Bateau Phare Paris Guide: Music, Crowd, Decks, Getting There

The Bateau Phare is a party boat moored at 3 Port de la Gare in Paris's 13th arrondissement, facing the BnF library: it's the former Batofar, an old Irish lightship. It opens from Wednesday evening, and on Fridays and Saturdays it becomes a club with DJs until 5am, playing anything from French pop and amapiano to shatta, baile funk and salsa depending on the night.

The Batofar, back under a new name

If you went out in Paris in the 2000s, you probably know this boat as the Batofar. It began life as the Osprey, an Irish lightship in service from 1955 to 1975, and became the Batofar at Port de la Gare in 1999. It went into liquidation in January 2018, was bought that May and spent years being renovated before club nights came back on 1 March 2024, with rebuilt decks, a new layout and a new sound system. The name you'll see now is Le Bateau Phare, and the boat is still in the same spot, at the foot of the Tolbiac bridge. What changed most is the music. The old Batofar built its name on cutting-edge electro acts playing live and on DJ-led after-hours parties; today's programme is closer to a big, friendly party, with afro, Latin and pop sounds, and it draws a crowd that comes to dance and celebrate rather than to hear a specific DJ.

DJ sets and concerts: French pop, shatta, amapiano, afro house, baile funk and salsa, depending on the night · Quai de la GareSee Bateau Phare →

How a night on board works

The week starts on Wednesday. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the boat opens from 6pm to 1am, which makes it a good midweek spot for a drink and something to eat by the water; the Food Deck and the Carré serve from the start of the evening. Fridays and Saturdays are the club nights, from 6pm to 5am, with a DJ, a dancefloor and the terrace by the quai. Sundays depend on the programme. The early part of the week has its own ideas, too: on Wednesday 4 November 2026 there's a blind test and karaoke night from 8pm.

For dancing, two November dates stand out: Ayo Lover × The People on Saturday 7 November from 10pm, and Fiesta Latina Sur Seine on Saturday 14 November from 11pm. The boat holds 300 people across three decks, plus a quayside terrace for up to 300 and a terrace on deck for up to 130, so even a busy night doesn't feel like one packed room: you move between levels. That layout is also why it works well for birthdays and groups, and the boat can be booked privately. For a group or a table on board, the conditions depend on the night and the space, so send us the date and your numbers on WhatsApp.

What to wear, getting there and getting home

The Bateau Phare doesn't publish a dress code. You're on a boat with stairs between decks and a terrace by the water, so comfortable shoes and a jacket for outside make more sense than anything fancy. The venue's own directions are clear: Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand (metro 14 and RER C) is a five-minute walk, and Quai de la Gare (metro 6) about eight. Buses 25, 62, 64, 71, 89, 132 and 325 serve the area, and there's a Vélib' station right opposite the boat. Club nights end at 5am, long after the last metro, which the RATP gives at about 2:15am at the end of the line on Fridays and Saturdays. To get home, take a Noctilien night bus (roughly 12:30am to 5:30am, Navigo valid), a taxi, or wait for the first metro. If you want to keep going earlier in the night, Petit Bain is moored at 7 Port de la Gare and Djoon is on boulevard Vincent Auriol.