The concept of Versailles Electro is straightforward and slightly absurd. The Palace of Versailles, one of the most formal and historically loaded buildings in France, is transformed for one night into an open-air electronic music venue. Folamour and Cerrone played until midnight while people danced beside illuminated royal fountains.

I bought my ticket on the day of the event. I had been aware of Versailles Electro for years but had never gone, partly because the combination of a formal palace and electronic music seemed like it might be more interesting as a concept than as an experience. The 19th edition changed that assessment.

Arriving at Versailles at night is already different from the daytime tourist experience. The fountains are lit, the gardens take on a different quality in the darkness, and the scale of the estate, which is enormous during the day, becomes something more intimate when the context changes to music and movement.

The crowd was more diverse in age than I expected. People in their fifties dancing alongside people in their twenties, with nobody apparently finding the age mix unusual. The palace grounds create a leveling effect. Standing in front of the illuminated Chateau in the dark, surrounded by music, the social categories that usually operate at nightlife events seemed less relevant.

My initial observation of the crowd as potentially snobbish proved incorrect as the night progressed. The hesitation I noticed at the beginning dissolved as the music built and the atmosphere changed. By midnight the crowd was as open and warm as any I have encountered at outdoor electronic events.

Versailles Electro is a singular experience that Paris does not have an equivalent to anywhere else. If it coincides with your visit, go. Dress appropriately for an outdoor evening in the grounds of a palace and bring shoes you are comfortable dancing in.