'Twas the night before Bastille Day and all through Paris, Parisians were dancing at their local firehouse! The Bal Des Pompiers take place all around France actually, and they are the Dance of the Firemen, held in the courtyards of French fire stations and they are the kick-off to celebrating Fete Nationale, or Bastille Day.
I found the listing of participating fire stations, and yay! - the 15th Arrondissement fire station at Place Violet was hosting a Fireman's Ball on both the 13th and 14th. We could have attended any number of Soirees, but we really wanted to attend one in our neighborhood.
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| Banner for the Soiree Des Sapeurs Pompiers at the 15th Arrondissement Fire Station |
We decided to go on the 13th as we would be going to see the fireworks on Champs de Mars on the 14th. So after dinner we made our way over to Place Violet. The Fireman's Balls are very popular!
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| Lots of people in line and in anticipation of crowds, they created a maze in Place Violet! |
We had no idea how it worked really, except that we might have to pay for admission or donate for admission (money goes towards neighborhood projects) but we got in line and hoped for a fast-moving one.
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| No minors unless accompanied by parents! |
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| national colors everywhere - even the spotlights on the buildings! |
The line did move fast - about 5 minutes despite all the people. This fire station had a 2euro admission donation and with that we got a key chain:
Then we made our way to the courtyard in back and WOW! - what a party!
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| At the west end of the courtyard - a stage with DJs and lots of people dancing |
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| At the east end of the courtyard - booths and lots people dancing, chatting, eating and drinking! |
The firemen put on a great party with all the amenities:
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| WC, dining area and food, champagne garden, soft drinks, beer and wine |
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| A cloakroom so you can dance hands free |
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| The party menu |
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| The Champagne Bar - buy it by the glass |
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| The Champagne Garden - but it by the bottle! |
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| Enjoying the Champagne Garden |
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| The firemen decorate the courtyard in national colors |
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| And quite a few of them hung out on the stage with the DJs and kept the crowd entertained! |
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| Did I mention there were a LOT of people there?! |
I have noticed that my hugemongous cameras are attention getting, and at parties like this, they're also ice breakers and friend makers! I worked my way up towards the stage, and along the way, I made some new friends:
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| A fireman and his friends |
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| Dance fever! |
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| Mugging for the camera |
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| Not sure what was funny - I couldn't hear a thing over the music! |
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| Please take our photo too! |
This party was a lot of fun and I was amazed at the attendance, both in numbers and in young and old alike. Lots of people were dancing and the firemen and their DJs put on a great show. They had a mirror ball, lights strung all over the place, spot lights, laser lights and a fog machine!
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| Fog and colored lights - what a great combo! |
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| sparkly mirror ball |
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| After letting loose the fog, the laser show lit up the area in some amazing and colorful patterns |
Although the Firemen's Ball would last until the wee hours of the morning, we didn't stay too long and left around midnight. The line to get in was just as long as when we got there so I'm sure the party was hopping until closing time. But we had plans to get up early for the Bastille Day parade, so stay tuned!
Where are the pictures of you and Ron dancing? That would have been great to see! Looking forward to seeing you both tomorrow and enjoying a wonderful dinner together.
ReplyDeleteWith camera in hand, perhaps you've found yourself a job in Paris. Imagine!
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