The Champs-Elysées grab the limelight

The avenue des Champs-Elysées is also one of the frontrunners in the race for the craziest ideas.

In 1989, for the celebrations of the Bicentenary of the French Revolution, artist Jean-Paul Goude was commissioned to organize an exuberant parade on the famous avenue, for the evening of 14 July. The many heads of state attending, in addition to the millions of spectators and television viewers all over the world, applauded the originality and multi-ethnic extravagance of this parade, characteristic of the universe of this artist.

The following year, on 24 June, passers-by were dumbfounded to discover a huge field of corn where the Champs-Elysées had once been. They couldn’t get over the sight of the unbelievable dance of the combine harvesters against the background of the Arc de Triomphe. The Great Harvest left behind some lasting memories and some fabulous photographs.

Equally stunning was the “Portes de l'An 2000” show that was staged on 31 December 1999. On the stroke of midnight, over a million spectators witnessed 20 Ferris wheels come to life along the avenue - closed to traffic for the occasion - accompanied by musicians, dancers and acrobats.

In 2003, for the “Train Capitale” exhibition, transitory railway tracks appeared overnight, stretching from the Place de la Concorde to the Avenue Georges V. This meant that, on 1 June, an enthusiastic audience were able to watch the slow progress of this temporary train carrying its illustrious passengers up the Champs-Elysées.

The avenue dazzled once again on 24 January 2004, moving to the rhythms of the Chinese New Year with a breathtaking procession. Dragons, dancers, martial arts, music and traditional costumes were on parade for the first time in front of the Arc de Triomphe.