Moulin Rouge Icon Rebuilt In Paris

Paris Icon Reborn: Moulin Rouge's Famous Sails Turn Once More

The Montmartre skyline has its most famous feature back. Over twelve months after a sudden collapse, the red blades on the windmill at the Moulin Rouge are turning once more. This restoration brings the iconic cabaret, the spiritual residence of the French can-can, back to its complete splendor. The cherished landmark is once again a complete and vibrant emblem of Paris’s nightlife. Its return has been greeted with happiness by residents and tourists, heralding a new phase for the historic establishment. The windmill’s renewed motion gives life to the facade, promising the continuation of a 135-year tradition of spectacle and entertainment.

To commemorate the significant moment, the venue’s performers brought their flair to the streets. The 90-person troupe, decorated in a vibrant showing of crimson plumes, executed their signature dance routine along the boulevard. This celebratory show occurred on a Thursday night, after the last of their two nightly performances. These stagings consistently attract a total of 600,000 patrons to the establishment annually. An arranged pyrotechnic show lit up the area, honouring the return of a crucial piece of the city's identity. The public spectacle was a suitably dramatic homage to the windmill’s revival.

An Unexpected Tumult

The restoration comes after a startling event in April 2024. In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, April 25th, the windmill's twelve-meter blades broke off and crashed onto the street below. The incident occurred around 2 a.m., roughly one hour after the last performance had ended and all guests had left. The structure's impact also ripped the first three letters from the venue's famous signage, leaving "LIN ROUGE" visible. Luckily, the late hour ensured the normally crowded street was deserted, so no one was hurt. The occurrence, nonetheless, sent a wave of shock across the city.

A Technical Fault

Officials quickly dismissed any malicious intent, putting the collapse down to a technical issue. The managing director for the cabaret, Jean-Victor Clérico, reported it as a "technical problem." Another official later indicated that a failure within the central axle was the probable reason for the mishap. This accident was the first of its nature in the cabaret’s 135-year existence. Maintenance staff performed weekly inspections of the mechanism and had found no problems beforehand, making the breakdown a total shock. The cabaret continued to operate, with performances going on as planned while preparations for the restoration started right away.

The Path to Restoration

The leadership at the Moulin Rouge committed to restoring the landmark as quickly as they could. An initial set of new blades, made from aluminum, were put up before the Paris Olympics began in July 2024. These, however, were only for appearance and did not have a motor to allow them to rotate. It required nearly another full year of work to construct and install a custom electric motor. This new engine now drives the rotation of the twelve-meter-wide blades and lights up the many crimson and yellow bulbs adorning the structure. The complete project finished on July 10th, 2025, which is when the sails started rotating again.

A Symbol of Paris

The public’s response to the collapse highlighted how important the windmill is to the city's character. Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, called the venue a crucial piece of the city's cultural identity. For many, a sail-less Moulin Rouge was as difficult to picture as an Eiffel Tower missing its top. Jean-Victor Clérico mentioned that the blades had perpetually spun and that it was a priority to return the emblem to its former state for Paris and France. Cyrielle, a dancer with the troupe, shared their collective joy, describing the blades with the phrase 'the sails of Paris.' The mechanism now spins each day from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. for everyone to see.

Image Credit - Fox News

Birth of an Icon

On October 6th, 1889, the Moulin Rouge held its grand opening. Its creators, Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, were seasoned entertainment moguls who were also proprietors of the Paris Olympia. They bought a dilapidated dance hall, La Reine Blanche, located on Boulevard de Clichy at the base of the Montmartre hill. Their goal was to establish a novel type of establishment, a "palace of dance and women," intended to dissolve class distinctions. It was conceived as a location where every social stratum could intermingle, from affluent aristocrats to common laborers, in a setting of lavish amusement.

The Belle Époque

The cabaret's debut aligned flawlessly with the peak of Paris's Belle Époque. This "beautiful era" was a time of tranquility, affluence, and profound artistic creativity in France, which came after the hardships of the Franco-Prussian War. Montmartre served as the lively, bohemian center of this cultural flowering. This spirit of easy-going optimism was perfectly captured by the new cabaret. Its introduction also corresponded with the 1889 Exposition Universelle, the world’s fair that gifted Paris the Eiffel Tower, guaranteeing the new spot would be an instant and vital stop for worldwide travelers and city residents.

A Garden of Delights

The venue's architecture was as daring as its idea. The most noticeable element was the large, crimson-colored windmill situated on the roof, a tribute to the rural history of Montmartre. Inside, the vibe was thrilling and sophisticated. An extensive garden was added to the property by Oller and Zidler, which contained a massive, hollow elephant sculpture. The founders discreetly obtained this enormous prop following the 1900 World's Fair. This whimsical environment enabled artists, authors, stylish women, and entrepreneurs to socialize with the unconventional and working-class people of the area. It soon got the moniker 'The First Palace of Women'.

The Shock of the Can-Can

The core of the venue's appeal was a groundbreaking new dance style known as the French can-can. This energetic, daring dance grew out of the quadrille, a common partner dance from that period. Its signature moves included the energetic handling of skirts and underlayers, elevated leg kicks, airborne splits, and acrobatic tumbles. When the dance style initially gained traction within cabaret shows, it generated significant scandal. Observers considered it coarse and indecent, but its sheer vitality and boldness perfectly reflected the era's liberated mood and it became the Moulin Rouge’s defining performance.

