→ Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau NIGHT & DAY PARIS FESTIVE 1 → Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau EDITORIAL BY FRÉDÉRIC HOCQUARD ‘Paris is a … feast.’ That is the best way to sum up our city, and the pleasure we take in welcoming visitors. In Paris, partying is a lifestyle. Parisians constantly come up with new ways to have fun. The amazingly eclectic nightlife scene means anyone can find something to enjoy: listening to live music by up-and-coming bands in a bar, taking in a cabaret show with dinner, dancing at clubs where some of the world’s top DJs play, or chilling out in parks that now stay open all night long in summer. In recent years, the City of Paris has gone all out to support the revival of Parisian nightlife and promote a free-spirited scene with space for everyone. Whether you’re out with family or friends, and whatever the time of day, be it noon or midnight, Paris’s lively and unusual party scene offers many different ways to have a good time. (Frédéric Hocquard is nightlife advisor to the First Deputy Mayor). NIGHT & DAY PARIS FESTIVE 2 → Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau INTRODUCTION Paris – a capital with 130 museums – is not as nightlife-oriented as Barcelona, Berlin, London or Madrid. The reason is that nightlife is subsumed into the sheer wealth of our cultural and culinary heritage. As a result, the nightlife scene ends up being just one facet of Paris’s myriad attractions. In 2015, out of a total of 30 million visitors, only 9.4%* cited ‘events and happenings’ – and, by extension, entertainment and nightlife – as their primary reason for visiting Paris: though that percentage still amounts to nearly 3 million people. However, the majority of ‘other’ tourists, who cited a business trip, cultural visits, shopping or gastronomy as their main reason for coming to Paris, also made forays into the Paris nightlife scene. The party scene is an integral part of Paris’s appeal. Viewed as a whole, the statistics show that the city’s nightlife offer definitely gives Paris an edge in the competition between the world’s top destinations to attract the most visitors. The party scene is inextricably linked to some common perceptions of Paris: ‘Gay Paree’; the ‘City of Light’; the ‘French touch’. Paris’s nightlife scene comprises more than 12,000 bars, including 4,000 with authorization for late-night opening (plus establishments in the Île-de-France region); 60-odd contemporary and electronic music festivals, and 500 highly eclectic party promoters. NIGHT & DAY The face of partying in Paris has changed in recent times, and is no longer confined to night-time. That’s why we’ve changed the name of this press file from ‘Paris Night’ to ‘Festive Paris, Night & Day’. We have split up the file into four key moments connected to the sun’s trajectory: Morning, when the sun comes up; Afternoon, when the sun is at its zenith; Evening, when the sun goes down; PARIS Night, when the moon comes out to play. For visitors, night-time is often the best part of the day. We’ve taken a disruptive approach and started this file with ‘Evening’, because in Paris, the fun is at its height when the working day comes to a close. Trends in 2017 FESTIVE The pop-up trend is gaining traction. These are summer (generally outdoor) rooftop venues along the Seine. Itinerant clubs are another hot trend. Nightlife in Paris is undergoing systemic change. According to a study by French professional association Sacem***, brick-and-mortar nightclubs are increasingly being replaced by ‘no fixed address’ promoters who hire venues for happenings and host parties on an intermittent basis. The result is a shifting club scene – a fragmentation that makes it tough to keep up with the latest happenings unless you’re in the know. So visitors have to go looking for information to track down their kind of party. (Michel Mau & Christophe Vix-Gras, authors of this file). * Source: PCVB 2015 survey (published in 2016) (lien) ** Source: Préfecture de Police *** Sacem study (lien) 3 → Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau EVENING The end of the working day marks the moment when the Paris party scene comes to life. This stretch of time lasting from sunset to 2am (the legally-mandated closing time for most bars) is aperitif time: happy hours, after-work drinks and the like. People get together with friends to sip a cocktail and enjoy a live performance, show or revue – either to wind up their day or to get the night off to a good start. The aperitif Meeting up with friends for a drink is an essential part of French lifestyle and culture. Paris, the world’s food capital, also has thousands of places to get together and relax over a drink – from the