The Museum of Fairground Arts opens its doors for Heritage Days

The Museum of Fairground Arts, located in the Pavillons de Bercy in Paris, is participating in the European Heritage Days on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, with a special ticket price of 14 euros instead of 21.

Former wine cellars transformed into a funfair temple

Housed in wine cellars dating from the late 19th century and listed as a supplementary historical monument, the Pavillons de Bercy have for thirty years been home to one of the world's largest collections of 19th-century European fairground objects, staged by scenographer Jean-Paul Favand. The exhibition unfolds across three themed rooms: the Museum of Fairground Arts, the Venetian Salons, and the Theatre of Wonder, as well as an outdoor open-air theatre.

Visitors will discover, among other things, an extraordinary garden, a crystal chandelier suspended under a green roof, a hot air balloon in the shape of an elephant, or even a unicorn playing the piano, in a scenography designed as a place for live performance where the public becomes an actor in the heritage they are visiting.

A 90-minute guided tour recommended for ages 5 and up

For these Heritage Days, a guided tour of approximately one and a half hours is offered, recommended for ages 5 and up, with mandatory reservations. Tickets will go on sale at the end of August on the event website.

The site also includes a garden street unique in Paris, where the removal of 25 m² of paving stones has allowed the creation of 1,200 m² of vegetation usually hidden from view, between mineral and natural heritage in the heart of the 12th arrondissement.