Groupe F is a production company specialised in the design and performance of live shows and pyrotechnic events. It operates on five continents.

History

Founded in 1990 in

Bessèges Bessèges (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in France. It is situated on the river Cèze. History Historically Bessèges was a hamlet of Robiac-Rochessadoule, Robiac. Its importance began wit ...

(Gard, F) by François Montel, Alain Burkhalter and Didier Mandin, Groupe F takes off internationally in 1992 with the arrival of Éric Noel, Nicolas Mousques, Caroline and Christophe Berthonneau, designing the pyrotechnic effects of the Barcelona Summer Olympics closing ceremony. In 1993, Groupe F goes on a world tour with its show "Oiseaux de Feu" (Birds of Fire), followed by "Un peu plus de Lumière" and also performs the closing fireworks of the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

. On 31 December 1999, Groupe F stages the pyrotechnic show on the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

celebrating the transition to the year 2000. Building on the worldwide success of the event, the group recruits a multidisciplinary team for the artistic and technical implementation of its major projects. Jonas Bidaut, Cédric Moreau, Eric Travers and Jeff Yelnik have supported the international development of Groupe F ever since. In 2000, Groupe F starts exploring new scenographic territories and creates tools for monumental shows, combining light, video mapping, music, fire and human performers. The

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, the Pont du Gard and the

host these new creations on several occasions. In November 2017, the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

entrust the company with the opening show of the

Louvre Abu Dhabi The Louvre Abu Dhabi (; ) is an art museum located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It runs under an agreement between the UAE and France, signed in March 2007, that allows it to use the Louvre's name until 2047, and has ...

Main live shows

* Les Oiseaux de Feu (on tour from 1994 to 2000) * Un peu plus de Lumière (on tour from 1997 to 2010) * Joueurs de Lumière (on tour from 2004 to 2010) * Coups de Foudre (on tour from 2008 to 2010) * Versailles : La Face cachée du Soleil (2007 and 2008) * L'Autre Monde, Les États et Empires du Soleil (2009) * Les Noces Royales de Louis XIV (2010) * Le Roi de Feu (2015, 2016, 2017) * "Migrations" series (since 2012) * Rhône, in Arles, for the launch of Marseille Provence, European Capital of Culture 2013 * Focus – La Saga des Photons, for the launch of Dunkirk Regional Capital of Culture 2013 * À Fleur de Peau (on tour since 2014) * At the Pont du Gard : Lux Populi (2008), Impressions (2011), Ludolux (2012), Ulysse au pays des merveilles (2013), Le Magicien d'eau (2014), Les Mondes Magiques (2015), Feux Gaulois (2016), Feux Romains (2017) * Suspended time, original creation for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at the Sgt Pepper at 50 festival in Liverpool, 2017 * Vives réflexions, inauguration show of Louvre Abu Dhabi, 2017 JO_Groupe_F_athenes

Main pyrotechnics events

* Closing of the Barcelona Summer Olympics, 1992 * Closing of the

* Transition to the year 2000 on the

* Opening and closing of the 2004

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Summer Olympics and Paralympics * Inauguration of the Patras bridge, 2004 * Closing of the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona, 2004 * New Year in London on the

London Eye The London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid Tourist attractions in the ...

, 2004 to 2009 * 2007: Inauguration of the new

TGV Est The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est européenne (East European High Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Est, is a French high-speed rail line that connects Vaires-sur-Marne (near Paris) and Vendenheim (near Strasbourg). The line halved the trav ...

line * Opening and closing of the 2006

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

and Paralympics in Turin * Inauguration of the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, 2008 * Opening of the

Jeff Koons Jeffrey Lynn Koons (; born January 21, 1955) is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror- finish s ...

exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, 2008 *

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

's Tour 66 * Inauguration of the

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but inc ...

2010 * Opening and closing of the 2011 AFC

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...

in Doha * New Year on

Taipei 101 The Taipei 101 (; stylized in all caps), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a 508 m (1,667 ft), 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. It was Council on Tall Buildings ...

, Taiwan, 2012–2015 * Pyrotechnic design for

Cai Guo-Qiang Cai Guo-Qiang (; born 8 December 1957) is a Chinese artist. Biography Cai Guo-Qiang was born in 1957 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. His father, Cai Ruiqin, was a calligrapher and traditional painter who worked in a bookstore. As a res ...

's "One Night Stand" at the 2013 Paris Nuit Blanche * Fireworks on the

on Bastille Day 2004, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 * Opening and closing ceremonies of the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

and Paralympics in Rio * Inauguration of the

Lotte World Tower Lotte World Tower (), is a 123-story, supertall skyscraper, located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea. It is the sixth-tallest building in the world, the tallest in OECD countries and in South Korea, and also the firs ...

in Seoul, South Korea, 2017

Visual identity

File:Groupe F Logo 2017.png, 2017–present

References

* ''Le Théâtre du feu,'' Élise Thiébaut (text), Thierry Nava (photos),

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

* ''Feux royaux à Versailles'', Raphael Masson and Elise Thiébaut (text), Thierry Nava (photos),

, 2008 ()

External links

* (fr+en
Groupe F official website
*
Groupe F LLC (Middle East) official website
{{Authority control Entertainment companies established in 1990 Pyrotechnics Entertainment companies of France Companies based in Occitania (administrative region) French companies established in 1990