Versailles 400

Versailles 400 was a unique hybrid artistic creation specifically crafted by Jean-Michel Jarre to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Château de Versailles. On December 25, 2023, the concert-event became an opportunity for the musician, widely hailed as the Godfather of Electronic Music, to celebrate contemporary French innovation while bridging the past to the future through his innovative approach to spectacular live events. The event took place in a location that had been the origin of an incredible artistic revolution, paying homage to the grand royal festivities that had marked the history of the world-famous Château de Versailles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Central to the work was the excellence of French know-how in the digital arts and industries of the 21st century, showcased at the heart of an emblematic place symbolizing artistic and technological excellence in the 17th century: the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles. Wearing the LYNX mixed reality headset, the French musician performed the concert-show simultaneously in front of a live audience in the Hall of Mirrors and in the metaverse, using his avatar to immerse himself in a futuristic Hall of Mirrors, where a virtual audience connected via VR or on tablets and smartphones.

The show was filmed at the Château de Versailles and broadcasted on French (Groupe M6-W9) and international TV channels through Eurovision Services / UER, on radio (RTL), online via digital platforms (Jarre’s YouTube channel), and in virtual reality on the French VRROOM platform on December 25, Christmas Day.

Reflecting on the event, Jarre had said: "Versailles 400 was a hybrid concert and visual creation broadcast live from one of the world's most beautiful locations, as well as in virtual reality in the metaverse. I hope the event will help promote our creative savoir faire and bring the world of French immersive creation to the forefront of collective culture."

The Palace of Versailles, with origins dating back to the seventeenth century, had been successively a hunting lodge, a seat of power, and, from the nineteenth century, a museum. Together with the gardens and the Palaces of Trianon, the park of the Château de Versailles spread over 800 hectares.