06 July 2024

Moulin Rouge restores windmills after collapse

06 July 2024

Paris’ famed Moulin Rouge cabaret got its red windmill back on Friday during a special ceremony that featured can-can dancing on the plaza outside.

The mill’s huge sails, an emblem of the surrounding Montmartre neighbourhood, collapsed after a show earlier this year.

Part of the cabaret’s illuminated sign also crashed to the ground as a result of what its director called a technical problem.

No one was hurt and the mayor of Paris’ 18th district said the structure was not in danger.

The Moulin Rouge scrambled to repair the damage before the Olympic torch relay passes through the area on July 15.

The windmill was first illuminated on October 6 1889 at the opening of the Moulin Rouge.

The cabaret, marking its 135th anniversary this year, is a major tourist attraction and was celebrated in the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film musical starring Nicole Kidman.

Dancers perform in front of the Moulin Rouge cabaret during the inauguration of the theatre’s windmill, in Paris (Thibault Camus/AP) (AP)

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