Paris Opera: The stage at the Palais Garnier will finally be closed for 5 years due to the extended renovation work

"It is a choice that we take responsibility for, a choice of responsibility, a choice made for the sustainability of the working tool," Alexander Neef, general manager of the Paris Opera, told AFP on Thursday.

"If we have to take this step today, it's to avoid having to start a new project in a few years," he added. The announcement of the new schedule was made mid-day to the approximately 1.500 employees.

On October 31, 2024, the institution, whose aging buildings had been highlighted by a report from the Court of Auditors, said it planned two years of alternating closures for its two theaters: summer 2027-summer 2029 for Garnier; mid-2030-mid-2032 for the Opéra Bastille.

The objective is to modernize the stage areas (below and above the stage) of these two sites, in terms of stage equipment (machinery, etc.) and building infrastructure (networks, air treatment, electricity).

"As in many other historical monuments, the presence of lead in the Palais Garnier is known and is subject to regular monitoring. It was already planned to address it in the initial project," explained Mr. Neef.

Hors les murs

"What changes the game is that we are now facing stricter regulations and a demand from prevention and control bodies to completely remove the lead from the stage cage during the work," he continued.

As a result, at the Palais Garnier, a 151-year-old building classified as a historical monument in 1923, the work will extend from 2027 to 2032. And at the Bastille, inaugurated in 1989, it will not be able to start until the 2033-2034 season.

When one venue is closed, the other will remain open and will host the institution's operatic and choreographic performances, which also includes off-site programming at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Théâtre de Chaillot and the Théâtre de la Ville, according to Mr. Neef.

Another development announced Thursday at the Palais Garnier: the spaces reserved for heritage visits, an important source of revenue (13 million euros annually) and which were initially supposed to remain open, "could be temporarily unavailable for two years", due to possible nuisances (noise, vibrations), according to management.

A possible total closure of the building will depend on the technique chosen for lead treatment after tests carried out this summer, the general manager said.

The cost of these adjustments "is not yet known," according to Mr. Neef, stressing that it depends on the summer assessments and whether or not the Palais Garnier is closed, as well as "our self-financing capacity."

"Support plan"

In September, the works were estimated at 450,8 million euros over six years by the Ministry of Culture, of which 25% was financed by the State.

They also include smaller-scale renovation work at the Nanterre dance school (west of Paris) and at the Berthier workshops (where the costumes are kept).

In 2025, the institution's budget, which was slightly in profit, relied on 42% state subsidies and 58% on its own resources (ticket sales, sponsorship, visits, private events, etc.).

Regarding employment, management plans to "carefully examine the precise impacts" on employees at the Garnier theater. "The measures in the support plan will need to be discussed and negotiated" with the unions, according to Mr. Neef, who intends to "preserve skills and jobs for the theater's reopening."

"Many employees are stunned," reacted Régis Cochennec, representative of the Sud union, pointing in particular to "a lot of concern" among the approximately 500 employees of Garnier, while management has put in place a "listening and psychological support system" provided by an independent firm, according to an internal letter consulted by AFP.

"We don't know what the management's support plan will include: retirements? Voluntary departures? Transfers to Bastille?" added Mr. Cochennec. According to him, the possibility of requesting training also exists, but "the waiting times for it are very long in these specific professions."