For its 135th anniversary, the Moulin Rouge reveals its underside

On October 6, 1889, the famous Montmartre cabaret opened its doors. A century later, he invites a panel of privileged people chosen at random backstage. Many will come from far and wide to celebrate this anniversary.

One hundred and thirty-five years to the day after opening its doors for the first time, the Moulin Rouge will welcome 135 lucky people for free on Sunday October 6, 2024! To celebrate this anniversary, 4,050 people applied on the website of the famous cabaret.

A draw made it possible to select the lucky ones. Most are French and some will come from far away. Visits will take place in groups, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. For an hour and a half, visitors will be able to immerse themselves behind the scenes of this iconic establishment, famous throughout the world.

Founded by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler in the heart of Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge quickly gained international fame thanks to its famous French Cancan dancers. From the moment it opened, it welcomed artists who would become legendary.

The famous Goulue immortalized by the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril and her famous snake dress or even Valentin-le-Désossé, contortionist and the only man at this ball who attracted all of Paris at the time, happy to have fun.

Visitors will be able to discover the large 850-seat room of the Moulin Rouge which still bears multiple traces of its long history. They will also be invited to set foot on the covered stage for a red carpet, to put themselves in the shoes of the artists. A rarer thing, they will see the backstage doors opened wide to discover these astonishing workshops where costume designers, feather workers, embroiderers and shoe makers work. Shadow workers and dream makers.

For the occasion, the Moulin Rouge brought out archive documents and historical stage outfits as we recently discovered during the exhibition Cabarets! at the National Costume and Stage Center in Moulins.

In total, 450 people work at the Moulin Rouge today, including 90 artists. The cabaret welcomes nearly 600,000 spectators per year. It is open every day of the year, without exception, and offers two shows each evening.

The new wings of the mill inaugurated in June are no longer turning for the moment. A new system is being studied for the future, according to the cabaret’s press service. In the meantime, this anniversary day will allow visitors to delve into the fascinating history of this place, highlighted this summer during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when the Cancan dancers greeted the cyclists with the frill of their petticoats. .