Illkirch-Graffenstaden. Pin-ups, beautiful voices made in the USA, mechanical bull… the Elsass Rock & Jive festival promises to be “great”

The festival created in Colmar by Coco Das Vegas, founding member of Pin-up d’Alsace, took root in Illkirch-Graffenstaden. Thousands of lovers of retro, pin-ups, burlesque and rock’n’roll will meet there again during the Ascension long weekend – over 11,000 m² ! – around the essentials: concerts and burlesque shows, vintage market, dance classes, pin-up parades, arm wrestling competitions, “weddings” celebrated by Elvis, aka Rick Cavan

election of Miss Elsass Rock & Jive, exhibition of vintage cars, tattoo artists, food trucks… This year, the Elsass Rock & Jive features some celebrities. So, straight from Las Vegas, Bernie Dexter

will offer his first burlesque show in Europe and will chair the jury of Miss Elsass Rock & Jive. After working as a professional hair and makeup artist, Bernie Dexter became an icon of vintage glamor: she performs every month at the Golden Tiki Lounge in Las Vegas, a bar famous for its cocktails and kitsch.

Gizzelle, Barrence Whitfield… Many other artists will perform, like every year, in a burlesque show. On the music side, we will hear, Friday evening,Gizzelle captivating voice, emblematic figure and first female artist signed to Wild, an independent label based in LA specializing in rockabilly, blues, soul… Power and energy define the American singer Barrence Whitfield

whose rock’n’roll and rhythm’n’blues will resonate on Thursday evening. Of course, dancing will accompany this musical program: two outdoor floors and one indoor – all on parquet floors – on which we will notably find free retro dance classes. Among the new features of this edition, a “Bettie Page look alike” competition, to elect the one who will be best inspired by this iconic pin-up from the 1950s. Or even a “mermaid ball” to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the emblematic scene of the prom ofBack to the future

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Registrations are also open for burlesque workshops
: “the art of taking your time” with Serafina Hart, discovering the dance steps of the 1940s with Sharon Davis or “presence, posture, power” with Curly Gumbo.