Le Zénith

Le Zénith is the name given to a series of indoor arenas in France. The first arena, the "Zénith de Paris" is a rejuvenation of the Pavillon de Paris. Since its opening in 1983, the Zénith became a registered trademark in France. In French culture, the word "zénith" has become synonymous with "theatre". A zénith is a theater that can accommodate a concert tours, variety shows, plays, musicals and dance recitals. All zeniths carry a similar internal design of an indoor amphitheatre that can seat at least 3,000 spectators.

A venue was planned to open in Saint-Denis, Réunion entitled Zénith du Port. The arena was proposed in 2005 by the city council. Planned to open in 2008 with a capacity of 6,000, the construction of the arena was shut down. It was determined the venue would not be profitable as there was no research done to see which events the arena could house. They also felt the venue would be a hard sell to bring in international talent. Kabardock was built on the proposed site of the zenith.

Le Zénith (Paris, France)

Le Zénith is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paris, France. It is located in the Parc de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement on the edge of the Canal de l'Ourcq. Its ability to seat up to 6,293 people makes it one of the largest venues in Paris. The closest métro and RER stations are Porte de la Villette, Porte de Pantin, and Pantin.

History

Le Zénith was built in 1983 to replace the Hippodrome de Pantin, a circus big-top which had become the main venue for touring rock bands visiting Paris (after the closing of the Pavillon de Paris). The Zénith was built on the same location as the old circus tent, and was designed by architects Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel on the initiative of Minister of Culture Jack Lang. It was inaugurated by Renaud at the start of 1984.

Somewhat reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, this hall was intended to be used for a fixed term of three years after which it was to be dismantled and replaced by a new hall nearby. However, instead, its success gave birth to a chain of new halls throughout France, in Strasbourg, Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes, Clermont-Ferrand, Rouen, Dijon, Pau, Toulon, Saint-Étienne, Caen, Orléans, Nancy, Amiens, Lille and Limoges. These halls are also named "Zénith", which is a trademark registered by COKER and the Ministry of Culture.