traditional glass of red wine at a typically French place to speakeasies with an international flavour. Two of the most popular new trends are bistronomy and natural wine. Bistronomy (a NIGHT & DAY contraction of ‘bistro’ and ‘gastronomy’) places have a laid-back vibe. They take on a festive feel during food-centred initiatives such as Bistronomie Club, Fooding, Les Bonnes Heures and Fête de la Gastronomie, and traditional events such as the uncorking of the first Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on the third Thursday in November, or Valentine’s Day. Top districts for an aperitif: Bassin de la Villette PARIS Belleville Bastille Butte aux Cailles Canal Saint-Martin Champs-Élysées Les Halles Le Marais Montmartre Oberkampf FESTIVE Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Michel Plus: La campagne à Paris (the countryside in Paris), a leafy section of the 19th; the Canal Saint- Denis, and the Berges de Seine area, currently being redeveloped. Le Baron Rouge A proper wine bar complete with casks, and a large selection to sample on-site or take away. 1, rue Théophile-Roussel - Paris 12 http://lebaronrouge.net Café de Flore Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre were regulars here, and Juliette Greco could be spotted dancing of an evening. This legendary Saint-Germain-des-Près café even has its own literary prize. 172, boulevard Saint-Germain - Paris 6 https://www.facebook.com/Cafedefloreofficial Café Français The hushed atmosphere offers welcome relief from the hubbub of Place de la Bastille. Sip a drink in peace as you contemplate the July Column. The decor is by cult graphic design duo M/M (Paris). 1-3, place de la Bastille - Paris 4 http://cafe-francais.fr 4 → Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau Café Marly A magnificent café niched under the arcades of the Louvre, where you can savour some champagne while enjoying a view of the monumental Pyramid. 93, rue de Rivoli - Paris 1 www.cafe-marly.com/fr Les Folies Housed in a former cabaret, this lively, informal bar boasts a terrace, and decor comprising posters and neon lighting. 8, rue de Belleville - Paris 20 www.aux-folies-belleville.fr Georges Ideally located on the rooftop of the Pompidou Centre, the Georges combines a pleasant atmosphere with a panoramic view. It a great spot for a drink at any time of year, and for dinner à deux or in a group. Centre Pompidou - Paris 4 www.restaurantgeorgesparis.com NIGHT & DAY Le Nemours A veritable institution, this café with a beautiful terrace shares a colonnade of the Palais-Royal with the French Council of State. 2, place Colette - Paris 1 http://www.lenemours.paris Le Sélect PARIS Located across the road from the Coupole, the Sélect was a landmark of Montparnasse in its 1920s heyday, and is still one of the most popular bars in the area. 99, boulevard du Montparnasse - Paris 6 www.leselectmontparnasse.fr Mixology FESTIVE Mixology is the art of creating the perfect cocktail – a skill deployed by bartenders who are nothing short of alchemists. The ‘science’ of mixology emerged in hotel bars, and began to catch on throughout the city in the late 2000s. It is generally practised in upscale places frequented by people with a sophisticated palate. La Candelaria A hidden joint in the heart of North Marais. The little canteen in front leads not to a kitchen, but to a stylish clandestine bar done up all in black where you can taste a range of agave-based spirits, just like in Mexico. 52, rue de Saintonge - Paris 3 http://www.quixotic-projects.com/venue/candelaria La Commune The team behind Le Syndicat (see description further in this section) has opened up a branch with a rum-punch focus in Belleville. 80, boulevard de Belleville - Paris 20 http://syndicatcocktailclub.com/la-commune Experimental Cocktail Club With a great location in the Montorgueil district, this is one of the best cocktail bars in the city. 37, rue Saint-Sauveur - Paris 2 http://www.experimentalevents.com/paris 5 → Press file 2017 – Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau Hôtel Particulier Montmartre The pride of Montmartre. Located on Avenue Junot, this vey exclusive five-room hotel set in a pretty garden has its own cocktail bar, the Très Particulier, where DJ sets are played, so you can sway to the beat, cocktail in hand. 23, avenue Junot - Paris 18 https://www.hotel-particulier-montmartre.com Lavomatic One of the quirkiest bars in Paris. You go in through a door hidden behind the washing machines in what appears to be a laundromat and make your way up to the bar. 30, rue René-Boulanger - Paris 10 http://www.lavomatic.paris Prescription Cocktail Club The bar that put Parisian mixology on the map in 2007 has since opened branches in London and New York.