Museums in Paris: Musée des Arts Forains

Recently, we had the rare opportunity to visit the Musée des Arts Forains (the Fairground Museum).  The museum, which normally hosts private events, infrequently opens to the general public and it was opened to the public for just a couple of weeks during the winter holidays.

The Musée des Arts Forains, established in 1996, is unique.  The collection features antique carnival rides and other artifacts from the 1800's and 1900's.  The museum is also unique because it is located in former wine warehouses in Bercy on the edge of Paris.  The museum is even more unique because it was a filming location in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

The Musée des Arts Forains is located in former wine warehouses (photo left and right).  Wheeled carts carried wine casks on the rails in the center of the photo. 

Let's tour the museum, which is filled with all sorts of artifacts from carnivals and fairs of the past.     

  

The museum offered several live performances, including a magician and a performer who played the violin while making strange harmonic sounds with his mouth.  

Of course, the museum had some funhouse mirrors.  We liked the mirror that made us tall and skinny.  Jean-Claude did not like the mirror that made him short and wide.  

The museum has several working carousels.  Kids, young and old, enjoyed riding them.  

Our favorite carousel was created in 1897, the Manege de Velocipedes.  Instead of horses, riders sat on bicycles that sped around carousel.  

You can get an idea of the carousel's speed by clicking on the video below.  

Jean-Claude was intrigued by a musical fountain (pictured below).

You can click on the video below to see and hear the fountain.

Our favorite thing in the museum was a very French carnival game.  The game featured racing French waiters.  Each participant moved a different waiter toward the finish line by rolling a ball into holes with varying points.  The fastest, highest point total won the race.  

You can see the waiters actually race by clicking here. 

Thanks for visiting the Musée des Arts Forains with us.  We had a great time that was out of this world.