Candles and fireworks lighten up the local Chateau

Saturday night I had booked a 'bucket list', event one I'd starred on google maps back in 2024. Being married to a pyrotechnician, and with a personal interest in candles, the discovery of the French Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was understandably exciting. Why, you may ask? Well every Saturday evening through the summer, they host a special display- illuminating the Chateau and grounds with 2000 candles, and as darkness descends, the fireworks fill the sky.

But first things first. We'd packed a picnique, with quiches and a baguette from la Patisserie, GnT in the insulated water bottles and some delicious cheeses from la Fromagerie in Barbizon. We were getting low on fuel and it took a diversion and two stops before the Intermarche fuel station accepted the credit card and we were back on the road to Le Chateau. It was a spectacular entrance, through a beautiful avenue of trees to the Chateau carpark.

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was the quintessential French Chateau on a human scale. Not as 'grand' as those we visited in La Loire Valley, but every bit as picturesque, perfectly proportioned and the 2000 candles were already alight when we arrived about 8.30pm, even though it was still broad daylight. We celebrated our arrival, finally, with GnT's and our picnique, before joining the Chateau tour along with many others. There were several hundred visitors but no tour buses and the grounds were suitably large so there was room for everyone.

Inside the Chateau we were all given headsets which allowed us to be transported back in time via a fabulous interpretative dialogue, spoken in the third person by 'one of the original family descendents'. It was brilliant and perfectly synced as you moved from room to room.

By the time we exited the Chateau, darkness had descended so we found a viewpoint on the steps overlooking the gardens.
The sparklers were handed out and right on the dot of 11pm, the fireworks began with a bang. It was an impressive display that lasted a good 15 minutes with appropriate music to match. In the magic of 2000 candles, dancing children with sparklers and some extremely large shells exploding overhead, we were definitely in our element.Read more