Cerermony - Tony Estanguet to light up the Champs-Élysées to launch the end-of-year festivities

By Mulder, 28 october 2024

On Sunday November 24, 2024, the Champs-Élysées will be the scene of a fairytale event as Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Games Organizing Committee, lights up the famous avenue to mark the start of the year-end festivities. This symbolic choice echoes the summer of 2024, when Paris vibrated to the rhythm of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, offering the world an unforgettable spectacle and exemplary organization. The Champs-Élysées, already transformed by the energy of the Games, will welcome thousands of visitors again this year to celebrate the kick-off to the festive period together.

Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of the Comité Champs-Élysées, has chosen to invite a prominent and inspirational figure to this prestigious event. Tony Estanguet, three-time Olympic slalom canoe champion and an emblematic figure of French sport, embodies the spirit of excellence, dynamism and ecological responsibility of the Paris 2024 Games. Through this tribute, Marc-Antoine Jamet wanted to “light up Paris at every turn” with a personality who represents a modern, positive and radiant France. “Tony Estanguet is much more than an immense athlete, he is a symbol of French success and the values of surpassing oneself,” declared Marc-Antoine Jamet, ”he embodies excellence and the French art of living, admired and respected both in France and abroad.”

The Champs-Élysées, an emblematic backdrop to the capital's historic moments, will provide an unforgettable spectacle for this event, where Parisians, tourists and visitors alike will gather in a festive atmosphere. For the occasion, the avenue will be entirely pedestrianized, giving free rein to the festivities in a setting magnified by the Christmas illuminations, which this year will mark a change of pace and sparkle. The avenue, lined with low-energy LED lights installed by Blachère Illumination, world leader in festive lighting, will shine with a new intensity. This French SME, based in the Vaucluse region, has specialized in eco-responsible illuminations for over 50 years, and has succeeded in harmonizing innovation and sustainability to offer a spectacle that is both luminous and respectful of the environment.

The festivities kick off at 4pm, with the Landaise brass band Band'à Léo strolling along the avenue. This energetic and festive brass band, specially flown in from south-west France, will set the mood for this unique evening. Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., a DJ set will take over to liven up the avenue, while visitors can gather around a huge 13.5-metre reusable Christmas tree, made from recyclable materials, which will be erected near the Arc de Triomphe and synchronized with the main illuminations.

At the long-awaited lighting ceremony, Tony Estanguet will be joined by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and Marc-Antoine Jamet, to activate the illuminations and make thousands of lights sparkle along the Champs-Élysées. The evening will be highlighted by a performance from SANTA, leader of the group Hyphen Hyphen, who had already captured attention at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games. The singer will perform her songs with characteristic energy, closing this magical moment and inviting the crowd to sing along, perhaps even to a classic “Aux Champs-Élysées” in tribute to Joe Dassin. The evening continues with a DJ to keep the party going right through to the end.

In a year marked by the Olympic Games, EDF, premium partner of the Paris 2024 Games and official electricity supplier for the illuminations, is joining forces as exclusive sponsor for this edition. This partnership reflects EDF's commitment to sustainable energy, having already made its mark during the Games by introducing an Olympic cauldron powered by renewable, fossil-free electricity. This symbol of a post-carbon future will continue through the illuminations on the Champs-Élysées, offering a luminous and responsible experience. As EDF reminds us, “it's all about making the world's most beautiful avenue shine with the same magic and ecological awareness as during the Olympic summer.”

Every year, the Comité Champs-Élysées joins forces with the Association Petits Princes, an organization that makes the dreams of seriously ill children come true. This year, two children supported by the association will have the privilege of lighting the illuminations alongside Tony Estanguet and Anne Hidalgo, adding a human and supportive dimension to this emblematic event.

The Comité Champs-Élysées, a key player in the management and promotion of the avenue, continues to innovate to make the Champs-Élysées a modernized and sustainable space. In 2023, the Comité proposed a study entitled “Réenchanter les Champs-Élysées”, aimed at transforming the area technologically, ecologically and culturally in the wake of the Olympic Games. Initiatives such as the Christmas illuminations and events like “Le Grand Pique-Nique des Champs” testify to the Comité's commitment to raising the avenue's international profile, while maintaining a strong link with Parisians and visitors alike.

Thanks to the support of partners such as RTL, France 3 Paris Île-de-France and 20 Minutes, this event will be broadcast live, enabling a wide audience to experience this magical moment. We look forward to seeing you on the Champs-Élysées on November 24, 2024, to celebrate the arrival of the festive season together, for a moment that promises to be rich in emotions, lights and memories.

Photos: Boris Colletier / Mulderville

(Source : press release)