Good news for those who have fallen in love with the Olympic and Paralympic cauldron: it is set to return to the Tuileries every summer until 2027! So, while we wait for the Los Angeles Games, Paris retains its Olympic and Paralympic symbol, and rediscovers a festive air during the summer months. Visitors should be able to access the cauldron freely, and all Parisians will be able to admire it during its night flights.
"I couldn't have wished for a better destiny than this new summer rendezvous. The original idea was to play with the sun and take over from it each evening, in a pendular movement", explains Mathieu Lehanneur, the creator of the vasque. And he continues:"The vasque will now play with the seasons, returning each first day of summer. Better than a monument, it has become a star!
A cauldron which, as our Franceinfo colleagues reminded us, will return every summer to the Jardin des Tuileries, until the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
The President, in conjunction with Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, is said to have suggested the idea of a return every summer. The idea:"to revive the magic of elevation in the skies above Paris". But this return is not without conditions and rules... And our confrères at Le Parisien give us the lowdown on the conditions for his return.
In 2025, to re-launch the cauldron in the Parisian sky, a grand concert was organized in the Tuileries Gardens. This concert also marked the first day of summer, and above all the Fête de la Musique. It is therefore likely that every year until 2027, the cauldron will take to the skies on the first day of summer, and remain in Paris until mid-September.
This was also a first in Olympic history, and a new flight of fancy that set a precedent:"It was a unique case for the IOC. Never before had an Olympic object been reused after the festivities," adds Le Parisien's source. And then there's the question of how to light it... So, will it light up or not? In theory, this is not possible, since there is only one Olympic flame, and it is only lit during the Games. But the IOC is prepared to make an exception, since the cauldron will be lit, under certain conditions.
The flame will be white, as in the Parade of Champions, and not yellow-orange, as in the Games, to distinguish it from the former. At least, that's what our Franceinfo colleagues tell us. Another legal obligation: it will be impossible to call it an "Olympic cauldron" or a "Paralympic cauldron"... So what will the ball be called? There is talk of "Vasque Paris 2024" or "Vasque 100% électrique" for the time being. Whatever the case,"the object will be more or less identical. It will look the same as it did during the Games, just a little reworked, because this vasque wasn't originally designed to last this long!" continues Le Parisien's source. As for the technology used, it will be the same as during the Games, the one proposed by EDF comprising a cloud of water and lights.
As for access, it will be totally free, on the ground, and without reservations, unlike the Games. And the cauldron will take off at nightfall, as during the Olympic and Paralympic festivities.
After the American games, what about the cauldron? It could be displayed elsewhere, as originally planned. And among the candidates, the Hangar Y, located in Meudon, seemed to be the right place. But for the time being, no information has been released about a future exhibition anywhere, nor about a rejection of Hangar Y's candidacy.
As a reminder, Hangar Y was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1878, yet its historical and technical assets make it a serious contender. The site, once dedicated to airships and then transformed into an artistic and scientific space after its reopening in 2023, was visited a few months ago by Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron, to assess its compatibility with the installation.
" We have applied to host it," Jean-Michel Crovesi, general manager of Hangar Y, confirmed to Le Parisien. He continued:"The Hangar would be a wonderful showcase. It would make sense, but for the time being, we don't have any clues one way or the other ". The bid file has been submitted to the Île-de-France prefecture, and a meeting has been scheduled for December 2024 to examine the conditions required.
The choice of site must also take into account financial aspects, with the annual maintenance cost of the cauldron estimated at one million euros, with re-commissioning costs reaching 2.5 million euros. A travelling exhibition seems unlikely, given the high cost of each re-inflation, estimated at 300,000 euros. In the meantime, you can watch it every summer at the Tuileries, and relive the magic of the Paris 2024 Games until 2028!
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