Eclectic Chatelet Theatre
Where to stay in Paris to attend a performance at Théâtre du Chatelet ?
If you come in Paris to attend a show at Olympia, Opéra Garnier, Boulevard des Italiens or Boulevard des Capucines are typically the perfect places to stay. Our Duc de Choiseul Flat for up to 4 people is located just nearby, 10 minutes by foot!
Olympia is indeed situated just exactly at the crossroads of Madeleine (8th arrondissement), Opéra-Galeries Lafayette (9th arrondissement) and Concorde-Tuileries-Vendôme neighborhoods (1st arrondissement).
Your show at Olympia might also be the perfect occasion to visit a few places around and stay a bit longer!
Check Duc de Choiseul Flat availabilities to organize your stay in Paris core center:
- The flat is 10 minutes by foot from Theatre du Châtelet (1 km)
- Perfect for late coming home (no taxi hassle)
- Immediate proximity with 1st, 8th, 9th arrondissements and must-see museums such as Louvre, all reachable by foot
History of Olympia Hall in Paris
The Olympia was born in 1893 and founded by Joseph Oller (also founder of Moulin Rouge) to welcome acrobats, contorsionnists dancers and above all, music hall artists such as La Goulue or Mistinguett until World War II.
After being a cinema for a while and occupied by German and US armies, Bruno Coquatrix was hired as a director in 1954 and made the scene get back to music and spectacles after a first full renovation. Gilbert Becaud (French singer known for songs such as “Nathalie”) wound the Olympia room into frenzy in 1955 and performed there 31 times. He was soon surpassed by Michel Sardou who is the artist who performed the most at Olympia: 340 times at the Olympia scene! He even headlined the Olympia room during 5 months consecutively in 1995! The Olympia scene almost went bankrupt in 1961… But was saved by talentuous artists’ presence such as Joséphine Baker, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel or Johnny Halliday.
Thanks to Bruno Coquatrix, the Olympia scene really became a dream place for an artist to perform because any artist dreams of seeing his or her name in Olympia’s large red letters . The Olympia de Paris letters are custom changed every time an artist is expected to perform, and it means a lot for a French artist.
At Bruno Coquatrix’s death in 1979, the Olympia scene destiny was to be destroyed and to disappear or to become a parking! However, the Olympia were not destroyed thanks to the “Pool table room” or “Edouard VII room” which was built in 1893 in the King of Scotland’s honour and was classified Historical Monument (just as the Duc de Choiseul Flat that you can rent to stay nearby!). It allowed to preserve the unique, symbolic place of Olympia de Paris.
The design of Olympia de Paris changed at that time: the original facade was kept but the scene was pushed back by 30 meters and its level was lowered a bit under the ground. The Olympia was rebuilt in 7 months!
The Olympia performance hall (business assets) is now owned by Vivendi Group (listed on the French stock market) who purchased it from Coquatrix’s widow in 2001 for the equivalent of 13M€ of today. Its real estate is owned by Societe Foncière Lyonnaise, which also owns the business center just nearby (Square Edouard VII).
Fun facts about Olympia hall in Paris
Did you know that Olympia’s “O”, also its logo, actually represents the shape of Paris city or Paris ring-road? However, you can reach Olympia concert hall by foot if you choose Duc de Choiseul Flat for your stay in Paris!
The Olympia hall has a “Hands Gallery”, a confidential place with artists’ hands casts made in 1997 at Olympia’s demolition party. A taste of Hollywood Walk of Fame!
The “Pool table room” (salle du billard) we mentionned above was actually the room where Bruno Coquatrix and his team auditionned candidates like Johnny Halliday in their debuts…
The mythic red letters of Olympia facade are still manually changed every time an artist performs. The workers who are doing this are even applauded by those sometimes coming 2 days before day D for a very important artist!
Key figures
The Olympia hall hosts between 280 and 300 shows per year and welcomes around 500 000 spectators (2023).
The Olympia maximum capacity is 2,800 seats, which is reached when a sitted / standing configuration is chosen. The “fosse” or “orchestra” (area in front of the scene) can be adapted depending on the show being performed (concert, stand-up…). Hence, some shows can be seen either sitted or standing.
Around 40 permanent employees work at Olympia hall, but 80 are involved per show including people working for technical mastering, hosting, security, catering…
Before attending your concert
Do you prefer seeing the concert sitted or standing? Classical question! At Paris Prime Locations we love standing in the “fosse” to dance, but we prefer sitting if we are with older relatives (> 60 years old), especially if the show lasts more than 2 hours (not even including interval break).
Inside Olympia de Paris hall, you are allowed to bring your food and some water with limitations (the team makes sure no projectiles can be used).
You can make the Olympia’s “Pool table room” (salle du billard) private (capacity of 100 people) ! We know Paris very well and such venue must be booked almost 2-3 months in advance. If you organize or attend such an event, make sure you recommend or book Duc de Choiseul Flat situated just 15 minutes by foot from there!
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