Versailles - Evening Pagent
Jul 14th, 2005, 09:27 AM
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Versailles - Evening Pagent
My sister read about pagents at versailles on the weekend from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sounds interesting - people wanding around in costume and the fountains will be on. Anyone see this? Enjoy it? I am concerned about getting back to Paris at 11:30 p.m. on the train although I have read you can take a taxi.
Jul 14th, 2005, 09:31 AM
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these son-et-lumieres shows have gone on for years, stands are set up on the parterre behind the palace by the Triton Fountain - yes a colorful multi-media pageant; i've seen similar ones at Loire castles but not this but all seem fun to me. The RER C should be running at least to midnight, probably much later. www.ratp.com.
Jul 14th, 2005, 10:31 AM
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Not really a son et lumière; it's called a spectacle. Here's part of an article I wrote for the bonjourparis.com web site about the one we attended.
A different kind of summer festival takes place at Versailles from mid-May to mid-September. We first learned of this when passing the tourist office on the Champs Elysées a few years ago, when we were attracted by a poster advertising a spectacle. The event looked promising, and so we bought tickets and took the RER out to the Versailles station the following evening. After we made our way past the boundary of the palace grounds to the Fountain of Neptune we saw that seats and grandstands had been assembled at the edge of the large water basin. We discovered that we could upgrade our bleacher tickets for better seats, did so, and settled in to enjoy the show.
In the course of 2-1/2 hours we saw a variety of performances, beginning with historical tableaux. Actors in magnificent costumes played royalty, courtiers, guardsmen, and musketeers, re-enacting events from the time of Le Roi Soleil, Louis XIV. While the tableaux were taking place a fierce battle could be seen in the woods to one side of the basin, and suddenly a carriage drawn by six horses careened down a road near us. In it were the fleeing King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their children. We watched with sadness as the family was captured, their fate being return to Paris, the revolutionary mobs, and—for the king and queen--Madame la Guillotine.
A performance by dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet followed the tableaux, and after that came exciting duels between dashing gentlemen of the court. All through the evening costumed actors moved along the area directly in front of the seats, offering the audience an excellent view of their splendid, lace-trimmed apparel and spectacular hats festooned with ribbons and plumes.
The evening’s grand finale was 40 minutes’ worth of the most impressive fireworks we had ever seen, all accompanied by period music and jets of water from the Neptune Fountain. This was not the typical Fourth-of-July display but one more delicate and appropriate to the setting, with many beautifully timed ground displays.
We are big fans of fireworks and have seen a wide variety of them, but many of the ones we saw that night were completely new to us and really stunning in their colors and designs. There were also special effects, such as lighting in the woods in the background, where hidden red fireworks simulated the light and smoke of battle. And several times when we thought the show was over, up went still another spectacular display into the night sky
After the spectacle was finally over, we joined the excited crowds milling down the street past the palace and caught the last train back to Paris. It was an unforgettable night.
Information about summer spectacles at Versailles can be found at the town’s tourism web site: www.versailles-tourisme.com.
A different kind of summer festival takes place at Versailles from mid-May to mid-September. We first learned of this when passing the tourist office on the Champs Elysées a few years ago, when we were attracted by a poster advertising a spectacle. The event looked promising, and so we bought tickets and took the RER out to the Versailles station the following evening. After we made our way past the boundary of the palace grounds to the Fountain of Neptune we saw that seats and grandstands had been assembled at the edge of the large water basin. We discovered that we could upgrade our bleacher tickets for better seats, did so, and settled in to enjoy the show.
In the course of 2-1/2 hours we saw a variety of performances, beginning with historical tableaux. Actors in magnificent costumes played royalty, courtiers, guardsmen, and musketeers, re-enacting events from the time of Le Roi Soleil, Louis XIV. While the tableaux were taking place a fierce battle could be seen in the woods to one side of the basin, and suddenly a carriage drawn by six horses careened down a road near us. In it were the fleeing King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their children. We watched with sadness as the family was captured, their fate being return to Paris, the revolutionary mobs, and—for the king and queen--Madame la Guillotine.
A performance by dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet followed the tableaux, and after that came exciting duels between dashing gentlemen of the court. All through the evening costumed actors moved along the area directly in front of the seats, offering the audience an excellent view of their splendid, lace-trimmed apparel and spectacular hats festooned with ribbons and plumes.
The evening’s grand finale was 40 minutes’ worth of the most impressive fireworks we had ever seen, all accompanied by period music and jets of water from the Neptune Fountain. This was not the typical Fourth-of-July display but one more delicate and appropriate to the setting, with many beautifully timed ground displays.
We are big fans of fireworks and have seen a wide variety of them, but many of the ones we saw that night were completely new to us and really stunning in their colors and designs. There were also special effects, such as lighting in the woods in the background, where hidden red fireworks simulated the light and smoke of battle. And several times when we thought the show was over, up went still another spectacular display into the night sky
After the spectacle was finally over, we joined the excited crowds milling down the street past the palace and caught the last train back to Paris. It was an unforgettable night.
Information about summer spectacles at Versailles can be found at the town’s tourism web site: www.versailles-tourisme.com.
Jul 14th, 2005, 11:48 AM
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Thanks Underhill! Great review.
My sisters also want to see the Chateau so they want to arrive in the afternoon, see the Chateau, have dinner somewhere and wait around until 9 p.m. for the show to begin. What do you think? We will be dressed casually, so where could we have dinner?
My sisters also want to see the Chateau so they want to arrive in the afternoon, see the Chateau, have dinner somewhere and wait around until 9 p.m. for the show to begin. What do you think? We will be dressed casually, so where could we have dinner?
