaacponseele @kevinlpz92
Set in the stunning woodland backdrop of Bois de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, you might know We Love Green for its curation of a drool-worthy line-up, but the festival is not only committed to providing an unmissable schedule — they’re also the leading festival when it comes to creating a sustainable space.
In order to maintain such a wonderful, eco-friendly festival, We Love Green introduced rules against disposing of cigarette butts and waste on the ground, with different types of bins spread around the festival and free pocket ashtrays available to grab from the info point. There are water stations provided, too, and the festival encourages everyone to bring their own water bottle to fill up, as well as having an entirely cashless system, which involves adding money to the bracelet given to you at the entrance.
When it comes to the food side of things, the festival is 100% plant-based and has been since 2023, further proving why they’re one of the best festivals for sustainability and are leading the way for positive change.
A festival with a line-up this good doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Year after year, We Love Green proves that.
On the music side, the festival caters for all tastes, and always gives a platform for some of the best talent on the planet to shine. From psychedelic rock to house to DJ sets, there’s something to enjoy for everyone, and new favourites waiting to be discovered just a short walk from each other. If the varied music selection isn’t enough, the festival also features comedy and talks, held at the Think Tank stage.
Friday kicked off with the sunshine coming out to join us, with French artist Max Baby taking to La Canopée to captivate the audience with his style of alternative rock, the afternoon crowd soaking in his charisma.
Later, a tight-knit crowd gathered for virtual band Gorillaz on the main stage, La Prairie, who opened with the titular track from their 2026 album, The Mountain, and proved themselves very much on top of their game. When the last song came around, Damon Albarn asked the crowd what they wanted before admitting, “I know what you want,” and letting the opening notes of Clint Eastwood send the crowd into a frenzy.
The genius blend of songs from albums spanning their almost 30-year-long career meant everyone was pleased, and the creativity of the band left those in attendance entertained, with detailed animated films shown on the screens of characters from years of world-building. If it wasn’t for the entire band standing there, I’d still like to believe 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel were standing before us instead.
Over at La Clairière, a stage which felt intimate yet expansive, Dijon brought his chilled-out sounds to Paris, playing through his 2025 album Baby and so much more to deliver an exceptional performance. Opening with Talk Down from the 2021 album, Absolutely, the talented musician captivated the audience with fourteen enchanting tracks.
Closing the opening night was the formidable Little Simz, a name that we’ll never grow tired of hearing, and someone whose passion for music shines through in her performance, jumping around the stage with sheer joy as the sun-drenched crowd basks in her glory.
The following day, Addison Rae proved her It Girl status with a honed set; starting suspended on a circle before being brought down by a dancer, somehow managing to keep her breath steady during aerobic moves that would have me in stitches. The Louisiana native continues to stay on top with a set full of hits, like opening track Diet Pepsi, Headphones On and Fame Is a Gun.
Minimal overlapping meant that, once Addison closed the curtain on her performance, the crowd started rushing over to catch Hayley Williams’ set, where she would perform almost all the tracks from her latest album, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party.
One of the most hotly anticipated performances of the weekend, given the demand for her UK and Europe tour, the Paramore frontwoman stood and looked at the crowd in awe, confessing it was going “way better” than she had imagined, and the turnout had surprised her. When you’re Hayley Williams, what do you expect?
She truly embodies what true independence in music looks like, which is evidenced by a live performance that feels raw and authentically her. Real emotion and passion come into play as Hayley looks content on stage, singing lyrics that feel as if they’ve been pulled straight from the most intimate parts of her journal.
French-Congolese singer Theodora shone bright, bringing her perfectly crafted, upbeat blend of hyper-pop, calypso and R&B to the main stage, before it was back to La Clairière to dance into the night with electronic duo Overmono, shaking off any worries as the brothers played to a lively crowd of like-minded dancers.
Whoever decided on three days for the festival got it exactly right. On the third day, Welsh powerhouse MARINA brought all the nostalgia, coupled with tracks from her last two albums, 2022’s Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land and 2025’s PRINCESS OF POWER. The party well and truly got underway, sending the crowd wild when she mixed METALLIC STALLION with Madonna’s Hung Up. With a voice that powerful, I would’ve happily sat there and listened to her run through every album.
With a new album on the way, we’re about to see a whole lot more of Role Model — and I’m not complaining. Opening with his latest single and the first of his new ‘Chuck Timely’ alter-ego era, the crowd truly got immersed in it as his country twang delivered on High Hopes 3000, before playing a set of absolutely no skips, a cover of The 1975’s Somebody Else that somehow gets better the more times I hear it live, and an unreleased track, who many presume is titled Come a Little Closer. It was also my first experience getting sprayed with water at a festival, and for that I am thankful, as the sun came out in full force.
Aside from its commitment to sustainability, what stood out to me about the festival was the time it gives to musicians. I’ve been to so many festivals where an artist is given a 30-minute slot but, at We Love Green, it feels like artists are allowed that time to truly put on a show, rather than feeling the need to cram in more and more acts and watch them get lost in the line-up.
The line-up is curated so well that all you want to do is sit with that artist for longer than thirty minutes, and it feels much more like full-length concerts than a festival, proving that quality over quantity is the way forward. Bands and artists are offered a chance to play a set where it’s more about the sound and stage presence than it is about giving the audience just a taste.
We Love Green might just be the first festival I’ve experienced with perfect signal everywhere — that’s something to boast about. No more worrying about losing your mates. Eco-friendly, phone-friendly, and with a strong passion for safety and protection — including a shuttle bus to get home once the Metro is closed — the festival is shaping the mould of what the festival experience should be: one that everyone can enjoy.
