Fire Causes Evacuation During Performance at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées In Paris

More than 1,500 concert attendees were evacuated after a fire was started in the theater's basement kitchen

More than 1,500 people were evacuated from Paris's Théâtre des Champs-Élysées during a performance of Lully's opera Persée on Valentine's Day, 2025. The evacuation took place just a few minutes after the performance had begun, and patrons waited in the street and in nearby bars for the situation to be resolved.

The cause of the evacuation was a small fire that took hold in the theater's basement kitchen. According to Le Figaro, smoke was visible from outside the building.

There were no casualties, and firefighters arrived at the scene at 9 p.m.

The performance of Persée was a one-off concert version of the opera, and it starred Mathias Vidal as Perseus and Anaik Morel as Andromeda/Hymen. Directed by Hervé Niquet, the performance also featured the Orchestra and Choir of Le Concert Spirituel and Les Pages et les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles.

The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées has not yet confirmed whether patrons will receive any kind of compensation for the disruption.