A new skin for Les Nuits

Some significant changes were introduced at the 2025 edition of Les Nuits, including the adoption of a day-ticket system and the replacement of the traditional big tent with a bespoke open-air stage. Rotor was commissioned to design the latter and rethink the festival’s outdoor facilities.

The design's main feature is the two elevated walkways that extend the Botanique's terraces, offering unbeatable views of the stage, audience, garden, and urban skyline. Like the stage, the walkways are covered in coloured tarpaulins which are fragments of an artwork originally created by the artist Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven and displayed on the façade of the Kanal museum.

Tarpaulins and scaffoldings are ubiquitous, from façade renovations to trucks covering, and reusing them is not precisely new. It is much less frequent, however, to have access to tarps that are also the support of an artistic creation. They seemed like the perfect skin to dress the scaffolding structures.

The design incorporates new dining and drinking areas. These are structured around long shaded tables and high shelves along the terraces. Finally, a relaxation area designed by Mathilde Roman and equipped with loungers and hammocks invites visitors to take a break.

The design is thought to make use of fully circular elements. These are either salvaged materials or rented equipment. At the end of the festival, these elements can be reused by Botanique or elsewhere.