With the windshield wipers squeaking frantically, my family and I drove through Storm Benjamin to the entrance of Puy du Fou. A slow-moving queue of cars with headlights bright snaked into the park, their owners set on an early 9:30am start at the historically-inclined theme park in Vendée in western France.
As the experience at Puy du Fou is focused on watching its bombastic brand of historic re-enactment from outdoor tiered seating, we were planning to find the shows with the most cover until the storm blew itself out. As the taxi dropped us off at our hotel – a replica Roman villa – we watched other parkgoers in white Puy du Fou-emblazoned rain ponchos being blown about like ghosts.
With the rain slanting down like the arrows at Agincourt, we dashed into an immersive, indoor attraction about the first King of France. And we were transported.
A golden age of theme parks may be about to dawn in England. Hot on the heels of this year’s news that the Bedford Universal Studios is set to open in 2031, came the confirmation that Puy du Fou has submitted a planning application for a park in Bicester in Oxfordshire – set to open in 2029.
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Puy du Fou has been operational since 1977 (that’s 15 years prior to the dawn of Disneyland Paris, where, as a youth, I experienced the coming-of-age sight of Donald Duck, with his costumed head thrown back, having a cigarette in an alley). Over the years, it’s added new spectacles to its line-up, so now a total of 20 shows await in its lushly landscaped 500-acre park, from Ben Hur-style chariot races to nighttime classical concerts set on a lake.
Having spent my pre-tween years in southern California, I was a regular visitor to the pioneering theme parks of LA and Orange County. I’ve seen more than a few tricks in my time, and it’s fair to say that Puy du Fou has shown me some new ones. In recognition of its creativity, the park has won the industry accolade for Best Theme Park in the World twice. And that’s for a theme park with no rides.
Unlike Disneyland or Universal Studios, its shows are not based on the various intellectual property of the corporations, but rather the history of France (or the history of Spain, for the Puy du Fou based there).
Now, you may wonder how good your French has to be. When we escaped from Storm Benjamin into that immersive show about the first King of France, a stentorian narrative accompanied us through the faux-rock passageways, the lighting throwing a hellish, crimson hue as spears and chains were rattled by concealed machinery.
Puy du Fou has an excellent app, which offers elements like route planning and show times. It also has a simultaneous translation setting, which we discovered worked only for the sit-down spectacles.
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As such, with my GCSE French at sea amid the Gallic intoning, the spears a-shaking and chains a-rattling, I began to think: is this just a bit rubbish? An end of the pier ghost house with a bigger budget?
A few steps further on, all doubts had been dispelled. The mingling of Christian and Norse imagery, the atmosphere generated by the effects, all added up to a truly impressive experience. I could barely understand a word, but it didn’t really matter – the symbolism and set pieces were so clear-cut and dramatic, with a memorable section featuring a Roman Tortuga about to breach the stockade we were on the wrong side of.
It was the same with the sit-down shows, the universal language of the stunts as eloquent as any script. My children, aged seven and eight, watched happily with a headphone translating in each little ear. The only iffy bit was when Ada, my elder child, glanced up at me, eyes wide. I learned later that the narration had informed her that Vikings used to slash their enemies’ throats in a tell-tale “X”.
Future therapy fodder will be less of a problem when the show comes to England. And it’ll be brilliant to see our history given the Puy du Fou revamp. “Le Signe Triomphe” was a great example, the show set in the park’s own colosseum. As with all the spectacles, it has a plot threaded through the historical re-enactment – in this case, plucky Celts striving against corrupt Roman overlords (no surprise here, since Puy du Fou was founded by nationalist and twice-denied presidential candidate Phillip de Villiers).
Le Signe Triomphe was my daughter’s favourite, the actors playing the Celts generating the energy of a local derby with (perhaps historically inaccurate) Mexican waves rippling around the stadium prior to the start of the show.
It’s not all sturm und drang, though. As you wander through the four period villages, the tink, tink, tink of a working blacksmith emanates from beneath the thatch of a Viking-style home. Watching traditional crafts is one of the other experiences available. You can also see the actors training before a show, observe the costume designers at work, or visit the largest show stable in Europe – horse manure is one of the overriding aromas of Puy du Fou, as are smoke (belched from the many flame throwers) and the sweet whiff of cinnamon churros.
In line with a Disney experience, it’s also possible to stay at one of Puy du Fou’s themed hotels on the park’s doorstep, including an enticing “Field of Cloth of Gold”-style encampment.
Puy du Fou seems to have Britain on the brain at the moment, with its most recent bombastic spectacle centred around King Arthur. As with every show, there were some jaw-dropping elements, but we were left disappointed. It relied too much on the special effects, and the story was a tad limp, paling in comparison to the park’s multi-award-winning “Le Dernier Panache”, for example, with its rotating seating, breathtaking IMAX-meets-theatre setting, and swashbuckling violinists.
As you watch the shows, you notice that Puy du Fou, to ratchet up the fabulousness, often adds water. Lots of water. The evening spectacular “Les Noces de Feu” show is the zenith of this philosophy. The show itself, a waterborne musical played out on platforms and with some performers fully immersed, is utterly barmy, pure Olympics Opening Ceremony fare.
But the moment I’ll remember most is probably the point just before the start of Noces de Feu, as the lights went out and we were all just waiting in silence beneath the stars, filled with anticipation for the ingenuity and madness to come. The UK version can’t arrive quickly enough.
Chris was hosted as guest of Puy du Fou.
How to do it
Tickets for Puy du Fou cost around £60 for adults and £45 for children. Rates start from £161 for a family room in the La Villa Gallo-Romaine, with entry tickets included.
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