Gala, exhibitions, guided tours… For its 150th anniversary, the Palais Garnier unveils a special program in Paris

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In 2025, it celebrates its 150 ans. Throughout the year, the Palais Garnier will be honored through exceptional programming linked to its anniversary. Gala, conferences, guided tours… Fans of dance, lyrical art and heritage will be able to have fun, and discover the legendary monument of the Paris Opera from top to bottom, before the two years of closure that await the Garnier stage: from 2027 to 2029, only public spaces will be accessible for visits, with major work planned on the stage cage.

A gala evening

Exceptional evenings are planned, including a birthday gala on January 24, 2025. It will bring together all the artists of the Paris National Opera: musicians from the orchestra, artists from the choirs and the Academy, stars and dancers from the ballet, students from the Dance School, as well as as guest artists.

The programming will be inspired by the opening gala which took place on January 5, 1875. The event will be broadcast with a slight delay on France 5, after the broadcast of a documentary An extraordinary day: 24 hours at the Opéra Garnier.

Exhibitions on a legendary place

From October 14, 2025 to February 15, 2026, the Palais Garnier library-museum, accessible on the tour route of the public spaces of the monument, will host a exhibition dedicated to 150 years theater. Created in partnership with the Bnfshe will return to the history of its construction and the myth that was forged around it.

While strolling through the palace, visitors will also be able to admire costumes created for the Opéra’s flagship ballets and operas, from the 1950s to the present day. The opportunity to admire up close the work of costume designers and the evolution of styles on lyrical or choreographic productions such as Giselle, Faust, Romeo and Juliet or even The Marriage of Figaro…

Finally, a special thematic tour on the 150 years of the Palais Garnier will also be offered to visitors.

Garnier in all its aspects

Of the conferences meetings are also organized over two days on November 22 and 23, 2025. They will be an opportunity to explore the titanic construction site and the technical innovations surrounding the construction of Garnier. The political role of this institution will also be addressed, through, for example, the link between power and artistic creation. Finally, the place of the Paris Opera in today’s society will be questioned.

Historians, architects, political figures, journalists, musicians, artists and philosophers will host the debates.

Every month, mystery artists in residence

Every month, an artist will take the pulse of Garnier. Entitled Project 12, this ephemeral residency is organized by the Opera patrons association (Arop). “In complete immersion, contemporary artists will have the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in daily life of the Paris Opera, to attend rehearsals, and to rub shoulders with the dancers, singers, musicians and artisans who make the heart of this emblematic institution beat,” develops the Opera.

The identity of the twelve personalities will be revealed every month. During their artistic stay, their mission will be to design an exclusive work. These will be the subject of a auction early 2026.

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