Exhibition Hall Is France's Largest Ice Rink

Ice skaters coast through Paris' historical Grand Palais exhibition hall that is turned into the largest temporary ice rink in France's history.

Published

5 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Europe

Places

France, Europe, Paris

Transcript

The monumental façade of the Grand Palais in Paris. Inside, the great exhibition hall is transformed into France's largest ice rink ever, spreading across 1800 square meters, or more than 19,000 square feet. The indoor skating rink is made possible by this man, event organizer Olivier Maurey of the Luderic Group. SOUNDBITE: Organiser Olivier Maurey, Saying (French) "Because the celebrations for the end of the year equally concern children, adults, seniors, a little bit of everyone. So, an event that is very intergenerational and intersocial, which is to say, that anyone from any social environment can enjoy it. And so we had this idea to make an ice rink." Since its opening in 1900, the Palais has hosted many art exhibits, sporting events and even fashion shows. But it's the first time that it has turned into an ice rink, and skaters can glide underneath Europe's largest glass ceiling until January 6.