Discover the history of the guinguettes, dance halls and other popular entertainment venues that made many Belleville establishments famous during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Our Parisian ancestors lived in an overcrowded, unhealthy and foul-smelling capital. Eager for fresh air and entertainment, they visited numerous leisure venues with friends or fellow workshop workers, as couples or with their families, with guinguettes—open-air cafés and dance halls—ranking among their favorites. From the 18th century onward, the first guinguettes opened just beyond the gates of Paris: Vaugirard, Porcherons, Montmartre, Belleville, etc. Others later opened in nearby suburban villages and then along the banks of the Seine or the Marne, particularly thanks to the development of the railway. These open-air cafés, where people could eat and drink at their leisure for a reasonable price and where lyrical drinking societies known as “goguettes” were based, offered many forms of entertainment. After a good meal, the dancing began, giving visitors a chance to learn the latest fashionable dances. Thus, during the 19th century, dancing became inseparable in the warmer months from the pleasures already offered by the guinguettes. In Eastern Paris, Belleville was renowned for its guinguettes and dance halls. These establishments were particularly numerous along the chaussée de Ménilmontant and rue de Paris (now rue de Belleville). Some even achieved international fame, including Jean Ramponneau’s Tambour royal, the Dénoyez family’s Grand-Saint-Martin, Bal Favié, which later became Folies-Belleville, and Lac Saint-Fargeau. Finally, during the Restoration, the Belleville roller coaster briefly stood at the barrière de Couronnes. This lecture will be given by Christiane Demeulenaere-Douyère, vice-president of the association d’histoire et d’archéologie du 20 e arrondissement and vice-president of the Société de l’histoire de Paris et de l’Île-de-France.
Admission: Free lecture, subject to availability. Booking is required from September 1, 2026.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Paris Musées / musée Carnavalet-Histoire de Paris