The Earful Tower's eXhilarating and eXceptional Xmas party

Imagine this: Last week, we hosted a walking tour for 35 people through the Latin Quarter of Paris. The guests had earpieces and the Earful Tower’s host, Oliver Gee, had a microphone. We were all wrapped up warm against the early December chill. And the crowd was in for a very unusual surprise.

This year’s Earful Tower Xmas party marked a departure from the norm. We wanted to put on an unforgettable and magical evening for our Earful Tower guests. An idea that had been in the works for years: a stroll through 1500 years of interactive French history thanks to six talented actors.

The Earful Tower podcast episode

Before we get into the pictures, here’s the audio version. This week’s episode is X for Xmas. We share what happened on this eXciting and eXhilarating Xmas walk around the Pantheon. Spoiler Alert: Patreon Members should listen to the audio from the big night first, and play the interactive version of the game. Find it here.

For the regular (and free) episode, you can listen below, or wherever you get podcasts.

What did the Xmas guests know?

The short answer is, nothing. We purposely kept the evening vague. But, they were told to expect “an educational and entertaining and interactive hour”, to rug up, and to meet at the Saint Genevieve fountain outside the Panthéon.

What was the plan?

We wanted the evening to be interactive, so each guest was given a quiz sheet to fill out throughout the walk. The goal was for the crowd to listen carefully and catch specific clues dropped by the characters.

The group had a paper to jot down answers. What was the name of the goat at Notre Dame… what was the other middle name of F Scott Fitzgerald… what was the book that Hemingway was halfway through writing…

All the while, the audience had to listen out for more clues to determine who from French history would be performing for us at the final stop.

The walk begins

At 6:30pm we started the walk and moved to our first stop: the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church, the steps of which were made famous by Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris. Just like in the film, this is where the magic began.

First up: Ernest Hemingway works on his new book

Right as Oliver was mid-sentence and talking to the crowd, he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. The crowd looked on, confused. Or… excited? A serious man with a moustache and a notebook, with the smell of whisky on his breath, was on the scene. It was none other than… Ernest Hemingway.

Through the magic of Christmas, we’d stumbled into the past and found Ernest Hemingway himself, who was struggling with a line in his latest book. Hemingway chatted as the audience took notes, then Hemingway vanished, and we were off towards the Pantheon.

Hemingway was played by Samuél Lopez-Barrantes who has just released his own new book, learn more about him here.

Saint Genevieve sings her praises for Paris

Moving closer towards the Pantheon we came across a woman caped in a red robe. It was none other than the patron saint of Paris: Saint Genevieve. She was eager to teach the guests about her beloved Paris, share where her relics are buried, and to curse the huns for trying to invade Paris.

Saint Genevieve was played by long time friend of the podcast and tour guide Amber Minogue. She runs the Paname Podcast (listen to the it here) and she gives tours of the Louvre. She took us around the Louvre in less than an hour – read all about that here.

Zelda Fitzgerald seeks out her husband

Onwards around the back of the Panthéon and we came across a woman with a red beret and a souther accent. It turned out to be none other than Zelda Fitzgerald, who was desperate to find her husband. And boy oh boy was she furious to learn than Earnest Hemingway was somewhere nearby.

Zelda was played by actor Hannah Coyle, who is a member of the Paris theatre company Alchemy Theatre, learn more about them here.

Cole Porter writes his next musical

Making our way to the front of the Panthéon we found none other than the Earful Tower’s musician Pres Maxson. But hang on… he didn’t answer to the name. Turned out it was Cole Porter working on his new musical.

Cole Porter was played by Pres Maxon, the Earful Tower musician, find his Substack here.

Quasimodo looks for Notre Dame

From the top of the hill, we saw the Eiffel Tower light up for its hourly sparkle, then we walked towards the Luxembourg Gardens. Seemingly out of nowhere Quasimodo literally bumped into the group.

You can hear him in the podcast episode.

He was looking for his beloved cathedral: the Notre Dame and was devastated to learn that it had been the victim of a fire in 2019.

Quasimodo was played by Jasper Foley, the host of Paris story telling evening and podcast Spilling the Beans, learn more about it here.

Edith Piaf sings her hearts out

Before long, we entered the final venue, Treize au Jardin, grabbed some Champagne and canapes, and listened to a wonderful performance by none other than Edith Piaf. The whole crowd sung along for the final number, Non, je ne regrette rien.

Edith was accompanied on the accordion by Cole Porter… or was it Pres Maxson?

Edith Piaf was played by Gosia Kasprycka, who we met at Le Vieux Belleville during our Countdown Season. You can see more about that here.

The party continues

We then spent the next hour at Treize au Jardin, chatting, sipping on Champagne and revelling in an eXceptional evening out in Paris.

What a wonderful way to celebrate the end to another fun year here at the Earful Tower. Thanks to all who made it, all the Patrons who supported the show this year, and all the listeners around the world.

More photos from the evening

Thanks to photographer Augusta Sagnelli, the whole evening was captured in these wonderful photos. Here are some more.

Thanks to our lovely group

The Earful Tower podcast episode

Here’s The Earful Tower’s podcast episode again in case you missed it. We are nearing the end of this A to Z season, with new episodes every Monday as always.

Do you like this channel? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support it and to unlock extras. Want to do a Paris walking tour? Find out more here.