Nuit Blanche 2018

[kerouac2]

This year was the 17th Nuit Blanche in Paris. The event is still going strong even if I myself am slowing down a bit. Creatures had been imported from another planet to distribute maps and programmes.

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I began my explorations at Porte Dorée.  The palm trees date from the time that the Palais de la Porte Dorée was the Museum of the Colonies.

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Huge lines had not yet formed because the evening was just beginning.

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The art installations are as mysterious as ever.  I love overhearing the toddlers interrogating their parents about them.  "What is that for?"

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No need for the kids to ask about this one since they saw that they could spin it.

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In one room was a film about life as a sweets saleman in Damascus.

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As I left the building, many people were just settling down for a meal.  It was a warm and delightful evening.

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On to the next sights....

[kerouac2]

Creatures made out of straw had camped out on the edge of Lac Daumesnil in the Bois de Vincennes.

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There was a red lit pathway winding through the Bois, but I just used the part of it that took me to the zoo.

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I encountered my first big crowd of the night, because the zoo didn't open until 20:00. But once they opened the gates, security was pretty fast.

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The mountain was pretty much the only thing to see, with rather disappointing lighting effects.

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However, the crowd had the march through the entire huge circuit of the zoo once they were inside. All of the animals had been taken in for the night, so the children were quite disappointed.

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I returned to the Porte Dorée tram stop to get to the Parc de la Villette.

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Temporary hothouses had been installed at the Porte de Vincennes transfer point. Apparently some of the trams had been filled with plants, too, but I didn't get one of them.

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[bixaorellana]

So far, so absolutely fabulous!

The first part seems exceptionally intimate, I think, compared to some Nuit Blanche events you've shown in past years. The straw figures are hugely impressive. Looking forward to more.

[mossie]

This affair seems to get even more 'far out' each year.

[kerouac2]

Arriving at Porte de Pantin, I saw that something was going on in Sainte-Claire, a concrete cube of a church.

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I popped inside for a few minutes. Musicians were playing unmusical music with a few lighting effects.

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The Philharmonie was having concerts all night, but I was in no mood to join the queue there. I do need to visit the building some day.

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The outside walls of the Cité de la Musique were having some large scale projections with sound effects.

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For me, the lion fountain at La Villette is an attraction even when nothing else is happening.

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I stood in line for an hour to get into the Syrian dervish performance. It finally seemed futile, and then I discovered that one could walk around to the side and have an excellent view through the glass walls without even going in.

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On to the canal de l'Ourcq where it was mostly just an ordinary Saturday night...

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Once I crossed the canal, I would see some of the most impressive sights of the evening.

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[kerouac2]

The Géode had been turned into an electic tempest.

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Meanwhile, in front of the Cité des Sciences, I could see strange blue strips fluttering in the distance.

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Frankly, still pictures do not do justice to these installations, so I suggest seeing some of the action on my little video.

It was approaching 1 a.m. so I had to put an end to my evening. Most things continue until 7 a.m. so maybe I should just get up early one year.

[bixaorellana]

Great pictures & I love that lightning effect. Really, really super video!

[mossie]

Great video Kerouac, many thanks

[mich64]

I have always found this night fascinating! After going through the photos, I watched the video without audio and was thoroughly entertained, but then I watched it with the audio and I quickly felt why I could never actually participate, but thank you for making it possible for a way that I can enjoy the experience.

[kerouac2]

Thanks for your comments, everybody. I just wish that I had the energy to do a report that could cover the events more thoroughly. I just skimmed two of the four areas of the event (the other two areas were Ile Saint Louis and Invalides-to-Champs Elysées) before pooping out. We'll see what next year brings...

[nycgirl]

I love the Parc de la Villette area. Well worth a trip on an ordinary day.

Good call on watching the dervish performance trough the glass. Perfectly good view and the lovely music was loud and clear. Other highlights for me include the crackling geode and the mesmerizing display of glowing blue strips in front of the science building.

Thanks for bringing us this report year after year. I'll never get to visit Paris in the fall unless I change careers (for teachers, fall travel is off the table), so I love seeing Nuit Blanche vicariously through you.

[lugg]

Thanks K2 - great report . I thought the photos of the Geode were so good but then the video -wow - really brings it to life .

[tod2]

Quite right about the video. I filled my big new Apple screen with it and it was amazing! Maybe next year we should stay in Paris for the first week in October.