La Goulue, The First Star

To guarantee their new enterprise's success, Oller and Zidler recruited the most acclaimed dancer in the city from a competing venue. Louise Weber, universally called 'La Goulue' (The Glutton), was renowned for her untamed and audacious approach. Her moniker came from her cheeky practice of snatching drinks off patrons' tables while she danced by. Her charm and intensely provocative dancing established her as the principal draw. She, along with her dance partner Valentin-le-Désossé, rose to become the inaugural star performer at the Moulin Rouge, representing the can-can's defiant nature.

The Artist's Muse

Montmartre's artists found the electric environment inside the Moulin Rouge to be completely captivating. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the most renowned among them. He turned into a regular nightly guest, discovering boundless creativity in the lively audiences and the energetic stage acts. His well-known paintings and promotional posters preserved the venue's distinct nightlife for posterity. His art recorded the likenesses of its most well-known performers, like La Goulue and her successor, Jane Avril. These pieces achieved iconic status themselves, reinforcing the global standing of the Moulin Rouge and connecting it with the top tier of post-impressionist art.

An Era of Grand Spectacle

The venue continued to evolve following its early triumphs. The 1907 arrival of the performer Mistinguett signaled a fresh period. She introduced a novel show format, mounting revues on a grander scale than had ever been witnessed. Her stagings involved huge casts, extravagant scenery, and luxurious costumes that could compete with the most magnificent operas. Mistinguett herself was an enthralling figure, whose legs were reputedly insured for one million francs. She was responsible for turning the cabaret into the cradle of the modern music-hall performance, a style brimming with opulence and creative flair.

Surviving the Flames

The cabaret’s extensive past has included its share of misfortunes. A destructive fire erupted in 1915 during renovation efforts. The inferno caused major damage to the structure, compelling the establishment to shut down for nine years. This bleak time, which coincided with the First World War, could have spelled the institution's demise. However, the institution's spirit demonstrated its resilience. It finally resumed operations in 1921, poised to welcome a new wave of Parisians and begin another prosperous period of entertainment. A new performance hall, designed in the authentic Belle Époque fashion, was introduced in 1951.

The Stage of Legends

In the decades after it reopened, the venue's stage turned into a celebrated platform for the planet's most gifted individuals. Iconic French vocalists such as Édith Piaf and Charles Aznavour offered their singular talents to the venue. The cabaret’s rising international fame also drew top-tier celebrities from all over the world. American legends including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Liza Minnelli all graced its stage. The appearance of the renowned dancer and French Resistance operative Josephine Baker after the war was an exceptionally poignant and meaningful event in the venue's timeline.

Image Credit - The Telegraph

The Doriss Girls

As the performances grew more elaborate, so did the dance arrangements. A German choreographer, Doris Haug, established the "Doriss Girls" company in 1957. This set a new benchmark of skill for the dancers. The company is composed of 60 dancers from as many as 14 different countries, chosen through a demanding selection procedure. Every dancer is required to have professional classical dance education and be at least 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) tall. They are accompanied on stage by the "Doris Boys," who have a height minimum of 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch), guaranteeing a visually impressive and cohesive dance group.

A Tradition of 'F'

The venue staged a new revue in 1963 called "Frou-Frou." That show was a massive hit. Convinced that the title's initial letter was a source of good fortune, the leadership determined that all future revues must also start with 'F'. This peculiar custom has been maintained for more than sixty years, resulting in a series of hit productions. Show names have included "Frisson," "Fascination," and "Formidable." This legacy of 'F' named shows has grown into a distinctive component of the cabaret’s identity, a superstition that originated from a victory and has shaped its contemporary show-running history.

The 'Féerie' Show

Currently, patrons visiting the Moulin Rouge can see the spectacular revue "Féerie." The production upholds the establishment's magnificent customs, presenting a company of 100 artists, which includes 60 Doriss Girls. It is a stunning show that uses 1,000 costumes, all made by hand in Parisian ateliers. These outfits are decorated with a remarkable assortment of feathers, rhinestones, and sequins. The magnificent scenery creates a setting for a variety of amazing numbers, from an enormous water tank to the celebrated can-can conclusion. The show is a tribute to Parisian history, imagination, and the timeless glamour associated with the venue.

A Global Phenomenon

The venue's influence reaches far beyond the geographic limits of Paris. Its identity and methods have been copied by numerous other cabarets worldwide. It has also served as a continual wellspring of creativity for moviemakers. Jean Renoir's "French Cancan" (1954) and John Huston's "Moulin Rouge" (1952) both honored the fabled establishment. But it was Baz Luhrmann's magnificent 2001 movie, "Moulin Rouge!", that presented the cabaret's enchantment to a fresh international viewership. The Academy Award-winning picture secured its modern-day popularity and led to a hit musical adaptation for the stage.

An Enduring Legacy

For more than 135 years, the famous cabaret has stood as a symbol of Parisian celebration. It has weathered fires, controversies, and the shifting fashions of eras, continually transforming itself while retaining its singular character. From its beginnings as a controversial dance parlor to its present-day fame as a globally recognized theater, it has consistently been a site of elegance, liberation, and wonder. The renewal of its famous red sails represents more than a simple fix; it is a confirmation of the cabaret's persistent vitality. As they rotate once more against the Montmartre sky, they send a clear message that the show, as is tradition for the venue, will continue.