For the second time running in the history of the Tour de France, the mythical race raced by another French icon, the Moulin Rouge. The cabaret’s dancers, in full French Cancan costume, were on hand to cheer them on with what they do best, the French Cancan. This year for the second time (the first being last year)  the race cycled — three times— up the highest «peak» in Paris, the Butte de Montmartre. The Moulin Rouge sits at the foot of the hill. This year on July 26th, the institution’s dancers gathered on the Place Blanche to cheer the racers on for their last trip up to the Butte de Montmartre. Both institutions have been going strong for over 100 years: the Tour de France was first held in 1903 and the Moulin Rouge has been putting on the show since 1889. The race ended shortly after flying by the Moulin Rouge on the Champs-Elysées with the final leg being a spectacularly close, down to the wire (or tire) hair raiser won by the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech after a frantic charge to the finish line on the French capital’s famous cobblestones. Meanwhile Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France 2026 for a record-equalling fifth time joining the ranks of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the endurance event’s most successful male riders.

The Moulin Rouge is 90 artists representing 18 nationalities attracting over 600,000 spectators annually to discover its current revue Féerie, performed twice nightly. Grandiose set decors, 1,000 costumes splashed with feathers and sequins and the French Cancan are all on the agenda. The revue Féerie has been applauded by over 15 million spectators.  ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette https://www.moulinrouge.fr/en/homepage/