Nocturnal Strolls at Clos Lucé

Nocturnal Strolls at Clos Lucé: When Contemporary Dance Illuminates Leonardo da Vinci's Estate

The Nocturnal Strolls at the Château du Clos Lucé are a unique artistic event that transforms the former home of Leonardo da Vinci into an open-air theater every summer, blending contemporary dance and light magic. For two August evenings, from 8:30 PM to 11:00 PM, the public is invited to an enchanted walk through the seven hectares of the Clos Lucé park, in an atmosphere where the magic of Vinci's grand celebrations meets the boldness of contemporary creation.

Internationally Renowned Dance Companies

Each edition of the Nocturnal Strolls features a leading contemporary dance company. In 2024, the Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois took over the estate with four performances of 'Tentatives d'approches d'un point de suspension' (Attempts to Approach a Suspension Point), exploring the relationship with space, time, and otherness through four choreographic pieces. In 2025, it is the Compagnie Marie Chouinard, a major figure in Quebec contemporary dance, that will present two emblematic works: Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) and the duet Lascia ch'io pianga.

A Park Bathed in a Magical Atmosphere

Beyond the dance performances, the Nocturnal Strolls transform the Clos Lucé park into a sensory and luminous journey. Colorful projections animate the foliage, light installations surround the life-size models of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions, and thousands of candles line the estate's paths. This lighting creates a dreamlike and intimate atmosphere, inviting contemplation and wonder.

In the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci

The Nocturnal Strolls are part of the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci himself, who, for Francis I on June 17, 1518, imagined the famous Fête du Paradis (Paradise Festival), a 'night within a night' with an animated celestial vault suspended above the guests by a mechanism of spectacular ingenuity. Each edition of the festival offers a contemporary reinterpretation of this spirit of celebration and wonder that characterized the genius of the Renaissance.

The Clos Lucé: A Place Steeped in History

The Château du Clos Lucé, located a short walk from the Royal Château of Amboise, was the last home of Leonardo da Vinci from 1516 until his death in 1519. Today a museum dedicated to the Tuscan genius, the estate boasts a seven-hectare park where life-size models of his inventions are displayed outdoors. The Nocturnal Strolls offer a unique opportunity to discover this place in a new light, literally, between dusk and the starry night.