Jul 14th, 2005, 12:05 PM
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If you go to Versailles on Sundays in summer, many Sundays, there is also the Grandes Eaux de Versailles, where dozens of fountains that are normally dry spout up to the piped in sounds of classical music. It's free i believe and bring the gardens to live.
Jul 14th, 2005, 02:12 PM
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Seeing--and hearing the accompanying music to--the fountains in operation requires a garden admission fee on Sundays,, but it's not prohibitive. Be warned: the water at one of the fountains smells really foul!
Jul 15th, 2005, 07:21 AM
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Sorry, this is off the subject, but - Underhill, what are bleacher seats ? I've always wondered. I've got the impression in the past that they are seats right at the edge of the playing area, in sports grounds - but why are they called bleachers ?
The show sounds fantastic.
The show sounds fantastic.
Jul 15th, 2005, 07:34 AM
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I'm sure someone will Wikipedia (?) this but i believe bleachers may have come from baseball - the cheapest seats in the outfield that were not covered and the sun would bleach the folks?
At Versailles leave time to wander what is the world's largest open-air statue gardens, according to the French government at least.
At Versailles leave time to wander what is the world's largest open-air statue gardens, according to the French government at least.
Jul 17th, 2005, 06:35 PM
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Wow, I stumbled on this thread by accident! How do I get more information on this event? I tried the website Underhill was so kind to include, but I don't know the name of this event and also I could only access the chateau part of the website in french. Is this event held every weekend? How much are the tickets as we are a family of 6. We are especially interested in the time frame of July 27 - 30. Thanks!
Jul 17th, 2005, 06:55 PM
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I was just checking into this last week and found the following website with Versailles information:
http://www.versailles-tourisme.com/index_a.html
http://www.versailles-tourisme.com/index_a.html
Jul 17th, 2005, 07:57 PM
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Nancy45, in one of the pages it states the following:
"Les Grandes Eaux Musicales" every saturdays, sundays and days off until september 25.
"Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes" every saturdays from July the 9th until August the 13th between 9 pm to 11 pm.
"Les Fêtes de Nuit" on saturdays August the 27th, September the 3rd and the 10 th, on thursdays September the 1st, the 8th and the 15th from 9:30 pm to 11 pm.
No price information though, sorry.
"Les Grandes Eaux Musicales" every saturdays, sundays and days off until september 25.
"Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes" every saturdays from July the 9th until August the 13th between 9 pm to 11 pm.
"Les Fêtes de Nuit" on saturdays August the 27th, September the 3rd and the 10 th, on thursdays September the 1st, the 8th and the 15th from 9:30 pm to 11 pm.
No price information though, sorry.
Jul 17th, 2005, 08:01 PM
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FYI, the page you can see it under is Events. By the way, my husband and I will be in Paris from the 28th through 8/5 and are thinking on going to Versailles on Saturday or Sunday so we can see the fountains, etc...we might be there on the same day!
Jul 17th, 2005, 08:22 PM
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Thanks Underhill and 2girls! It looks like we'll miss the spectacle described by Underhill as it begins in late August, but we plan to see the fountains and we may indeed be there the same day 2girls!
Happy travels!
Happy travels!
Jul 17th, 2005, 08:42 PM
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I get a newsletter from franceguide.com and my sister found the following information in it:
Evening Water Fountain Show at Versailles
A unique opportunity to see the Château de Versailles at sunset
July 9 – August 13, 2005
This year's theme is "Let me you tell the story of Versailles" and
offers an
original escapade into history through meetings with great characters
from
Louise XIII to Clémenceau who left their mark on the château.
A two-hour walk will let your family relive the splendor of Versailles.
Every hour you can experience the colors, the light, the mystery and
the
jetting waters. The music spans three hundred years of heritage. And
while
walking you will meet living scenes, with some 300 characters in superb
costumes: Swiss guards, Louis XII's hunting party, fire breathers, etc.
The program:
You feel the ambiance as soon as you arrive. You are welcomed at the
gates
by revolutionary singers and baroque stilt walkers that wander
throughout in
the garden. On the terraces, the water shoots out, the groves open and
one
by one the basins are filled with water. The living scenes wander about
like
pages out of history.
After the one-hour and 15-minute show, the figures accompany you to see
the
finale, a fireworks show over the château in blue, white and red.
Dates: Saturday, July 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13, 2005. 9:00 pm to
11:30
pm
Cost: 17 euros for adults, 15 euros for minors under age 18.
Reservations are advised: Tel: 33 (0) 1 30 83 78 88
Evening Water Fountain Show at Versailles
A unique opportunity to see the Château de Versailles at sunset
July 9 – August 13, 2005
This year's theme is "Let me you tell the story of Versailles" and
offers an
original escapade into history through meetings with great characters
from
Louise XIII to Clémenceau who left their mark on the château.
A two-hour walk will let your family relive the splendor of Versailles.
Every hour you can experience the colors, the light, the mystery and
the
jetting waters. The music spans three hundred years of heritage. And
while
walking you will meet living scenes, with some 300 characters in superb
costumes: Swiss guards, Louis XII's hunting party, fire breathers, etc.
The program:
You feel the ambiance as soon as you arrive. You are welcomed at the
gates
by revolutionary singers and baroque stilt walkers that wander
throughout in
the garden. On the terraces, the water shoots out, the groves open and
one
by one the basins are filled with water. The living scenes wander about
like
pages out of history.
After the one-hour and 15-minute show, the figures accompany you to see
the
finale, a fireworks show over the château in blue, white and red.
Dates: Saturday, July 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13, 2005. 9:00 pm to
11:30
pm
Cost: 17 euros for adults, 15 euros for minors under age 18.
Reservations are advised: Tel: 33 (0) 1 30 83 78 88
