VERSAILLES OFF is organised every second year on the occasion of the 6th NUIT BLANCHE ( French for “white night”), a now regular French National festive event taking place throughout the country in the second week end of October, giving the young French population an opportunity to celebrate arts and enjoy music, dance and shows during the entire night from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.

For year 2006, TEPL perfumer Francis Kurkdjian was selected by a jury among twelve world class contemporary artists. Francis took up the challenge of creating a powerful ,nature friendly (ie water soluble, bio degradable) fragrance called “MIDNIGHT SUN“, a splendid blend of orange blossoms, and marzipan (known to be the two king’s favorite delicacies ).

The fragrance was then used to impart fragrance to the ORANGERY POND, a pond, conveniently overlooked from the west side of the large terrace facing the chateau. A yellow-orange biodegradable colorant was added (used for sea rescue), and four pylons with sophisticated spotlights to bring the scene out of the dark night.

As they got closer to the end of the candle lit terraced gardens, attracted by the intriguing fragrance and a yellow halo up in the water mist , they would suddenly plunge from above to view the illuminated yellow circle of the large pond, like a giant sun landed in the park, heightened by the huge tower of water of the fountain , and ending up high above in the dark sky in an elegant umbrella of glittering and fragrant droplets.