Moulin Rouge (/ˌmuːlæ̃ ˈruːʒ/, French: [mulɛ̃ ʁuʒ]; lit. 'Red Mill') is a cabaret in Paris, on the Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection and end of Rue Blanche.

In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. The original venue was destroyed by fire in 1915, reopening in 1925 after rebuilding. Moulin Rouge is southwest of Montmartre, in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, and has a landmark red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.

Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today, the Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction, offering predominantly musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. The club's decor retains much of the romance of Belle Époque France.

On 6 October 1889, the Moulin Rouge opened as the Jardin de Paris, an outdoor garden café-concert, at the foot of the Montmartre hill. Its creator Joseph Oller and his Manager Charles Zidler were formidable businessmen who understood the public's tastes. The aim was to attract wealthy individuals to experience the ambiance of the fashionable district of Montmartre, which was perceived as a form of slumming. The elaborate setting, featuring a garden adorned with a large elephant, provided an environment where individuals from various social strata could interact. This included workers, local residents, artists, the middle class, businessmen, stylish women, and tourists passing through Paris. Nicknamed "The First Palace of Women" by Oller and Zidler, the cabaret swiftly garnered significant acclaim. Key factors contributing to its success included:

During its early years, the Moulin Rouge featured extravagant shows inspired by the circus, along with attractions that gained widespread fame, such as Pétomane. Concert-dances were organized daily at 10 pm. Between 1886 and 1910, the comic duo Footit and Chocolat, comprising a white authoritarian clown and a black long-suffering Auguste, gained popularity and were frequently featured on Moulin Rouge posters. On 19 April 1890, the first revue, "Circassiens et Circassiennes," debuted. On 26 October 1890, during a private visit to Paris, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, reserved a table to witness a quadrille at the Moulin Rouge, where La Goulue famously greeted him with the exclamation, "Hey, Wales, the champagne's on you!" In 1891, Toulouse-Lautrec created his first poster for the Moulin Rouge, featuring La Goulue. In 1893, the "Bal des Quat'z'Arts" sparked scandal with its procession featuring a nude Cleopatra surrounded by young naked women. On 12 November 1897, the Moulin Rouge closed for the first time to mourn the passing of its manager and co-founder, Charles Zidler. Yvette Guilbert paid homage to him, saying, "You have the knack of creating popular pleasure, in the finest sense of the word, of entertaining crowds with subtlety, according to the status of those to be entertained." In 1900, the Universal Exhibition attracted visitors from around the world to the Moulin Rouge, solidifying Paris's reputation as a city of decadent pleasure. This led to the establishment of imitation "Moulin Rouges" and "Montmartres" in many other countries.

In January 1903, the Moulin Rouge underwent renovation and improvement under the direction of Édouard Niermans, a prominent architect of the Belle Époque era, amongst other works he designed the brasserie Mollard, the Casino de Paris, the Folies Bergère in Paris, the Palace Hôtel in Ostend in Belgium, the rebuilding of the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, and the creation of the Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. This included the addition of aperitif concerts, attracting the fashionable elite for dining and entertainment in a luxurious setting. Until the outbreak of the First World War, the Moulin Rouge became renowned for its operetta performances. Successful shows during this period included Voluptata, La Feuille de Vigne, Le Rêve d'Egypte, Tais-toi tu m'affoles, among others, each with evocative titles. On 3 January 1907, during the performance of Le Rêve d'Egypte, Colette exchanged scandalous kisses that revealed her connection to the Duchess of Morny, leading to the show being banned. Mistinguett made her debut at the Moulin Rouge on 29 July 1907 in the Revue de la Femme, showcasing her undeniable talent. She quickly rose to fame, achieving immense success the following year with Max Dearly in La Valse chaloupée. Born into poverty, Mistinguett had a sharp wit and determination that propelled her to become a successful businesswoman, touring extensively across Europe and the United States. On 9 April 1910, a former lady-in-waiting to Empress Eugénie attended a showing of the Revue Amoureuse at the Moulin Rouge and was so captivated by the faithful recreation of a ceremony for the return of troops from Italy that she exclaimed, "Long Live the Empress!"

Tragically, on 27 February 1915, the Moulin Rouge was destroyed by fire during building works, resulting in a nine-year closure. In 1925, the rebuilt Moulin Rouge reopened its doors to the public.

Following World War I, Francis Salabert assumed management of the Moulin Rouge. As a businessman rather than a showman, he entrusted Jacques-Charles, a prominent impresario, with revitalizing the cabaret. The Moulin Rouge experienced a resurgence with the performances of stars such as Mistinguett, Jeanne Aubert, and Maurice Chevalier, as well as the introduction of American revues featuring the Hoffmann Girls.