The world-famous cabaret Moulin Rouge, which translates from French as “red mill,” is not only a symbol of Paris and one of the main attractions of France, it embodies a whole epoch of nightlife of Parisian bohemia and the cultural development of the country as a whole. Having opened its red doors for the first time in 1889, the Moulin Rouge has become the city’s hallmark and the most visited place in the French red-light district. Back then, its visitors were people of art, painters and poets, noblemen, and even members of royal families. At a table of the far-famed cabaret, one could see both Picasso and Oscar Wilde with a glass of champagne in hand or the Prince of Wales, who more than once visited the popular leisure venue. Why? A not very decent can-can dance performed by the best dancers of the French capital, the so-called Zidler’s “girls,” was the reason. Here, a striptease was performed for the first time, when in 1893, one of the dancers undressed during her performance. Everything that happened back then in the cabaret is known today thanks to the habitue of the Moulin Rouge, French artist and creator of numerous posters, Count Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the cabaret program included not only songs and dances: revues and operettas were staged here, film screenings were organized, and in 1964, for the first time on the Moulin Rouge stage, the public saw an exotic show called “Feerie:” a naked dancer plunged into a giant aquarium with live snakes to perform an unforgettable passionate dance.

Today, the legendary Moulin Rouge, designed for 850 spectators, is still open. The stirring can-can is still danced too, and you can admire the dancers’ courage during the extravagant show “Feerie.” The best European and American directors dream of filming their masterpieces about the iconic Parisian cabaret.