La Gaîté Lyrique Concert Venue

Dedicated to digital arts and current music, La Gaîté Lyrique's hybrid center combines an exposition space and two concert halls, as well as a Video Games Space with five gaming units, a bar, gift shop, research center, and an auditorium.

Originally a theater dating back to 1861, La Gaîté Lyrique has a most eclectic history. Victor Hugo fêted his 70th birthday here. Operettas, operas, and ballets drew crowds. Its chandelier was looted during WWII. In the 1970s, France's first circus school – along with a menagerie of animals – took up residence. By the late 1980s, its dome about to collapse, the center was in desperate need of a renovation. Without the budget to cover repairs, the city planned to demolish it. However, Jean Chalopin, creator of Inspector Gadget, rescued the space by transforming it into an amusement park called Planète Magique. But the venture proved to be a failure after only a few weeks and the venue closed in 1991.

An unforgettable setting that juxtaposes the conserved historic façade with an ultra-contemporary interior, La Gaîté Lyrique reopened in its current form in early 2011. The most impressive area in the building is the bar (also serving snacks), housed in the grandiose foyer of the original theater.

The main concert hall is the Grande Salle, which can hold up to 300 people seated or 750 standing. Past concerts at the Gaîté Lyrique include CSS, Yeasayer, José Gonzales, and Jens Lekman.