The Venue
Located at 3 boulevard de la bataille de Stalingrad in Villeurbanne, the Transbordeur is a concert venue that has been in operation since 1989. The building was originally a water treatment facility. At the end of the 1980s, the local authorities decided to open a rock venue for the local youth. The idea of renovating the former Villeurbanne water treatment plant quickly came up, and the construction was carried out in record time. The venue was originally meant to hold 500 spectators, but in fact it was directly converted to accommodate a further 1,000.
Shortly before the opening, the question arose as to what name should be given to this new cultural venue. In the end, it was the mobile crane used to transport heavy loads along the length of the building, which you can still see today as you enter the auditorium, that gave the venue its name, the Transbordeur. In English, 'transborder' means 'across borders', a name that has lost none of its meaning when you consider that the building is located on the border between Lyon and Villeurbanne and hosts both local and international artists.
Since the venue's opening concert on 21st January 1989 with the British band New Order, all the big names in contemporary music have performed here: from Oasis to Radiohead, Iggy Pop, Cesária Évora, Lou Reed, Angèle, Aya Nakamura, Charlotte de Witte, Burna Boy, Amelie Lens and many more. While the venue has always retained its rock spirit, the musical styles programmed are highly eclectic, covering the whole range of amplified music: rap, chanson, pop, reggae, dub, world sound, electro, metal, rock, soul, techno, etc.
30 years of Transbo
the beginning
You can find out more about the history of the venue by listening to the podcast (in French):
Since September 1st 2010, following the renewal of the venue's Public Service Delegation, S.A.S Transmission has been in charge of the rental, management and operation of the Transbordeur. Transmission's majority shareholders are the show production companies Eldorado & Co and Alias.
Le Transbordeur offers 3 different operating areas that are both modular and complementary. The main auditorium remains the building's main operating space, with a maximum capacity of 1,800 people. On the audience side, it comprises a pit and a tiered seating area giving optimum visibility of the stage from any point in the hall. Depending on the event, it is possible to install seats on all the tiers or even in the pit, but the standing configuration is still used for the most part.
Club Transbo is the name given to the Transbordeur's small, intimate venue, which houses the crane that gives the venue its name, as well as the bar. The Club Transbo's marked industrial character and the real proximity it allows between artists and audience make it a privileged venue, and it can accommodate up to 600 spectators. For some shows, it is used in conjunction with the main auditorium, allowing two distinct artistic offerings to be presented simultaneously.
Finally, Le Transbordeur's terrace is an outdoor space that can accommodate from 300 to 1,200 people. Multiple configurations are possible, with a stage that can be oriented either towards the building for a more intimate show, or towards the outside. Foodtrucks, picnic tables, a photobooth and bar containers round off the experience, which is always very popular in the summer months.
