After much anticipation, La Flèche d’Or has finally reopened its doors! A group of associations and collectives from eastern Paris will be the new guests of this former train station of the Petite ceinture, Paris’ disused railway, through February 2021.
The venue became a staple of the Parisian nightlife after its conversion into a concert hall in the 1990s. Despite its iconic status among rock and alternative artists, it had been closed for several years.
Since 2016, residents and local collectives had gradually come together to bring the venue back to life, including a temporary occupation last November. Earlier this year, an agreement was signed between the owner, the city of Paris, local representatives of the 20th arrondissement and an association of residents in order to revive La Flèche d’Or.
It will be the return of “a cultural, social and collective venue”, according to the local associations selected following a call for applications before confinement: “Curry Vavart and Union des Collectifs, in coordination with Collectif Mu, La Gare XP, DOC, the collective PIEG, DOXA ESTA, Ancoats an the collective ObliQ”.
Parisians will find “art, meetings, debates, workshops, performances, as well as a canteen and associative bar!” There’s more good news for this unique address: the new local council of the 20th arrondissement and the city of Paris expressed their interest in buying La Flèche d’Or from its current owner. An indication that the small train station may keep its new cultural and civic vocation in the long run.
.
.
.
Two weeks ago, Paris Lights Up had the opportunity to visit the venue as it completed its new transformation. The stage needed final adjustments before welcoming artists once again, some extra furniture would be really appreciated, but La Flèche d’Or is back!
The old train station of Charonne, under which trains of the Petite ceinture passed between 1861 and 1934, is adorned with elements typical of the railroad architecture of the time. A clock still watches, hanging above the entrance to the large windows overlooking the rails.
Visitors can also guess another past, this one less distant, under the arches of the small train station. There are many reminders of a time when the building was rented by France’s national railroad company SNCF in the mid-1990s to become La Flèche d’Or, a resolutely alternative concert hall that would rock eastern Paris’ nightlife for nearly twenty years.
The venue has indeed kept its black walls, industrial ducts and a whole collection of musical stickers. While the teams of the collectives bring the last finishing touches, former regulars will find that the grungy atmosphere of the place has not disappeared.
.
.
According to the team heading La Flèche d’Or to new horizons, “residents of the neighborhood and anyone interested are invited to be a part of this collective initiative”. Associations and artists are given an opportunity to organize their own event through the venue’s website. The first exhibits, performances and concerts will be starting this month, with a culture-filled opening weekend on September 18th-20th!
.
.
La Flèche d’Or
102 bis Rue de Bagnolet, 75020 Paris
contact@flechedor.org
flechedor.org – Page FB
.
Photos © Paris Lights Up