The Moulin Rouge is back on its feet: a festive return to the heart of Paris
The wings of the Moulin Rouge are turning again. It’s an iconic image of Paris reborn in the skies over the 18ᵉ arrondissement, after several months’ absence. Victims of a spectacular fall on the night of April 24-25, 2024, the wings of the legendary cabaret were restored in record time. They are now ready to shine again, in time for the passage of the Olympic flame.
A carefully restored Parisian landmark
Since 1889, the red wings of the Moulin Rouge have hardly ever stopped spinning. Installed at the cabaret’s opening, they are as much a part of the Parisian collective imagination as the Eiffel Tower or the Butte Montmartre. Their fall last spring shocked Parisians, tourists and history buffs alike.
Thanks to the precise work of CMP Constructions Métalliques, new aluminum wings were manufactured in just seven weeks. The aim is to reinstall them before July 15, the symbolic date on which the Olympic flame will pass in front of the cabaret.
A popular festival to mark the return
The Moulin Rouge is organizing an exceptional happening on July 10 at 10:45pm in Place Blanche to celebrate this rebirth. The cabaret’s artists will come out in costume to accompany the wings in motion to the rhythm of music, feathers and sequins.
It’s a highly symbolic moment, which will allow everyone to feel the collective emotion linked to this patrimonial reactivation. The Moulin Rouge invites Parisians and the curious to join in this celebration, which is free and open to all.
A living monument to Parisian show business
Since its creation, the Moulin Rouge has never ceased to amaze. Its current revue, Féerie, features 90 artists of 18 nationalities, over 1,000 costumes, spectacular sets and the famous French Cancan, presented to 600,000 spectators a year. A figure that proves the vitality of this monument to Parisian entertainment.
Jean-Jacques Clerico, President of the Moulin Rouge, recalls it with emotion:
“To see the Moulin Rouge’s wings turning again is to give back to Paris one of its most beautiful symbols.”
A wind of renewal blows across Montmartre
The return of the rotating wings is more than a technical fix. It’s a strong gesture of cultural continuity, a nod to history, and a sign of optimism at the height of the summer season. In a Paris in the throes of the Olympic Games, the Moulin Rouge proves that it remains one of the capital’s beating hearts.
📍Don‘t miss: the July 10 celebration at 10:45 p.m., Place Blanche
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