What’s On in Paris – January 2024

Looking specifically for holiday markets and what’s open on Christmas and New Year’s Day? Check out the 29-page 2023 Paris Holiday Guide with holiday events through January 7th.

VACANCES SCOLAIRES (French School Holidays): December 23rd, 2023 – January 8th, 2024

January 6
Today is the Catholic celebration, Epiphany (when baby Jesus was visited by the three wise men). Whether Catholic or not, the French celebrate with food (of course), specifically the beloved Galette du Roi, or King Cake. In case you didn’t know, and don’t want to break a tooth, each galette has a ceramic fève (figurine) hidden inside (the one who kinds it gets to wear the crown and be King or Queen for the day), so bite down gingerly until it’s found. 😉 Learn more about it here on the France24 video.

First Sunday – January 7
Today is the first Sunday of the month, which means many museums and monuments are open for free (most require reservations, check their websites): the Centre Pompidou, Orsay, l’Orangerie, Rodin, Picasso, Delacroix, Cluny, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, the Panthéon, Versailles and Fontainebleau. You might want to try one of the (slightly) less crowded establishments, such as Cité de l’Architecture, Arts-et-Métiers, Cité de la Céramique de Sèvres, Guimet, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration – Palais de la Porte Dorée, Musée Albert-Kahn, Château de Vincennes or the Saint-Denis Basilica. Those which don’t require reservations may have long lines, so bundle up!

January 7
It’s the third annual “Free Coffee Day” at Devotions Café (5 Rue Ramey, 18th) in Montmartre, from 9:30am-3pm. The first 20 who arrive after their morning workout (and still in their sweaty gear) get a free protein smoothie.

January 8 (and January 4-14)
Paris is naming a street after the legendary David Bowie on what would have been his 77th birthday. At 4:15pm today, the mayor will inaugurate the Rue David Bowie in the 13th arrondissement, a new street-bridge connecting 61 Avenue de France at the level of Le Monde headquarters to the rue Gisele Freund, which runs along the train tracks leading to the Gare d’Austerlitz. The Rue David Bowie will eventually extend over the tracks to the level of the Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière (that area is a massive construction site for the moment). It’s going to be below freezing all day if forecasts are correct, but you can also attend the inauguration party and concert in homage to Bowie at the Town Hall (Mairie) of the 13th arrondissement at Place d’Italie from 7pm-10:30pm. There’s also a free art exhibit in the Mairie du 13ème’s Salle Athéna from January 4th through the 14th, created by photographer Geoff MacCormack and painter George Underwood, Bowie’s childhood friends.

January 10 – February 6
The twice-annual sales (soldes en français) kick off in shops all over France, with clothing and home goods up to 70% off. Even if “everything is cheaper online,” the sales are a great time to support small, independent shops, especially those that are usually a bit out of your price range.

January 10-23
See 25 of the best films from 2023 for just €5 for the “Les Incontournables UGC” event at any UGC cinema (you need a UGC fidelity card, but they’re free on request at any UGC ticket counter). Here are the films: BABYLON by Damien Chazelle, TÁR by Todd Field, ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX: L’EMPIRE DU MILIEU by Guillaume Canet, THE FABELMANS by Steven Spielberg, EMPIRE OF LIGHT by Sam Mendes, MON CRIME by François Ozon, JE VERRAI TOUJOURS VOS VISAGES by Jeanne Herry, SUPER MARIO BROS, LE FILM by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, THE QUIET GIRL by Colm Bairéad, SUZUME by Makoto Shinkai, L’AMOUR ET LES FORÊTS by Valérie Donzelli, LES FILLES D’OLFA by Kaouther Ben Hania, LES HERBES SÈCHES by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, LES ALGUES VERTES by Pierre Jolivet, OPPENHEIMER by Christopher Nolan, BARBIE by Greta Gerwig, YANNICK by Quentin Dupieux, ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE by Justine Triet, LE LIVRE DES SOLUTIONS by Michel Gondry, LES FEUILLES MORTES by Aki Kaurismäki, LE PROCÈS GOLDMAN by Cédric Kahn, LE RÈGNE ANIMAL by Thomas Cailley, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by Martin Scorsese, and L’ENLÈVEMENT by Marco Bellocchio.

January 12-13
The charity shop Emmaüs Alternatives is having its annual Kilo Sale of men, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories, as well as CDs, DVDs, books, and records, at the Halle des Blancs Manteaux in the Marais (48 rue Vieille du Temple, 4th), from 10am-7pm, free entry, no reservations needed. All items are €12/kilo, with proceeds going to charity!

January 12-14
The District 13 Art Fair returns to the Hôtel Drouot auction house (9 rue Drouot, 9th) for three days to display the works of the biggest names in street art and graffiti from around the world including Richard Orlinski, Damien Hirst, JonOne, Queen Andrea, Jo di Bona, Maxime Siau, KogaOne, Niall Cullen, and Andrea Ravo Mattoni. Fri-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Price: €10/15 – Free under 12.

