Celine Dion performed the first of 16 concerts in the Paris region on Saturday, September 12, with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, in the Hauts-de-Seine department west of Paris. The concerts have drawn such demand that not every fan was able to get a ticket.
To mark the occasion, the Olympic cauldron in the Tuileries Garden was lit up the night before, displaying the lyrics of "L'Hymne à l'amour," the song Dion performed at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A Nod to the Olympic Opening Ceremony
The illuminated cauldron was designed as a tribute to that 2024 performance. Dion, a Quebec singer known worldwide for hits such as "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song from the 1997 film Titanic, sang "L'Hymne à l'amour" at the ceremony, a song made famous by Edith Piaf, one of France's most celebrated singers.
The Tuileries Garden is a public park in central Paris, between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde. Its cauldron, shaped like a hot air balloon, became one of the signature images of the 2024 Games and has remained on display in the gardens since.
The Plenitude Arena, formerly known as Paris La Défense Arena, is one of the largest indoor venues in Europe and has previously hosted major concerts and sporting events.
On the eve of the concert, thousands of fans gathered in the 19th arrondissement of Paris for a mass karaoke session ahead of the show.
A Financial Boost for Paris
Dion's run of 16 concerts is also expected to benefit the French capital, generating hundreds of millions of euros in revenue for the city of Paris.
More broadly, the economic impact of the singer's series of shows could reach as much as 1.5 billion euros, equivalent to about 0.03% of France's gross domestic product, with spending expected across hotels, restaurants and transport.
To help ensure that spending reaches the venue, public transport routes have been marked out to guide fans toward the arena, and the La Défense station was renamed "Celine" for the occasion.
