It is one of the most popular cultural sites in Bordeaux, the Bassins des Lumières once again recorded record attendance this year. Among the current successes, the immersive exhibition on the Little Prince. It is extended until the end of January.
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The queue says it all. At the Bassins des Lumières, we rush to see the exhibition dedicated to the Little Prince. There are those who stop, passing through: “We were on the way back from vacation.” And those who come to shelter from bad weather. “A perfect day for us“, risks the director of the site, Humbert Vuatrin.
Intergenerational history has been on display at Bassins des Lumières since October 18, and will even be extended until January 29. Witness to a particular attraction for the submarine base transformed into an immersive cultural center: “Visitors are seduced by the heritage revaluation of the place, notes Humbert Vuautrin. This old submarine base, a vestige of the past, is re-enchanted by digital exhibitions.”
Several dozen visitors flock to the gates of the Bassins des Lumières. In 2024, 750,000 people have walked them.
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© France 3 Aquitaine
Since 2020, the place has grown every year; it even recorded a record peak in 2023: 806,000 visitors. And a positive net profit for the first time since its creation, according to the figures from the 2023 activity report presented to the municipal council in Bordeaux on December 17.
It is the most visited site in Bordeaux, a must for Bordeaux residents, visitors to the region and international tourists.
Humbert VuatrinDirector of Bassins des Lumières
In 2024, attendance declined, with more than 750,000 visitors, but “It’s another great year.”according to the director of Bassins des Lumières. The programming also has something to do with it, with work dedicated throughout the year to the great Dutch masters, “From Vermeer to Van Gogh” and more recently, with the Little Prince, which has accumulated nearly 130,000 admissions, since its release last October.
Since the opening in 2020, attendance at Bassins des Lumières in Bordeaux has continued to increase.
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© France 3 Aquitaine
From now on, the site is looking to the future, to hope to cross the barrier of one million visitors, possible thanks to “a sum of little thingsexplains Humbert Vuatrin. An alignment of planets with weather, bridges and programming for the year.”
A success which will be accompanied in 2025 by new prices. The town hall adopted, in mid-December, an increase of €1 for all age categories. The full price thus increases to €16. This upward trend will be effective”at the time of the opening to the public of the cultural programming for the year 2025“, according to the deliberations of the municipal council.
It will begin with an exhibition dedicated to Egypt, from Khufu to Ramses II, then to orientalist painters, such as Ingres or Delacroix.
