Le Trianon
A historic Paris theatre and concert venue at the foot of Montmartre.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Le Trianon is a historic theatre, concert hall and entertainment venue at 80 boulevard de Rochechouart in Paris's 18th arrondissement, near the Montmartre hill and Anvers Metro station. The present venue is the result of more than a century of changes in format, ownership, architecture and programming. It began as the Trianon-Concert, a café-concert constructed in 1894 in the garden of the Élysée Montmartre and opened in 1895. The project was designed and decorated by Édouard Jean Niermans, a prolific theatre architect whose work helped shape the entertainment architecture of Belle Époque Paris. In its first period, Le Trianon belonged to the café-concert and music-hall culture that made Montmartre an important centre of popular entertainment. Mistinguett made an early appearance there during the venue's first year. After a refurbishment in 1897, the property was divided into spaces for concerts, reviews and recitals, alongside areas for dancing and skating. Niermans incorporated steelwork recovered from Gustave Eiffel's 1889 Exposition universelle pavilion. The programme included performers associated with Montmartre's dance-hall and cabaret scene, while Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a regular visitor. The quick-change artist Leopoldo Fregoli also performed there. A fire on the night of 17–18 February 1900 destroyed the hall and other parts of the Élysée Montmartre complex, leaving only the façade. A substantially rebuilt, approximately 1,000-seat theatre opened on 18 December 1902 as the Trianon-Théâtre. Designed by Joseph Cassian-Bernard, a pupil of Charles Garnier and the architect of the Pont Alexandre III, the new building used an Italianate theatre plan with two balcony levels. It was renamed Théâtre Victor-Hugo in 1903 and operated as a subsidized theatre presenting classical works. Further changes followed: in 1906 it became the Trianon-Comique and hosted a branch of the Opéra-Comique specializing in operetta; in 1917 it was renamed Trianon-Lyrique; and in 1920 it adopted the shorter name Le Trianon. The venue returned to music-hall programming in 1936, presenting performers including Yvette Guilbert, Marie Dubas, Fréhel and Pierre Dac. In 1939 it was converted into a cinema named Cinéphone Rochechouart. During the post-war period, the cinema offered a mixed programme of newsreels, documentaries, live entertainment and feature films, eventually moving through costume dramas, adventure films, spaghetti westerns and martial-arts movies. Falling cinema attendance, partly associated with television and home video, led to closure in 1992. Le Trianon later returned to live performance. Its programmes have included theatre, classical music, opera, operetta, musicals, showcases, fashion shows, film previews, variety programmes and festivals, while popular and contemporary music became a major part of its identity. The venue hosted the final audition stage of the television programme Nouvelle Star from 2003 and has welcomed artists from French chanson, pop, rock, electronic music, hip-hop and international touring circuits. The building was included in the inventory of French historical monuments in 1988. It closed in 2009 for a complete restoration led by architect and new owner Julien Labrousse, reopening on 20 November 2010. The restored venue combines a theatre, ballroom, winter garden, restaurant, dressing rooms, catering areas and offices. Its auditorium accommodates 647 people in the orchestra and 440 across the two balconies. The ground-floor coffee shop, Le Petit Trianon, returned to operation in May 2011 after approximately two decades of closure. Today, Le Trianon operates as a Paris cultural venue whose appeal combines protected historic architecture with a broad programme of concerts and live events.
History
Le Trianon developed from the café-concert culture of late nineteenth-century Montmartre. Construction of the Trianon-Concert began in 1894 in the garden of the Élysée Montmartre, and the venue opened in 1895. Édouard Jean Niermans designed and decorated the building. Its early programme combined popular song, comic performance, reviews, dance and other forms of music-hall entertainment. Mistinguett made an early appearance there, before becoming a major star associated with venues such as the Moulin Rouge. A 1897 refurbishment divided the property into separate spaces for concerts, reviews and recitals, and for dancing and skating. Niermans used steel elements salvaged from Gustave Eiffel's pavilion at the 1889 Exposition universelle. The venue attracted performers connected with Montmartre's cabaret and dance culture, including La Goulue, Grille d'Egoût and Valentin le désossé. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a regular visitor, and the quick-change performer Leopoldo Fregoli also appeared there. The original hall was destroyed by a fire during the night of 17–18 February 1900. The façade survived, but Fregoli lost costumes and stage decorations in the blaze. Joseph Cassian-Bernard subsequently designed a new theatre of roughly 1,000 seats, arranged in the Italian style with two balcony levels. It opened on 18 December 1902 under the name Trianon-Théâtre. In 1903 it became the Théâtre Victor-Hugo, operating as a subsidized theatre with a repertory of classical works. In 1906 the name changed again to Trianon-Comique, and the venue became home to a branch of the Opéra-Comique that concentrated on operetta. Pablo Picasso visited the theatre and drew portraits of several regular patrons. The building was renamed Trianon-Lyrique in 1917 and took the name Le Trianon in 1920. In 1936, Le Trianon returned to music-hall use, with performers such as Yvette Guilbert, Marie Dubas, Fréhel and Pierre Dac appearing there. Two years later, or in 1939 according to the venue's historical chronology, it was converted into the Cinéphone Rochechouart cinema, using projection equipment installed in 1936. The post-war cinema offered a hybrid entertainment format: documentary and newsreel material, live performances and a feature film. Its film programme moved from costume pictures and adventure films to spaghetti westerns and karate and kung-fu films. Jacques Brel was known to frequent the cinema in the early 1950s and wrote some of his texts there. By the 1980s, television and videocassette recorders had weakened cinema attendance, and the cinema closed in 1992. The building later resumed live performance. Its activities expanded across theatre, classical concerts, opera, operetta, musicals, showcases, fashion events, film previews, variety shows and festivals. It became particularly associated with singer-led concerts, hosting French performers such as Carla Bruni, Jacqueline Danno, Bénabar and Higelin as well as international artists. From 2003, the final audition phase of the television programme Nouvelle Star took place at the venue. Les Wriggles recorded a show there on 23 September 2005. Le Trianon was entered into the inventory of historical monuments in 1988. It closed in 2009 for a complete restoration directed by architect and new owner Julien Labrousse. The venue reopened on 20 November 2010 with a substantial concert series, demonstrating its renewed role as a contemporary music hall while retaining its historic identity. The restored complex includes a grand entrance, auditorium, ballroom, winter garden, restaurant, dressing rooms, catering facilities and offices. The auditorium has 647 orchestra seats and 440 places in the two balconies. Le Petit Trianon, the ground-floor coffee shop, reopened in May 2011 after around 20 years out of service. Since reopening, the venue has continued to combine heritage tourism and Parisian architectural character with a broad contemporary programme spanning mainstream pop, rock, electronic music, metal, chanson and other live formats.
