Windmill sails fall off Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris

The windmill sails of the Moulin Rouge, an iconic 135-year-old cabaret venue in Paris, collapsed to the ground in the early hours.

Just before 2am this morning, the four blades attached to a red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge venue fell off and landed bent in front of the building, according to newspaper The Guardian.

The windmill sails of the Moulin Rouge have fallen off

The letters M, O and U from the front sign also appear to have fallen, according to photos of the building posted on X, formerly Twitter. Firefighters were called to the area and no one was injured.

It is not yet known why the sails fell off.

The Moulin Rouge later took to Instagram to say the venue would stay open and the Thursday evening show would go ahead as planned "to keep the Parisian party spirit alive".

Located in Paris's 18th arrondissement, the red windmill and its sails made from wood and metal have come to be a tourist destination in the city.

According to the Moulin Rouge's Instagram post, windmill sails have been turning on the building for 135 years, since its opening.

The collapsed sails were reportedly rebuilt 20 years ago to make them lighter and were checked every two months.

The sails collapsed to the ground and bent

The cabaret venue, which is famously home to the French can-can dance, opened in 1889. It was destroyed in a fire in 1915 and didn't reopen again until 10 years later.

Paris is expecting an increase in tourists this summer as it prepares to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

French studio Chatillon Architectes recently unveiled its progress on the renovation of the Grand Palais, which will host fencing and taekwondo events for the games, and winning athletes can expect to walk away with a piece of the Eiffel Tower in their medals.

The top photo is by Dietmar Rabich via Wikimedia Commons.