It marked the last Olympic™ and Paralympic™ Games, the Vasque (cauldron) of Paris 2024™ will shine again in the Jardin des Tuileries from June 21 for the Fête de la Musique. It will remain there until September 14, with free access without reservation. It will be present every summer until the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.

A flame without fuel, made of water and light, that doesn't burn but illuminates. It's an EDF first. With its flame-ring, Paris 2024™ puts the climate front and center and marks the history of the Paris 2024™ Olympic™ and Paralympic™ Games.

The Vasque of Paris 2024™ flame created a sensation at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024™ Olympic Games™. The symbol par excellence of the spirit of the Paris 2024™ Games, this year it took on a special meaning. At a time of global warming, the flame-ring carries a strong message, that of a more responsible future - where electricity replaces fossil fuels - that of the energy transition(1).

The idea of projecting a powerful stream of light onto a cloud of water was an inspired one! A warm, living flame, without fossil fuels: a true technological feat, the flame-ring breaks the mould.

(1) IPCC, 2023: Synthesis Report on Climate Change.

From concept to reality, the genesis of a bold, collective project

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The idea that caught on: an alternative flame

The signing of the Partnership with the Olympic™ and Paralympic™ Games of Paris 2024™ reactivated work initiated in 2010 by EDF researchers and designers, around the design of an alternative flame to fossil combustion for the London 2012 Games Vasque. Convinced that, in the face of fossil fuels, electricity is a realistic and mobilizing solution for moving towards a CO2-neutral world, EDF teams then worked on a 100% electric proposal for the Vasque of Paris 2024™.

A solution quickly emerged, based on the simultaneous, controlled projection of a cloud of mist and a powerful stream of light, creating a warm, living flame. The apparent simplicity of this solution, made possible by advances in LED technology, conceals long hours of work to design a device that meets a number of requirements: visibility, aesthetics, resilience and brilliance. The proposal developed in EDF's Pulse Design laboratory received a positive reception from the Paris 2024™ and IOC teams.

The perfect blend of design and fuel-less flame concept

The bold creative project by Mathieu Lehanneur, selected by Paris 2024™ to design the Vasque, positioned the flame proposed by EDF as a central element in the feasibility of this revolutionary project. A flame-ring nearly 7 meters in diameter thus plays the role of showcase for the Vasque flame of the Paris 2024™ Olympic™ and Paralympic™ Games. Without ever compromising on aesthetics, teams from EDF and its partners were careful to meet the highest safety and reliability requirements to bring the Vasque of Paris 2024™ to life.

Development and manufacture of the flame-ring

To complete the project for a 60-metre-high basin in the Paris skyline, EDF called on French companies with recognized expertise. A workshop specializing in the creation of exceptional pieces for architecture, design and art designed and manufactured the flame ring, along with a hydraulics partner. The project required numerous studies and prototypes, as well as the design of custom lighting and misting components. The flame-ring incorporates 40 spotlights with a light output equivalent to 4 million lumens and 200 high-pressure misting nozzles. Water consumption, on the order of 3m3 per hour when the Vasque is in flight, is reduced to 2m3 when it is on the ground in the Jardin des Tuileries.

  • 40

    spotlights

  • 4 millions

    lumens

  • 200

    high-pressure misting nozzle

A technological feat inspired by aeronautical engineering

This exceptional aluminum mechanical part meets the challenge of robustness and lightness imposed by the overall design of the Vasque of Paris 2024™. The feat lies particularly in the positioning of the flame ring at a height of 60 meters, implying an inescapable constraint of lightness, integrity and safety comparable to the requirements of aeronautical engineering. And to guarantee the continuous operation of the device throughout the Paris 2024™ Games, an innovative solution had to be developed for routing the flows of electricity and high-pressure water to the flame-ring, via a cable capable of following the Vasque's movements while in flight.

Water, a central element of the Vasque of the Paris 2024 Games™

In line with the Group's commitment to preserving resources for its energy activities, the issue of water was integrated by EDF into the entire process of the Vasque of Paris 2024™ Games: controlling consumption in particular by developing high-pressure nozzles with very low water consumption, reusing water in the water mirror dressing the fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries and cooling generated by misting around the Vasque.