The French high-speed train network (TGV) celebrates its 40^th anniversary this year. That railway milestone was commemorated in style with a special unveiling of a new TGV train at an event attended by France’s President, M. Emmanuel Macron. The drop was rigged by our good friends at Blackout France using Electro Kabuki to ensure a faultless reveal.

As you can see from a post on President Macron’s own Instagram account, the result was ‘parfait’.

The train unveiled is the TGV-M, a new class of high-speed train due to enter service across France in 2023. President Macron’s Instagram post calls it “The TGV of the future” that will be “more accessible, more connected and more ecological.”

Watch the President’s video closely and you can see the EK module hooks swing after the drop. Looks to us like Blackout France used 10 or more dropper modules spaced quite close together to eliminate sags or swags in the drape cloth. Fine work!

Our sincere thanks to long-standing friend and EK enthusiast Dominic Peissel at Blackout France for forwarding this to us at EK HQ. It’s reassuring to know that Electro Kabuki will perform flawlessly in the most high-profile situations and good to see that in action. No one wants a failed drop to upstage a President!