Fontainebleau has always had a special relationship with Napoleon, and every autumn the town celebrates this for a whole weekend. For their fifth edition, the Fontainebleau Imperial Cakes use as a common thread Napoleon’s army, following last year’s fourth edition, which focused on the Egyptian campaign. Virtual reality, theatre, talks, strategy games, drumming and a costume ball: the programme has something to appeal to history buffs as well as families who simply want to have a good time.
The most intriguing highlight is the helmet. At the workshop of the Royal Charity, you put on a virtual reality headset and find yourself in St Helena, at Longwood House, in 1817, as the Emperor opens up. All around him, the scenes come to life: the general staff meeting on the eve of’Austerlitz, a charge by the cuirassiers, the climb up the Colonne Vendôme, the cold of the Berezina. The experience lasts 30 minutes, in groups of 10 people, on both days from 10.00 to 18.00. Allow €12 for adults and €8 for children up to the age of 12, and the Bookings can be made at the Municipal Theatre box office.
The day begins at 11 am with a mini-lecture for children : Hélène Revest, a tour guide with the Friends of the Château, tells the younger visitors about life in Napoleon’s army, with the Drums of the Odyssey, before an aperitif with the family. From 2.30 pm to 7.30 pm, the association Fumbles is bringing out the board games for an afternoon of strategy games featuring «Napoleon 1815», «Risk», «Napoleon’s Conquest» and «Through the Ages», with just 24 places available, by booking only. In the evening at 8.30 pm, the play «La Dictée» by Nathalie Ganem tells the story of how, on Saint Helena, Napoleon fought his final battle – the battle for posterity – through the pen of Las Cases.
At 11.30 am, The Imperial Epic brings together the Tambours de l’Odyssée, pupils from the Conservatoire and the Union Musicale de Fontainebleau for 35 minutes of drums, fife and orchestra, interspersed with projected scenes and recitations. At 2.30 pm, the historian François Houdecek, a specialist in military and social issues during the Empire, gives a personal account of the war in his talk «Experiencing the Grande Armée», drawing on the diaries and memoirs left behind by the soldiers. Then, from 3 pm to 6 pm, the company Paris Dances opens the First Empire ball : waltz, German dance, Scottish and English dances, with continuous demonstrations and taster sessions. Anyone with a period costume tucked away at the back of a trunk will find this the perfect opportunity.
Almost everything takes place at the Théâtre municipal de Fontainebleau, you can experience virtual reality at the Charité Royale on Rue Royale. Talks, a musical performance and a ball are on free admission ; VR, games and the play are fully booked. Full details can be found in the Official programme for the 2026 Impériales (PDF from the City of Fontainebleau).
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