Nuit Blanche ’08 promises to be as exciting as ever and what better place to spend the night than in Paris. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, which is likely as there is no such thing in England, Nuit Blanche is a night that is held in many different European countries at different times during the year; many museums, libraries, monuments, tourist sites, cinemas, parks and swimming pools stay open all night long and throw a big party. Open air concerts are dotted around the cities, with numerous events in any one city, providing free entertainment and transport at all the different locations. In the past years, the number of participants has been increasing tremendously and last year saw over 600,000 revellers. This night is a once a year event that should not be missed; it is an experience like no other that you will never see in the UK. The event will take place from 7p.m until 7a.m on the 4th of October. There’s dozens of attractions to be seen on the night and so here’s a shortlist of the best….
Shaad Ali – Gare de Lyon
One of the events held in the Paris area of the festival is Shaad Ali. Two of the stars from the golden age of Bollywood cinema are made tribute to by Shaad Ali, box-office director, in a night of dance, music, rhythm and fun. This section of the event will start off outside the Gare de Lyon and as night falls will then move to the hall opposite the Le Train Bleu restaurant and will finish off at the quay for sunrise.
Tony Oursler – Gare du Nord
Outside the Gare du Nord a large screen projection of a surrealist film will be shown, created by Tony Oursler, with the help of 40 students from Grange aux Bekkes College (Paris 10th). Born in 1957 in California, Tony Oursler has gained worldwide recognition through his hybrid, comical and surrealist films. His works have been described as ‘weird’, mixing reality and surrealism; this is a real must for any film fanatic.
Nuit Blanche 2008 by Hervé Chandès and Ronald Chammah
The main event of the night, ran by Hervé Chandès, the Director General for the ‘Fondation Cartier’ for contemporary art since 1994, and Ronald Chammah, film distributor and director have come together to direct the main spectacular of the night. Situated amongst the churches and monuments of the most central point of the city, the two artists will work to create a vision of urban life and everyday reality mixed with fantasy, transforming the local monuments into works of art. Artists from around the world will join to create this temporary masterpiece. On the night, the creations will be intertwined with numerous stages offering live music.
So, there you have it! Nuit Blanche really does offer everything for every taste. These three ‘zones’ of the event are only a handful of things to be expected. Everything goes on until 7a.m the next morning, in plenty of time to enjoy the sun come up. There’s free transport connecting each ‘zone’ and local town halls and businesses even offer breakfast for everyone who made it till the end, so there really is no excuse not to join in the festivities. As expected, Paris accommodation is in quite high demand during this festival and it is therefore advisable to book your Paris hotels and apartment in Paris in plenty of time.
