Having hosted both the Olympic Games and Paralympics this year, the city of Paris has not seen its usual packed summer of live music activity, but with those sporting tournaments now confined to glorious history, the French capital has emerged with a new arena and a renewed vigour after its televised global showcase.

The music industry enjoys an enviable relationship with government in France, with subsidies available to venues and guaranteed wages for performing musicians, supporting a healthy marketplace and the capital city’s nighttime scene benefitting as a result.

While there is a plethora of small venues and clubs to provide stage time for emerging talent, chief executive of Blue Line Productions, Naïma Bourgaut, who runs two small venues – the 300-capacity FGO-Barbara and the 200-cap Les Trois Baudets – notes that in the 500-1,500 capacity, the city still lacks choices.

At the top end, Paris La Défense Arena director general, Raphaëlle Plasse, notes that the demand for the 45,000-capacity indoor stadium has been so strong that the sports side of the business has become secondary to live events. “We’re up to 70 events in the calendar, and we can host shows year-round because of our roof, so we’ve hosted some of the biggest artists in the world, as well as being one of the main venues for the Paris Olympics,” she says.

And with the Olympic Games also delivering the new Adidas Arena, the top end of the venues business has never been better-served, although the promoters who ply their trade in the city argue that there is still need for additional large-scale buildings.

Across the city at the 20,000-capacity Accor Arena, the calendar is similarly packed. “From our perspective, we proudly meet a unique demand for large-scale venues in Paris, which is also true for the three venues operated by Paris Entertainment Company,” says Nicolas Dupeux, who is now director general for the Accor Arena, Adidas Arena, and Le Bataclan.

“We provide artists with support that follows their growth and evolving demands”

“Adidas Arena meets a capacity need that was previously unavailable in Paris: with a seating capacity ranging from 6,000 to 9,000, and with the 1,600 seats at the Bataclan, the venues of the Paris Entertainment Company offer an unprecedented complementarity in France and even in Europe. We provide artists with support that follows their growth and evolving demands, covering the full spectrum of live venues and meeting all their needs.”

At the top of the stack of the city’s promoters are, unsurprisingly, AEG Presents and Live Nation, while the Parisian nightlife also provides work for a whole host of independent operators, including the likes of Lagardère, Öctöpus, Alias Production, Le Rat Des Villes, Radical Production, Gérard Drouot Productions, Corida Group, Take Me Out, Opus Live, Allo Floride, Vedettes, Astérios Spectacles, Pedro Booking, and Saloni Productions, to name but a few.

Servicing those promoters are ticket companies such as Fnac, FIMALAC, Ticketmaster, and France Billet, in which CTS Eventim recently announced it had increased its shareholding to 65%. And at press time, AXS was establishing its new French HQ in Paris, adding another level of ticketing choice for the venues and promoters working in France.

On the festival front, Paris boasts an eclectic array of gatherings to entertain fans. The choice includes Lollapalooza Paris, We Love Green, Pitchfork, Villette Sonique, Chorus Festival, Slam Dunk, Ideal Trouble, and Closer Music Festival, while in the suburbs, FBLO Festival is a regular in nearby Fontainebleau and Rock en Seine is held in Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, west of the capital.

And with the French authorities making Paris the star of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s anticipated that tourism numbers in the city will climb even higher in the years ahead, giving the city’s live music business opportunities for further growth as visitors search for holiday entertainment.

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Paris has opened its only purpose-built arena for this summer’s Olympic Games: Adidas Arena.

The 7,800-capacity venue in Porte de la Chapelle – which will eventually be used for concerts among other things – officially opened on Sunday (11 February) with a basketball match between Paris and Saint-Quentin.

Adidas Arena will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastic events during the Olympics, as well as para-badminton and para-powerlifting during the Paralympics.

During the Olympics, Adidas Arena will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastic events

Aside from the summer games, and as well as serving as the home of Paris Basketball, the arena will host other national and international sporting events, conferences and concerts.

The arena complex also features public facilities including an events hall and an 11.5-metre-high green terrace. The seats are made from recycled plastic and the arena will be powered by green energy.

German sportswear company Adidas acquired naming rights to the arena back in July 2022. The initial five-year contract with arena operating company SAE POPB is renewable for a further seven years.

The Paris Olympics will take place from 26 July to 11 August, with the Paralympics to follow from 28 August to 8 September.

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