The Legendary Spiegeltent
Spiegeltents have always been the domain of night owls, heartbreakers and dream chasers. They are legendary symbols of wild fin-de-siécle nightlife.
Literally translated as mirror tents, spiegeltents were originally built in Belgium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Designed as travelling ballrooms, the mirrors were important as they allowed discrete eye contact to be made across a crowded dancefloor.
The Crystal Palace originates from this long tradition of transportable marquees in Western Europe and is only one of the few large ones left after the Fifties, when, with increasing popularity of cinema and television, most of them disappeared.
Marlene Dietrech famously sung ‘Falling in Love Again’ in a Paris based Spiegeltent in the 1930’s and their innate beauty and romance have continued to attract artists who would normally only perform in much larger venues. Christmas at the Spiegeltent continues that fine tradition and with your support will become an annual fixture in Bristol’s festive season.
Fit for a Queen
Her royal highness Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands even visited the Crystal Palace in March 2000 while in Amsterdam!
