Delta Festival: gender-based and sexual violence allegations trigger withdrawals

The Delta Festival is scheduled for July 23-26, 2026 on the Prado beaches in Marseille and will feature a Rio Carnival theme. Ten collectives withdrew from the festival lineup citing accusations against festival president Olivier Ledot.

Say Less was the first collective to withdraw on July 10. Nine other collectives withdrew on July 17: Twerkistan, La Louve, MTOWN, Dub Striker, FAI Virar, La Wo, Minuit Rapide, Solstitium and Undergroove.

An investigation by Marsactu revealed accusations of gender-based and sexual violence against Olivier Ledot. Ledot has been removed from operational management and Matthieu Predal is taking over festival operations.

Ledot has said he intends to file a complaint for malicious defamation. Delta Festival and event partner Le Monde des Possibles issued statements announcing that an internal investigation has been opened and that an investigation committee has been formed. Olivier Ledot will be banned from attending the festival.

Ten collectives withdrew from the Delta Festival lineup in July 2026 following accusations against festival president Olivier Ledot. Say Less was the first to withdraw, announcing its departure on July 10, 2026. A group of nine other collectives announced their withdrawals on July 17, 2026. These actions removed ten names from the festival’s scheduled lineup for the event taking place July 23–26 on the Prado beaches in Marseille.

The nine collectives that withdrew on July 17 were Twerkistan, La Louve, MTOWN, Dub Striker, FAI Virar, La Wo, Minuit Rapide, Solstitium and Undergroove. The combined withdrawals followed the initial departure by Say Less and altered the planned roster of participating collectives. The timeline of departures is limited to the two dates reported: July 10 and July 17, 2026.

An investigation by the Marseille news outlet Marsactu revealed accusations of gender-based and sexual violence directed at Olivier Ledot. The report linked those accusations to public reactions within the Delta Festival community. The available sources do not provide this information. The available sources do not provide this information.

Following the revelations, Olivier Ledot was removed from operational management and Matthieu Predal is taking over festival operations. Ledot has said he intends to file a complaint for malicious defamation. Delta Festival and event partner Le Monde des Possibles issued statements announcing that an internal investigation has been opened and that an investigation committee has been formed, and Olivier Ledot will be banned from attending the festival.

Delta Festival announced that Olivier Ledot was removed from operational management and that Matthieu Predal is taking over festival operations. The festival and its partner Le Monde des Possibles said “an internal investigation has been opened to shed light on such a situation” and that “an investigation committee has been formed.” The organisers also stated that “Olivier Ledot will also be banned from attending the festival.” One statement described the move with the phrase “this decision follows information brought to [its] attention, which [they] cannot associate with.”

Olivier Ledot has said he intends to file a complaint for “malicious defamation.” Delta Festival and Le Monde des Possibles issued the cited statements and described the underlying claims as “serious facts.” The organisations announced the procedural steps of an internal inquiry and the establishment of a committee to examine the situation. The available sources do not provide this information.

Olivier Ledot has said he intends to file a complaint for “malicious defamation”. He has been removed from operational management of the Delta Festival, and Matthieu Predal is taking over festival operations for the event scheduled July 23–26, 2026 on the Prado beaches in Marseille. Ledot’s stated intention to bring legal action followed publication of allegations of gender-based and sexual violence in an investigation by the Marseille outlet Marsactu. The available sources do not provide this information at this time.

CONCLUSION

Delta Festival, scheduled for July 23–26, 2026 on the Prado beaches in Marseille with a Rio Carnival theme, has seen ten collectives withdraw from its lineup after an investigation by Marsactu revealed accusations of gender-based and sexual violence against festival president Olivier Ledot. The withdrawals began with Say Less on July 10 and continued with nine other collectives on July 17: Twerkistan, La Louve, MTOWN, Dub Striker, FAI Virar, La Wo, Minuit Rapide, Solstitium and Undergroove.

In response, Delta Festival and partner Le Monde des Possibles announced that Ledot was removed from operational management, that Matthieu Predal will take over festival operations, that “an internal investigation has been opened to shed light on such a situation” and that “an investigation committee has been formed,” and they also stated that Ledot will be banned from attending the festival. Olivier Ledot has said he intends to file a complaint for “malicious defamation.”