On Thursday September 14th, 2023, the Ritz Paris celebrated its 125th anniversary with a legendary soirée attended by over 800 guests, including a host of celebrities from the worlds of fashion, entertainment and the arts. A tribute to the hotel's visionary founder, César Ritz, this exceptional evening was inspired by the power of gold, in honor of the Sun King, Louis XIV, who created the famous Place Vendôme.
For several hours, as the hotel's Grand Jardin glimmered with a thousand lights, more than 90 artists offered performances created under the artistic direction of Frédéric Fontan. Sumptuous scenography evoked elaborate festivities once hosted at the Palace of Versailles. The musical direction was entrusted to the conductor and composer Thomas Roussel.
The evening unfolded in three acts: "le roi chante" ("the king sings"), "le roi danse" (the king dances"), and "tout le monde danse" ("everybody dances"). The artists who dazzled guests with their performances included the musician/composer Charly Voodoo and countertenor Théophile Alexandre, accompanied by dancers inspired by the exuberant Marquise Casati; the étoile dancer Alice Renavand, and dancers from the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris; Florent Melac, Roxane Stojanov and Takeru Coste, the Electrostreet, the Symphonic Orchestra of the Ritz Paris, and back-to-back DJ sets by Desiderata, Pedro Winter and Kiddy Smile as well as the evening's radiant mistress of ceremonies, Daphné Bürki.
Laurent Herschbach, the General Manager of the Ritz Paris, welcomed numerous personalities to this anniversary celebration, among them Léa Seydoux, Tomer Sisley, Laurent Lafitte, Isabelle Adjani, Vincent Dedienne, Vahina Giocante, Lyna Khoudri, Virginie Ledoyen, Geraldine Nakache, Alice Isaaz, Anne Marivin, Louise Monot, Raphaël Personnaz, Mathilda May, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Hiba Abouk, Lola Dewaere, Hafsia Herzi…
Also present were étoiles from the Paris Opera Ballet: Germain Louvet, Hugo Marchand, Paul Marque, Valentine Colasante, Dorothée Gilbert, Marc Moreau…
Other luminaries from the worlds of fashion and entertainment included Stéphane Rolland, Flora Fishbach, Jean-Charles de Castelbaljac, Inès de la Fressange, Alexis Mabille, Blanca Li, Elodie Frégé, Keren Ann, Corinne Fille de ta région et Charlie Le Mindu…
The evening's gastronomic offerings came courtesy of Jérôme Legras, Executive Chef at the Ritz Paris; Head Pastry Chef François Perret, and Head Barman Romain de Courcy. An extraordinary evening to celebrate 125 years of the timeless, enduring legend that is the Ritz Paris.
Image credit: ©Ritz Paris / Gold Gala
