• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

In May, Snapchat announced a new 4,000-square-meter office in Paris, calling France “one of the most dynamic and strategic markets” for its business.

Now, the social media company is doubling down on the region with “Dansez Versailles,” an augmented reality (AR)-centric art experience at the Palace of Versailles. 

According to Snap, the objective of the immersive launch is to “restore the gardens of the Palace to their original function: a space for life, pleasure, and spectacle,” adding that “visitors to the Palace gardens are invited to rediscover the baroque festivities and dances that enlivened the Royal Court through AR.” 

Four especially historic spaces in the gardens will become AR-rendered scenes revealing “an iconic dance of the era,” harkening back to the Royal Academy of Dance, founded in 1661 by Louis XIV. 

Upon visiting Versailles, people can open the Palace’s official mobile app to access the “Dansez Versailles” experience, which will prompt historical AR dance recreations asking users to step into the shoes of a various baroque dancers around the Latona Fountain, the Water Theater grove, the Ballroom grove, and the Orangery of the Palace. 

Users themselves will see their appearance transformed with fashions of the era via natively integrated AR Lenses. 

France has become Snapchat’s largest European market, with almost 10 million more monthly active users than Germany, which has 19 million users. And AR has become a major consideration for investing in the region. 

In 2021, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced “AR Studio Paris,” which has become an incubator for “educational, cultural, or societal” projects, helping showcase local AR creative while forging ties with major French institutions like Versailles.