One stage. 2,800 seats. 500,000 spectators a year. The story behind the iconic red letters and France's most dreamed-of music hall.
Born in 1893, between two scandals
Olympia was founded in 1893 by Joseph Oller — also the founder of the Moulin Rouge — to welcome music-hall artists, acrobats and dancers. La Goulue and Mistinguett performed here until World War II.
After being a cinema for a few years, then occupied by German and American armies, the hall was nearly forgotten. Bruno Coquatrix took over in 1954, renovated the room, and brought music back.
The artists who saved it
Gilbert Bécaud sent the Olympia into frenzy in 1955 and performed there 31 times. Michel Sardou holds the record: 340 performances, including a five-month residency in 1995. The Olympia almost went bankrupt in 1961, but Joséphine Baker, Édith Piaf, Jacques Brel and Johnny Hallyday saved it with sold-out runs.
Coquatrix turned the Olympia into the dream stage of any French artist — because seeing your name in the iconic red letters meant something. The workers who change those letters by hand are even applauded by fans waiting outside two days before the show.
Destroyed, then not
When Coquatrix died in 1979, the Olympia was scheduled for demolition. A car park was planned. What saved it was an adjacent room — the 'Pool Table Room' or Edouard VII room, built in 1893 in honour of the Scottish King — which was classified Historical Monument and therefore untouchable.
The Olympia was rebuilt in seven months, facade preserved, stage pushed back 30 metres and lowered slightly. The Vivendi Group bought the business in 2001 from Coquatrix's widow for the equivalent of 13 million euros today.
Key figures
2,800 seats maximum capacity. 500,000 spectators a year. Around 300 shows annually. 40 permanent staff — 80 involved in any given show, between technical, hosting, security and catering.
And the Olympia "O", its logo, is actually the shape of the Paris ring road.
Where to stay
From Duc de Choiseul, the Olympia is a 10-minute walk (1 km). Perfect for a late return after a show — no taxi, no last-metro stress. From Le Petit Toit Madeleine, count five minutes on foot. Olympia is at the crossroads of three premium neighbourhoods (Madeleine, Opéra-Galeries Lafayette, Concorde-Tuileries).