La Balle au Bond is a barge moored on the Left Bank in central Paris. It can be hired in full for seminars, conferences, company evenings and receptions of up to 180 guests standing or 80 seated theatre-style. The boat sits at the Port des Saints-Pères, at the foot of the Pont des Arts in the 6th arrondissement, facing the Louvre.
Seminars and company events
The barge is privatized as a whole. The indoor room, the terrace and the cloakroom are hired together, and the boat cannot be split for a partial booking. For a conference, the official figure is 80 people in a theatre layout. For a standing cocktail, it is 180. The indoor room can be arranged as a dance floor, a conference room or a meeting room, so a single hire can cover a morning session and an evening reception.
Audiovisual equipment is provided: a video projector with a giant screen, two wireless microphones and a professional sound system. The team offers several formulas, from dry hire of the space to an all-inclusive package, and adapts the format to the brief. A named contact on the team handles private hire requests.
Weddings and receptions
The barge lists weddings and family events among the formats it hosts, next to corporate evenings. The indoor room opens onto the Seine through large glazed bays. The garden terrace on the upper deck faces the sunset, and a smaller covered terrace gives a second outdoor area. The 180-guest cocktail figure is the highest number the site gives for any format. It does not publish a seated dinner capacity, so ask for it when planning a wedding meal.
Rooms and capacities
A private hire covers three areas: the indoor room, the large garden terrace on the upper deck, and the small covered terrace. The cloakroom is included. Capacity is given only for the whole boat and only for two formats: 180 people for a cocktail and 80 people for a conference or theatre setup.
Catering
The privatization offer runs from dry hire to all-inclusive, so food and drink are arranged either by the team or by the organiser, depending on the formula chosen. The site gives no menu or caterer list for private events. On public days, the kitchen is organic fusion cooking, with a drinks list that includes natural and biodynamic wines, French beers and non-alcoholic organic drinks.
History and setting
Outside private hire, the barge runs a cultural programme of concerts, plays, talks and debates, burlesque shows and dance. Public opening is limited. At weekends it serves brunch and then the bar, and weekdays are closed to the public in the winter season, which leaves the boat free for private bookings. The terrace is used in the warm months and the indoor room in winter.
Getting there
The address is Port des Saints-Pères, Promenade Marceline Loridan-Ivens, 75006 Paris. By metro, the site lists line 1 at Louvre-Rivoli, line 4 at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Odéon or Saint-Michel, and line 7 at Pont-Neuf. Buses 24, 27 and 39 stop at Quai Malaquais, Rive Gauche. The Batobus river shuttle stops at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and RER A serves Châtelet-Les Halles. Nearby car parks are Louvre-Rivoli, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Mazarine.
