Fun for all
Festive events for the whole family
From December 15 2005 to January 2 2006, the Grand Palais hosted an outstanding event, a celebration of fun, dedicated to the circus and fairground entertainment: "Jours de fêtes". A huge public thronged to the year-end festivities, enjoying fairground attractions that included a 100-foot high big wheel.
Jours de fête, 2005. The big wheel putting heads in a spin. © Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, cliché Didier Plowy
With events of all kinds, the fairground made the Nave of the Grand Palais into a pleasure dome, the big wheel giving the public its first ever close-up view of the glass roof!
The attractions, stripped of their decoration, were revealed as metallic, mechanical structures. Drawing a public of all ages, they included: rotating swings, dodgems for children and adults, small roundabouts for the very young, a labyrinth house over 30 feet in height, wooden horses, and shooting galleries.
Who could resist the booths rekindling childhood memories with old-world confectionery, waffles and candy floss?
Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, "Jours de fêtes" was organised by the Parc de la Villette, in partnership with the French Fairground operators' association (Comité de promotion de la Fête Foraine Française) and the National Circus School in Rosny-sous-bois.
The attractions, stripped of their decoration, were revealed as metallic, mechanical structures. Drawing a public of all ages, they included: rotating swings, dodgems for children and adults, small roundabouts for the very young, a labyrinth house over 30 feet in height, wooden horses, and shooting galleries.
Who could resist the booths rekindling childhood memories with old-world confectionery, waffles and candy floss?
Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, "Jours de fêtes" was organised by the Parc de la Villette, in partnership with the French Fairground operators' association (Comité de promotion de la Fête Foraine Française) and the National Circus School in Rosny-sous-bois.
A trampoline in the Nave
"Jours de Fêtes" in the Grand Palais was an event dedicated to sharing.
The public was invited to attend circus performances conceived by Bernard Turin and France's National Circus School in Rosny-sous-bois. A 540-seater arena was installed in the Nave and offered twice-daily shows that thrilled and astounded their audiences.
A wide choice of workshops gave visitors the opportunity to try their hand at juggling, balancing, acrobatics and trampolining.
The public was invited to attend circus performances conceived by Bernard Turin and France's National Circus School in Rosny-sous-bois. A 540-seater arena was installed in the Nave and offered twice-daily shows that thrilled and astounded their audiences.
A wide choice of workshops gave visitors the opportunity to try their hand at juggling, balancing, acrobatics and trampolining.
Jours de fêtes 2009/2010
A huge breath of fresh air swept through the Grand Palais with a fun event for all the family: Jours de fêtes. Following on from the huge success of the inaugural edition in 2005, which drew 250,000 visitors, the second edition set out to recreate the magical "happy days" atmosphere in a fairground atmosphere, swinging to the strains of "manouche" style gypsy jazz.
Jours de fêtes 2009. Two weeks of festivity in the Nave © Collection Grand Palais, Cosimo Mirco Magliocca
An initiative introduced by the Etablissement public du Grand Palais and implemented by Marcel Campion, President of the Association du monde festif, "Jours de Fêtes" was back at the Grand Palais from December 18 2009 to January 1 2010. The latest version brought together the arts of the fairground and gypsy jazz.
Staged in the Nave of the Grand Palais, "Jours de fêtes" is an outstanding year's end event that has a very broad public appeal. The lighting, specially designed by François Austerlitz, created a magical, fairytale atmosphere in the midst of the fairground attractions, including the big wheel, the 1900 carrousel merry-go-round and the "children's world" area. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the unique collection loaned by the Fairground Arts Museum, showcasing the artistic heritage of the world of the funfair. To celebrate the centenary of the birth of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, stars of French and international gypsy jazz joined in the party.
The programme included:
- fairground attractions
- an exhibition of "Treasures of the Museum of Fairground Arts"
- a musical programme entitled "The gypsy encampment"
The 2nd edition was a huge success, drawing nearly 220,000 visitors with attendance peaking at 25,000 people per day!
Staged in the Nave of the Grand Palais, "Jours de fêtes" is an outstanding year's end event that has a very broad public appeal. The lighting, specially designed by François Austerlitz, created a magical, fairytale atmosphere in the midst of the fairground attractions, including the big wheel, the 1900 carrousel merry-go-round and the "children's world" area. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the unique collection loaned by the Fairground Arts Museum, showcasing the artistic heritage of the world of the funfair. To celebrate the centenary of the birth of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, stars of French and international gypsy jazz joined in the party.
The programme included:
- fairground attractions
- an exhibition of "Treasures of the Museum of Fairground Arts"
- a musical programme entitled "The gypsy encampment"
The 2nd edition was a huge success, drawing nearly 220,000 visitors with attendance peaking at 25,000 people per day!
Medias
Photos galleries
Fun for all
Second edition of Jours de fêtes (2009)
Vidéo
Jours de Fêtes at the Grand Palais © Grand Palais
See also
