Gling gling gling! Can you hear the jingle of the festive season just around the corner? Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time to head for the capital, with a program that's even more magical every year, to delight young and old alike! From the magicalilluminations to the window displays of the Grands Magasins, Paris is all wonder and enchantment. The scenography of these emblematic stores appeals to the imagination and emotions of the whole family, making this unique and precious annual event a tradition!
This year, from November 8, 2024 to January 5, 2025, La Samaritaine will be reinventing itself as an enchanting winter garden. Between abundant nature and luminous poetry, the department store is transformed into an XXL greenhouse where you can delight in magical foliage and fantastic creatures. Inspired by the ivy and chestnut leaves that line its Art Nouveau walls, and the botanical passion of co-founder Marie-Louise Cognacq, La Samaritaine has teamed up with Thoiry Lumières Sauvages to bring to life a magical stroll where nature, in majesty, reclaims its rights. Under the benevolent eye of the majestic peacock, emblem of the place, which proudly spreads its feathers on the fresco on the 5th floor, each alley blossoms like a secret garden, ready to unveil its share of wonders.
Surprises abound on every floor. Fantastic snails, XXL butterflies and giant mushrooms spring up everywhere, illuminating the path like little treasures to be discovered. The play of light transforms the footbridge linking the Pont-Neuf and Rivoli buildings into an enchanted alley. We wander along in wonder, ready to capture those magical moments that will never fade.
On the Rivoli side, the effervescence continues: the window displays take root under the expert hands of six artists. Their works unfold like exotic plants from a secret garden, playing with textures and materials to surprise the eye. For example, Juliette Berthonneau's Pensiflora mobilea, a stemless floating flower that dances in the winter breeze. Further on, Pauline D'Andigné 's Rafflesiaceae defies the laws of botany with its incredibly large soft sculptures, while Manon Daviet 's Macula Proliferum wraps itself like a vine around rocks, all covered in knitted fabric.
The tour continues with Michel Jocaille's Astra Desideri, a sparkling precious species with the look of a fantastic amanite, before admiring Florian Sicard 's symphony of leather flowers Convergencia floralis and finishing with Lucas Tortolano's Pilosus Hybrida, an astonishing creature that forms the hairy hybrid family of plants, animals and humans. A veritable urban jungle, where each creation seems to have grown of its own accord to flourish before our amazed eyes.
So, are you ready to go green and experience an enchanting Christmas? At La Samaritaine, the festive season takes root in an enchanted universe where Art Nouveau and nature light up to bring to life a Christmas that's as magical as it is eternal!
Dates and Opening Time
Starts November 8, 2024
Location
La Samaritaine
19 Rue de la Monnaie
75001 Paris 1
Prices
Free
Recommended age
For all
Official website
www.dfs.com
