{"id":890858,"date":"2026-09-10T19:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T19:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/890858\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T19:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T19:36:10","slug":"celine-dion-fever-sweeps-paris-ahead-of-residency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/890858\/","title":{"rendered":"Celine Dion fever sweeps Paris ahead of residency"},"content":{"rendered":"

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C\u00e9line Dion waves to fans as she arrives at Hotel Le Royal Monceau in Paris on Aug. 28, ahead of her series of concerts in the French capital.SIMON WOHLFAHRT\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pauline Martin hasn\u2019t been sleeping much lately. <\/p>\n

The 39-year-old social worker has a tight schedule: work in the morning, then a cross-Paris trip on the Metro to the Royal Monceau, in the upscale 8th arrondissement of the capital. There, she stands for hours before catching a night bus home to the suburban town of Saint-Ouen. She is exhausted, she admits, but giddy. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s followed this routine all week for one purpose: to spend time with her idol, Celine Dion, who\u2019s staying at the hotel during her Parisian residency. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the singer appeared in front of the hotel in a black dress with feathered trim and sang her song Pour que tu m\u2019aimes encore. <\/p>\n

C\u00e9line Dion is back in Paris ahead of her comeback concerts<\/a><\/p>\n

That night, Ms. Martin managed to tell the singer \u201con t\u2019aime\u201d (we love you). \u201cShe turned around and said thank you. I\u2019m not sure it was to me specifically, but I felt like it was,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

Then, as the days went by, more and more people started to show up. Hundreds of people now gather outside Ms. Dion\u2019s hotel every night, hoping for a moment with the legendary singer. <\/p>\n

Ms. Dion arrived in Paris on Aug. 28 and has since been in rehearsals for her long-awaited return to the stage. On Saturday, she will kick off a month-long residency at the Paris Plenitude Arena, Europe\u2019s largest indoor venue. <\/p>\n

But for now, she seems happy to entertain on a smaller, more informal scale.<\/p>\n

On some days, Ms. Dion spends up to an hour with the crowd. She gives them life advice<\/a>, duets<\/a> with them, dances to her hits<\/a> and occasionally sheds a tear<\/a>. She has casual conversations about how much she likes pizza<\/a>, the music she\u2019s listening to at the moment, and her children. On some occasions, she takes selfies with fans, as she did with Ms. Martin. <\/p>\n

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A C\u00e9line Dion fan, holding her album Let’s Talk About Love, waits outside the Hotel Le Royal Monceau on Sept. 3.SIMON WOHLFAHRT\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

There are grey-haired people, children, guitarists, live-streamers, hardcore fans and passersby. The law office next door plays the singer\u2019s hits on their speakers, and the doormen laugh when asked about her whereabouts. It\u2019s joyous and respectful, like Celine. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere is great. Every time I\u2019m there, I have a good time with the other fans. They\u2019re really nice. There are several people that I\u2019ve gotten to know. A woman who lives in the neighbourhood once brought me a bottle of water while I was waiting,\u201d says Ms. Martin, who\u2019s been to the hotel four times. <\/p>\n

Ms. Dion is scheduled to perform 16 concerts starting this month, with another 10 dates in the spring. <\/p>\n

The Canadian singer has a strong connection to Paris. \u201cIt\u2019s my second home,\u201d she told journalists upon arrival. <\/p>\n

In 2022, Ms. Dion announced that she suffers from stiff-person syndrome (an autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by muscle rigidity and painful spasms), which caused her to cancel all future shows. Her last public performance was during the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, when she sang \u00c9dith Piaf\u2019s Hymne \u00e0 l\u2019amour (Hymn to Love) at the Eiffel Tower<\/a>. <\/p>\n

For fans, that moment felt like a promise. \u201cI\u2019ve always known she\u2019d be back. When I saw her at the Olympic Games, I knew that there would be more to come afterwards,\u201d says Ms. Martin, who will be in the arena when the singer sets foot on stage Saturday. <\/p>\n

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Just a few days before her return to the stage, Dion poses with her fans outside her hotel in paris.IMAGO\/L.Urman \/ Starface\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The nearly 500,000 tickets available for the first leg of the residency sold out in under an hour, leaving many fans shut out. But missing a ticket doesn\u2019t mean missing out on the Celine Dion effervescence. Across Paris, anticipation for the singer\u2019s return has spilled beyond the arena, with fans finding other ways to party and congregate. <\/p>\n

Celine Dion releasing new song Dansons, a sweet anthem for a troubled time<\/a><\/p>\n

The iconic Art Deco cinema Le Grand Rex welcomed 2,600 fans for a giant karaoke night in the singer\u2019s honour on Sept. 9, and is planning a second one Thursday. On Friday, the night before the first show, the City of Paris is organizing two free open-air karaoke sessions for 10,000 fans to celebrate together. Even Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gr\u00e9goire has joined in, promoting the event with a video of himself singing along to Pri\u00e8re pa\u00efenne, a 1995 hit from the Canadian vocalist. <\/p>\n

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Dion waves to fans as she exits her hotel on Sept. 3.SIMON WOHLFAHRT\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

You can also find fans milling around the official Celine Dion pop-up shop at the iconic Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. Lindsay Foucart, a 25-year-old from the Paris area, stopped by for a T-shirt. She\u2019ll have two nights to wear it, as she\u2019s attending the show twice. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had the budget for it, I would have gone to even more shows,\u201d she said. \u201cThis tour marks something important in Celine\u2019s life. We all have the feeling that it might be the last time we can see her on stage because of her disease and her age.\u201d <\/p>\n

The mania is spreading far beyond Paris. During the first week of the residency, train reservations toward the French capital have doubled, according to Trainline, a European train-booking platform. The most remarkable increases are coming from abroad: Zurich, Barcelona and London.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never seen anything like it,\u201d says Cl\u00e9ment Bretagnolle, general manager, France, at Trainline. \u201cThe European aspect of these increases in bookings is remarkable, and the proportion is quite unique.\u201d<\/p>\n