“ This summer, we will have difficulty recognizing the Zénith, which will turn all orange”, declares Lily Fisher, director of the Zénith de Paris. And for good reason: the performance hall will be rented throughout the period of the Olympic Games (JO), from July 26 to August 11, by the Dutch Olympic delegation, of which the color orange is the emblem. The place will be transformed into a “national hospitality house”, a space where athletes and the public will meet. Tasting of bitterballen (Dutch meatballs), refreshment bar, broadcast of sporting events on a giant screen, celebration of medals, concerts and DJ sets are on the program for this festive break.
The Zénith is located in the nerve center of the Olympic celebrations, the La Villette park, which will be renamed for the occasion “the park of nations”. “ NOC hospitality houses [comités nationaux olympiques] are a classic part of Games historyobserves Delphine Moulin, director of celebrations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. There has been an evolution of these places since the London Olympic Games in 2012. Before, they were places of hospitality, today they are becoming cultural houses open to the public, where countries want to share their culture. »
The concentration of the festivities in the north-east of the capital was determined by the presence of Club France, the celebration venue for the French team, which will occupy the Grande Halle de La Villette. “As Club France is very attractive, a number of countries have contacted us to be in the park”, says Sophie-Justine Lieber, director of the park and the Grande Halle. Twelve NOCs will thus take up residence not far from the host country’s house. Ukraine will be established at Trabendo, the Czech Republic will settle down at Cabaret Sauvage.
Other event spaces in the park will be occupied: Brazil will be set up in the Chapiteaux space; Mongolia will build “ger tereg”, traditional yurts, in a lawn located next to the circus venue; Canada will camp at the Cité des sciences; Slovenia at Bar 211; Serbia at the Paris-Villette theater; Mexico at the Villette pavilion; Colombia at the A la Folie restaurant; and Chinese Taipei (name used for Taiwan when participating in international organizations) not far from the Ventrus restaurant. “NOCs which are not open to the public will not be on the map which [recense] party places »specifies Delphine Moulin.
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