
French tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga left thousands of spectators holding their breath as she walked across a wire more than 300 feet above the ground, without a safety harness.
A French tightrope walker amazed thousands of spectators as she walked untethered on a wire connecting Europe’s tallest slag heaps, more than 300 feet above the ground. pic.twitter.com/ZF9dirBf75
— ABC News (@ABC) September 21, 2026
#IGR: French tightrope walker crosses 400 metres at 100 metres above the ground
French tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga completed a 400-metre walk on a wire between two towering former coal-mining heaps in northern France, around 100 metres above the ground.
The… pic.twitter.com/PGzSNtZxri— India Global Review (@IGR_Media) September 21, 2026
Bongonga completed the remarkable crossing on September 20 in Loos-en-Gohelle, northern France, drawing more than 9,000 spectators to watch the daring performance.
The tightrope walker crossed a 400-metre-long wire connecting two of Europe’s tallest slag heaps.
#IGR: French tightrope walker crosses 400 metres at 100 metres above the ground
French tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga completed a 400-metre walk on a wire between two towering former coal-mining heaps in northern France, around 100 metres above the ground.
The… pic.twitter.com/PGzSNtZxri— India Global Review (@IGR_Media) September 21, 2026
A 80 mètres du sol, la funambule Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga a relié les deux plus hauts terrils d'Europe en équilibre sur un fil, dimanche 20 septembre, à Loos-en-Gohelle (Pas-de-Calais). Plus de 9 000 spectateurs étaient venus admirer sa performance. #franceinfo pic.twitter.com/ku7DVLJC4C
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) September 21, 2026
The wire was stretched at a height of around 186 metres between the two towering heaps, with the crossing taking place high above the ground.
Bongonga made the entire journey without a harness. She carefully placed one foot in front of the other while maintaining her balance on the narrow wire.
At several points, she also performed acrobatic moves, adding an extra element of drama to an already nerve-racking feat.
More than 9,000 people gathered to watch Bongonga attempt the crossing. Spectators followed her progress as she slowly made her way from one slag heap to the other.
The event was also accompanied by live music. Musicians and a choir performed Pierre Bachelet’s popular song Les Corons as Bongonga crossed the wire.
The song has a strong connection to France’s former mining regions, making it a fitting soundtrack for the spectacle staged among the giant slag heaps.
After reaching the second heap safely, Bongonga was greeted by loud applause from the crowd and presented with a bouquet.
The extraordinary performance turned the historic industrial landscape of Loos-en-Gohelle into the setting for a breathtaking high-wire spectacle.
Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga is a French professional tightrope walker, teacher and co-founder of the contemporary circus company Basinga. Passionate about tightrope walking since childhood, she trained at Montpellier’s Balthazar school and graduated with honours from France's National Centre for Circus Arts (CNAC) in 2007.
She has worked with companies including Les Colporteurs and BurenCirque and won the gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in 2012. In 2018, she crossed above Paris from Montmartre towards Sacré-Cœur on a wire 35 metres above the ground.
Her latest feat, walking untethered across a 400-metre-long wire strung between two of Europe’s tallest slag heaps in Loos-en-Gohelle, France, has captured widespread attention.