- 2011
Le Petit Trianon resumes operation
[1]The venue's ground-floor coffee shop reopens in May after approximately two decades of closure.
- 2010
Le Trianon reopens
[1]The restored theatre reopens on 20 November with a series of concerts by French and international artists.
- 2009
A comprehensive restoration begins
[1]The venue closes for restoration under architect and new owner Julien Labrousse.
- 2003
Nouvelle Star auditions are hosted at the venue
[1]Le Trianon hosts the final audition phase of the French television talent programme Nouvelle Star.
- 1992
The cinema closes
[1]The Cinéphone Rochechouart cinema shuts after long-term audience decline.
- 1988
The building enters the historical-monument inventory
[1]Le Trianon receives heritage recognition through inclusion in the inventory of historical monuments.
- 1939
Conversion to Cinéphone Rochechouart
[1]The theatre becomes a cinema, beginning a period of use focused on film and mixed cinema entertainment.
- 1936
Le Trianon returns to music-hall programming
[1]The venue presents artists including Yvette Guilbert, Marie Dubas, Fréhel and Pierre Dac.
- 1920
The venue adopts the name Le Trianon
[1]The shorter name used today becomes the official venue name.
- 1917
The name changes to Trianon-Lyrique
[1]The theatre adopts another name during its operatic and lyric-theatre period.
Products and positioning
A historic, architecturally distinctive Parisian live-entertainment venue combining Belle Époque heritage with contemporary concerts and multidisciplinary cultural programming.
Live music
Live concert programme
The contemporary core of Le Trianon's activity is its concert programme. The restored venue has presented French and international performers across pop, rock, electronic, hip-hop, soul, alternative music and metal. Its historic auditorium gives touring artists a mid-sized Paris setting with a strong architectural identity.
Performing arts
Theatre and lyric performances
Across its history, Le Trianon has presented spoken theatre, classical works, opera, operetta and musicals. These formats were especially important during the venue's periods as Théâtre Victor-Hugo, Trianon-Comique and Trianon-Lyrique, and remain part of its broader live-event capability.
Events
Special events and showcases
The building can accommodate showcases, variety programmes, festivals, fashion shows and film previews in addition to standard concerts. Its auditorium, ballroom, winter garden and ancillary spaces allow the venue to support different event configurations.
Food and beverage · 2011
Le Petit Trianon
Le Petit Trianon is the coffee shop located on the ground floor. Designed as part of the original establishment, it returned to operation in May 2011 after being closed for roughly 20 years, extending the venue's hospitality offer beyond performances.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Rihanna 777 Tour appearance
France · International touring market
Rihanna appeared at Le Trianon on 17 November during the 777 Tour, which promoted her album Unapologetic.
Outcome. The appearance added a high-profile global pop event to the venue's post-restoration concert history.
- 2010Post-restoration reopening concert series
France · International touring market
The reopening programme presented a wide selection of artists, including M.I.A., Goldfrapp, Deftones, Tricky, Ayọ, Chic, Herman Dune, Julien Doré, Gonzales, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Raphael Saadiq and Macy Gray.
Outcome. The programme established the restored Le Trianon as a contemporary international concert venue while preserving its historic identity.
- 2003Nouvelle Star final auditions
France
Le Trianon hosted the final stage of auditions for the French television talent show Nouvelle Star, giving the historic venue visibility through a nationally distributed entertainment programme.
Outcome. The venue became associated with a prominent televised talent-search format.
Brand decisions
2009
Complete restoration and return to live performanceStrategyBackground
Following the building's heritage recognition and the closure of the cinema period, the venue required a major restoration before resuming modern live entertainment.
Action taken
Architect and new owner Julien Labrousse led a complete restoration, after which the theatre reopened in November 2010.
Aftermath
Le Trianon returned as a multidisciplinary live venue, combining concerts with theatre, cultural events, hospitality and other performance formats.
1939
Conversion from music hall to cinemaStrategyBackground
After operating as a music hall, the venue was adapted for film exhibition and became the Cinéphone Rochechouart.
Action taken
Projection equipment installed in 1936 was used as the building shifted to cinema programming.
Aftermath
The cinema remained in operation until its closure in 1992, after audience declines associated with television and home video.
Sources2 sources
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