France’s Palace of Versailles Will Host Its First Rave This Summer
Once the site of debaucheries carried out by various King Louises and their royal courts, the Palace of Versailles is set to open its doors to the public this summer to host its very first electronic music night. In short, yes, there will be a rave in Marie Antoinette’s old stomping grounds. What, you thought the French people were going to carry out multiple revolutions and not eventually party in their former despot’s fancy palaces?
Dubbed Versailles Electro, the June 8 party will be held in the outdoor Château’s Terraces area of the palace, right outside of the famed Hall of Mirrors, and you won’t need noble money to attend. Tickets start at just €22 (or just under $25 in American money), though you can purchase upgrades. A €60 ticket gets you a free glass of Champagne, access to the VIP section, and, less glamorous but nonetheless practical, free parking. A €160 ticket gets you two glasses of champagne, access to a buffet, and an invitation to a presumably even more VI VIP section.
Headlining the event will be Busy P, and if you’re not sure who that is, well, the official website of the Palace is here to absolutely drag you (“You must hate electronic music, have no access to the internet, or else live in a cave!” reads the event page). Also known by his civil name Pedro Winter, Busy P managed Daft Punk for a number of years before seizing on the late-’00s blog house moment and starting Ed Banger records, which brought the world acts like Justice, Feadz, and Riton. The rest of the bill is made up of other Ed Banger artists, including So Me, Myd, and Breakbot x Irfane.
Sadly, this will not actually be a traditional rave, in that it starts at 8:30 and ends at midnight. Children under 18 are also allowed, but only if they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Though the palace says this is its first event showcasing electro music, the building does hold all sorts of cultural events throughout the year. It regularly hosts operas, classical music concerts, and other highbrow affairs, and the famed Hall of Mirrors is regularly opened to ticketed “fancy dress events.” Europe, in general, is also not particularly against the idea of throwing raucous parties in historic buildings. Vienna’s Life Ball is held in the city’s historic city hall and a castle from the 10th century hosted a rave in Portugal last summer.
Versailles Electro also comes a year after Busy P and his Ed Banger crew through a similar party in France’s presidential palace to celebrate the history of electronic music in the country. We assume that went off without any major hitches, paving the way for this shindig.
Of course, this party will come with the added bonus of everyone getting to pretend that they’re living in the slightly anachronistic world of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette film. Ed Banger’s brand of electro does owe quite a bit to the type of post-punk and new wave music featured in the film, and we just hope one of the DJs at least play the trailer song, New Order’s “Age of Consent.” Hopefully, right after a remix of electro music pioneers Kraftwerk’s classic song “Hall of Mirrors.”
Related: Here’s Your Chance to Spend a Night Alone With the Mona Lisa
