Cabaret(s): a free photo exhibition at Temple Square

The cabaret can also be viewed from the street. From September 22 to 18 December 2026, the gates of the square du Temple – Élie-Wiesel in Paris host Cabaret(s) – Histoire d’une transmission vivante. This free photography exhibition unfolds near the Carreau du Temple, in the 3rd arrondissement.

The exhibit offers a visual survey of more than 160 years of French cabaret. It examines the birth of this art form, the French cancan, and the performers who helped shape its evolution, including Joséphine Baker and Mistinguett. The photographs illuminate costumes, bodies, and movements, while probing what is passed down from one generation of artists to the next.

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The artistic direction is entrusted to Véronique Prugnaud. The series presented revolves around five themes devoted to the diversity of cabaret, its history, and the figures who have marked it. The introductory text is written by journalist, author, and cabaret artist Céline du Chéné.

The exhibition forms part of the Cabaret Season launched by the Ministry of Culture and carries the Bicentennial of Photography label. The Paris route is set up outdoors, on the square’s railings at 64, rue de Bretagne, with free access: a cultural stop to weave into a stroll through the Marais.