FISE, as it is affectionately known in the Hérault prefecture, rewrites the rule book for sporting events with its party atmosphere and distinct cultural imprint which is evidently important to the 600,000 spectators that have come to witness it, all for free.

Situated on the banks of the River Lez there are magnificent venues lining either side for BMX, skateboarding, scooter, roller freestyle, breaking and even a graffiti competition too.

All of the facilities are temporary and leave little carbon footprint, a vital requirement to staging sporting events in the modern era.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary since the first edition of FISE and has seen it grow from 250 athletes to more than 2,000.

In the beginning, there was an air of chaos as no strict rules were in place for the sports and no international or national federations were involved.

Today it is different with the presence of the International Cycling Union, International Gymnastics Federation, World Skate, and World DanceSport Federation but those staging it have been keen to keep "the authenticity, the vibes, and the spirit of what makes FISE" according to Olivier Pascal, international development manager of Hurricane, the event's organisers.

"If you go around the spectator area you can really feel this fantastic atmosphere, and it was exactly the same on the very first edition," Pascal told insidethegames at FISE.

"We've got closer to the federations to gain more legitimacy with the sports movement as well as more exposure.

"This has meant new regulations for competitions, but in return, it has given us the opportunity to showcase our disciplines to the world."

FISE is dedicated to urban sports and has been a key reason for their development as it opens its doors to amateur and professional athletes across a variety of age groups and offering complete accessibility.

Australia's Logan Martin became the first male freestyle BMX Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020 and paid tribute to FISE, saying it was a big part of his growth from the early stages of his career when he won the gold in 2012.

Despite this it has never been able to reach the same heights as similar events, such as the X Games, in terms of reaching mainstream television.

However, through this came a fantastic early opportunity to branch out into digital markets and social media to show off its coverage which has in turn attracted a young and devoted following, something that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) craves.

"We have always had trouble gaining exposure with TV and the main media so that's the reason why we were one of the first action sport events to really use social media," said Pascal.

"It is key because today the youth watch television less and less, they are all on social media.

"This is really an instrumental point for us in how to engage with new communities and expose our sports to the wider audience."

Two disciplines on show at FISE, skateboarding and freestyle BMX, made their Olympic debuts last year in Japan while representatives from the bodies that govern newcomers sports climbing, 3x3 basketball and surfing were all in attendance at the Urban Sports Summit which ran alongside FISE in Montpellier.

The IOC has decided that these sports are the key to attracting a new audience to the Olympic Games and revitalise it with fears it is growing stale.

In the months since Tokyo, FISE is already feeling the benefit.

"We quickly witnessed the impact," said Pascal.

"The majority of the impacts are positive but also some challenges that we need to pay attention too.

"The benefits is that we have more credibility towards institutions such as the Ministry of Sport, the municipalities, and even some mainstream sponsors.

"They all know what the Olympics are, and we need them to continue our role of promoting the sports."

As a result, this allows more athletes to take part and then has a trickle-down effect to the grassroots levels and ends in more clubs and facilities for children to have access.

"The challenges that we are facing is the new rules such as anti-doping and athlete quotas but this is a worthwhile compromise for us," said Pascal.

"We have to accept that as professional sports we must follow the IOC's requirements, but we must ensure that it doesn’t change our sports and our DNA.

"We are freestyle sports so the freedom is key."

The Urban Sports Summit also took place this week and marked its third in-person edition.

It featured 60 speakers over 18 sessions with more than 250 delegates in attendance and aims to gather people from different communities within urban sports and beyond to educate them and equally learn from them.

As well as sport, talks centred around urban culture and sustainable, social, and economic development models to shape the future of urban sports.

When asked what the future of sport looked like the majority of speakers gave a resounding, also expected, response of "urban!" but judging by Paris 2024's approach they may well be right.

At the upcoming Olympics there is set to be a village dedicated to urban sports at La Concorde, a central and symbolic location in the French capital which signifies the major role that they will be playing along with the arrival of new disciplines such as breaking.

The French Government is also spearheading the movement with its project "5000 sports grounds by 2024", of which more than 500 are planned to be skateparks.

FISE is constantly taking strides to increase its popularity and establish itself as an elite sporting event, shown by making all of the prize money equal for men and women in the skateboarding, breaking, and freestyle BMX disciplines.

In the future, organiser Hurricane is looking to add even more sports to the programme.

"The goal for the next editions is to develop each of the sports you see here and to potentially bring back disciplines we had in the past like mountain biking and wakeboarding," Pascal said.

"We would also like to grab the attention of major sponsors who are looking to have a voice among this young community.

"It's not easy for marketers to target the 12 to 25 demographic because they do not trust big institutions.

"But through FISE, I think brands can really show what they do for the planet and for the youth and then change that mentality and be accepted."

For now though, FISE continues to provide world class action and a great day out to the public all while expecting nothing in return.