L'International closes its doors! The legendary bar-concert venue on rue Moret(Paris 11th), a mecca for the rock and electro scene, has announced its definitive closure on April 26, 2025, after one last festive evening. Suffering from major structural problems and a lack of funding, this mainstay of the Paris nightlife scene has been unable to get back on its feet. Despite months of mobilization, off-site concerts and an attempt to obtain a subsidy from the Centre National de la Musique, the verdict is in: the cellar remains condemned, and the adventure ends there.
L'International, located at 5-7 rue Moret (Paris XIe) since 2008, will not be reopening. This concert bar, renowned for its lively cellar of live rock and punk shows followed by electronic nights, is bowing out. Despite several rescue attempts and support evenings organized throughout 2024, the managers announced on Instagram on Tuesday April 15 that the venue would be closing for good. The reason: a problem with the floor threatening to cause the cellar to collapse, and work estimated at 800,000 euros that was impossible to finance.
The fate of L'International changed in January 2024, when an architect commissioned to soundproof the venue discovered that the ceiling of the cellar - the emblematic concert hall - was structurally unsound. An initial closure was decided upon to secure the first floor. An application for a 250,000 euro subsidy from the Centre National de la Musique was unsuccessful, and uncertainty loomed. The team then attempted a partial reopening, organizing 27 off-site concerts in 14 Parisian venues and relaunching its evening events in April. But the cellar remained condemned, and the rehabilitation project stalled.
On April 26, L'International will celebrate Parisian nightlife for the last time, with a farewell party billed as a last hurrah. The managers invite regulars to "make the most of it", before drawing the curtain for good. This closure is the latest in a worrying series of closures of small independent concert halls in Paris.
If the walls of 5-7 rue Moret fall silent, the spirit of L'International may well survive elsewhere. The teams, known for their dynamism, could bounce back with new artistic projects or off-site events. For the time being, however, nostalgia prevails.
An emblematic venue is dying, a reminder of how fragile independent cultural spaces are in the face of economic vagaries and security constraints. L'International was much more than a bar: it was a bastion of the alternative scene, a vibrant cellar and endless nights.
Read the full press release sent by the L'International team below. L'International is dead, long live L'International!
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We tried, we resisted, we fought at all costs, but unfortunately, there was no miracle. No concrete solution has been found to rapidly launch the works and "save L'Inter". Without a medium-term perspective, it's impossible to carry on - financially, physically and mentally. So here we are: on April 26, L'Inter will close its doors again, and the team - or what's left of it - will step down. It's hard to say, hard to write... but there it is!
We imagine you're wondering the same thing we are: what's next for Inter? Honestly, we don't know. What is certain is that L'Inter, as you've known it over the last five years, wasn't just four walls, a cellar or homemade Despé... It was also, and above all, the team that had settled there.
Since 2021, we've sought to offer programming that's both open and assertive, with a desire to welcome artists and groups from around the corner to the other end of the world - and no matter whether they're pro or amateur. It also seemed essential to us to offer the best possible setting to the associations and collectives, those partners in crime who regularly organized evenings in our cellar and helped give our programming all its colors.
We've also tried to communicate a little differently, with passion and sincerity, putting a bit of ourselves into each post, each newsletter and, sometimes (often?), with a few slightly messed-up puns (sorry, not sorry)!
More than just a concert venue, L'Inter has become a place to live, meet people and exchange ideas. A safe space that many of you (including us!) consider a second home. Not everything was perfect, of course, but we made a little more progress every day, with the means at hand.
You might say "no regrets", but there are bound to be a few, many... passionate ones. It's frustrating, infuriating to have to stop everything because of a "silly" story about a poorly constructed floor. We've had some really difficult times, some dizzying lows in morale, but also - and above all - some incredible evenings, the total of which approaches... infinity! Our team has always been close-knit, resilient, passionate and... fun! We'll have hundreds of these memories - and maybe that's what it's all about.
Since that first closure at the beginning of 2024, we've had the impression of living on a rollercoaster: one day full of hope, the next day exhausted. But it was your support - your messages, your emojis, your suggestions, your "vive L'Inter" - that carried us through and kept us going right to the end. It's meant a lot to us, especially these last few weeks behind the bar, chatting with you.
So, one last time: a HUGE thank you.
THANK YOU to all the bands and artists who played at L'Inter, to the tour operators and orgas who put their trust in us, to the venues that welcomed us for off-site events, to the media who supported us, and to the photographers for their great shots.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all our former colleagues on the technical team, in the bar, in comm / prod... And of course to you, for your curiosity, your smiles, your dance steps...
THANK YOU for taking part in the kitty!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU for making this possible!
We're not going to lie: we'd have liked it to have lasted FOREVER. But we're proud of what we've been able to build over the last few years. And we've done it together, with you.
We would have preferred this (re)closure not to take place in this - gloomy - context where more and more places like L'Inter are disappearing, in Paris and elsewhere. Between the lack of recognition and attention from public authorities, regulations ill-suited to our activities, institutional expectations out of touch with the realities of amateur practice, and pressure from the neighborhood, keeping spaces like this alive is becoming an - almost - impossible mission. And the way things are going, if we don't take care of these spaces now, there won't be much left tomorrow.
So, even though we're closing our doors with heavy hearts and misty eyes, we invite you to come and "(un)celebrate" L'Inter on Saturday April 26 (and yes, there will be concerts!) Because this place is also yours... until the end... of the night!
We'll keep the sauvonslinternational@gmail.com address active for a while longer.
We've got two weeks left, so let's make the most of them!
Take care,
Always tenderly,
The L'Inter team (2020 - 2025)
Rémi Laffitte, Tom Picton, Agathe Rocher, Tom Deudé, Mathis Renaud, Seb Crepinior & Gabi Barrios
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Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, please drink responsibly.
Dates and Opening Time
On April 26, 2025
Location
International
5/7 rue Moret
75011 Paris 11
Official website
www.instagram.com
