Paris Nuit Blanche

 

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By sheer coincidence, we are arriving in Paris on October 5th,  the day of the Nuit Blanche (White Night) festival. It is the annual arts event (not to be confused with Dîner En Blanc which I wrote about here) which takes place from 7pm to 7am - literally all night long - on the first Saturday in October. The "city of lights" is illuminated more than ever on this one night of the year.

 

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Here is a description of the annual festival from the creators:

 

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"For one night only the Nuit Blanche festival brings together contemporary artists from across five continents. On the night of October 5th, take a stroll along the banks of the Seine, through the Marais, République and Belleville districts, or along the Canal Saint-Martin. Free of charge!

Join us on 5th October for the latest edition of Paris’ all-night arts festival: Nuit Blanche! Featuring artists from across five continents and curated by Chiara Parisi and Julie Pellegrin, this highlight of the cultural calendar takes over the banks of the Seine, the Canal Saint-Martin, and the République, Marais, Belleville and Ménilmontant districts for one magical night of artistic celebration.

Martin Creed will be getting proceedings underway this year by simultaneously ringing all of the church bells located along the Nuit Blanche route – including the virtual bells which visitors can download to their smartphones using our special event app.

Meanwhile, hovering above the Seine, helicopters fitted with speakers will be blasting out a Stockhausen string quartet. Later on, again down on the banks of the Seine, Chinese artist Cai Guo Qiang (responsible for the incredible fireworks display at the Beijing Olympics) presents an ode to love, an orchestrated pyrotechnic celebration of romance."

Here is a video from last year's event:

 

Click here if you cannot view the video.

 

I am hoping that it will turn out to be a unique experience for us. Our plan is to take the Batobus on the Seine to experience the festivities via water. I promise to report back to tell you how it was!!