Through January 14th
The Quai Branly Museum is hosting Bollywood Sundays featuring dancing and music from India from 3-5pm. “From Punjab to Tamil Nadu, from the royal courts of Rajasthan to the nightclubs of Mumbai, travel through all the musical and cultural wealth of contemporary India. Once a month, the Bollywood Balls take you to the dance floor for a festive initiation inspired by the greatest films of the subcontinent.” See the full schedule here. Open to all with museum entrance, space permitting.

January 14
Classic and vintage cars will be on parade this morning for the 24th annual Traversée de Paris organized by Vincennes en Anciennes. You’ll see cars, motorcycles, trucks, busses, even bicycles of all makes and models — as long as they’re at least 30 years old. In previous years there were quite a few from the 1910s, 20s and 30s. They gather behind the Château de Vincennes (in front of the Parc Floral) at 7am, and will start departing from 7:30am (through 9am), driving through the city, past the Eiffel Tower to the Pont de Grenelle, then finishing in Montmartre via the Rue Lepic (except for the busses, which are too big). Sign up by January 9th if you’d like to participate (there are limited spaces on the vintage Renault busses for €10 and a dinner-cruise for €75). Check out the video from last year.

January 15
The annual Hommage à Molière takes place each year on January 15th at the Comédie-Française, where the famous French playwright died on stage in 1673. The Comédie-Française troupe pays tribute with a free performance at 8pm. There’s only one way to get tickets: directly at the Comédie-Française Salle Richelieu (Place Colette, Palais Royal, 1st) one hour before the show, from 7pm. Once there, look for the Petit Bureau, the outside ticket office along Rue de Richelieu side of the building (there will probably be a line of people already, spaces will fill fast).

January 16 through May 5
Tickets are open as of January 15th for the new exposition by Invader, one of the most famous street artists in the world. From February 17th through May 5th, he’s taking over five floors of a deserted building (the former headquarters of Libération newspaper, 11 rue Béranger in the 3rd, which will be converted into a hotel at some point in the future) for a special exhibition of his pixellated tile street art. Tickets are €10, with specific time slots to visit, ONLY available online. Note that there is no elevator or other way to access the exhibit besides the stairs, and there is no coat check (and no heating, either, so…maybe keep your coat on). The spaces are going to fill up fast, book ASAP! If you missed out, they are going to open up more time slots, sign up here to be notified when they do.

January 20
Stephen Clarke, author of A Year in the Merde and 1000 Years of Annoying the French, will be at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room (42 rue du Chemin Vert, Boulogne-Billancourt) today at 4pm to discuss his new book, Merde at the Paris Olympics. Free, please sign up at brbookroom@gmail.com

January 20
If you’re not familiar with the 17th-century Église Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Hongrie in the Marais (195 rue du Temple, 3rd), you can check it out during today’s Concert du Nouveau Monde, featuring Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” and Schubert’s
“Unfinished Symphony” No. 8 by the Orchestre Le Violon d’Ingres, starting at 3:45pm.

January 25
Looking to volunteer in Paris (and you’re a Parisian resident who can understand French)? It’s time for the 7th annual Nuit de la Solidarité, where volunteers are needed to help interview people living on the streets of Paris to better understand their profiles and needs to best adapt emergency and social mechanisms. This year, special attention will be paid to assessing the impact of the health crisis on precariousness and street situations in Paris. Learn more and register here: https://nuit-solidarite.paris.fr/index.html

Through January 31st
One of my favorite Parisian street artists, Pimax, has a pop-up store in the Marais, Nourf Art Gallery (45 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 4th) displaying – and selling – his quirky designs.

Through February 9
Murmuration is a mesmerizing performance choreographed by Sadeck Berrabah at the 13e Art theatre, back for more dates after a successful summer run. “More than 40 dancers will make you travel and dream for 75 minutes.” Tickets €20-59. SHows in the afternoon and evening. Get a sneak preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9IxogvCvxo&t=119s

Through February 25
A section of the Place de la Concorde has been fitted out with sports equipment and called “Concorde Park” (yes, in English) where the public can test out the free-access urban sports area. On weekends and during school holidays, numerous sports activities and animations are offered to everyone. Hosted by the City of Paris the sports facilities include a Parkour Zone (a physical discipline that involves moving efficiently through urban or natural environments using fluid and acrobatic movements to overcome obstacles), a Pump Track Zone (a wooden boardwalk style course with bumps and turns designed to be traversed without pedaling, relying on body movements for smooth navigation), 3×3 Basketball Courts, and an Urban Sports Initiation Area (dedicated to introducing people to urban sports like biking, roller skating, and scootering). Free and open to anyone, but expect a lot of school groups during the school vacations.

Through March 31
 Aura Invalides is an immersive evening light show inside the Dôme des Invalides. “Showcasing the iconic monument’s rich architecture and heritage through light, video mapping, and music, AURA INVALIDES takes you on a spectacular journey worthy of its setting.” The experience lasts 50 minutes, during which time you’re free to stroll around at your leisure to enjoy the entire experience. Note that there are no toilets, no seating, no coat check, no strollers allowed, and there is no elevator or ramp for those who can’t go up/down the stairs. Open Tues-Sat with shows at 7:15pm and 8:45pm (and some at 10:15pm around the holidays). Tickets €9.50-€22 (cannot be purchased on-site, you need to buy them online).