What’s On in Paris – August 2026

Outdoors & Summer Fun

Through August 30: Paris Plages 2026!
Check out the 24th edition of the urban beaches of Paris along the Seine and Bassin de la Villette, with free swimming spots, outdoor dancing, and plenty of lounge chairs to enjoy the fabulous weather. Get the fully updated lowdown in the Secrets of Paris article: “Everything You Need to Know About Paris Plages 2026”

August 1-30
Get off the beaten tourist track and party with the locals at La Javelle, a summer guinguette in Bercy Encore (a “Third Space” on the southeastern edge of the city), offering an outdoor space for drinks, food, concerts, DJ sets, and community events in a festive, family-friendly atmosphere. Throughout August, the venue hosts a varied program including dance nights, open-air parties, comedy shows, karaoke, live music, and DJ performances, with activities for both adults and children. Entry is free, and the venue is open daily from 5pm to midnight on weekdays and from noon to midnight on weekends.

Weekends throughout August
Every weekend during the summer, the Marcounet Péniche hosts free outdoor dance parties on the Quai des Celestins (near Pont Marie on Paris Plage). Every Saturday is Salsa Portoricaine, with a beginner salsa class at 3:30pm, followed by a DJ-led dance session from 4pm to 6:30pm, and a Chacha animation at 5:15pm. Sundays are Swing Dance parties with DJs from 3-6pm and the Claude Tissendier Live Band from 6-9pm. Free entry.

August 2
Today is the ten-year anniversary of “Pedestrian Sunday” when all vehicle traffic is banned from the Avenue des Champs Elysées, and this month it will host the Esports Festival for gamers, the Parisian showcase of the Esports World Cup 2026. The event will feature gaming personalities, pro players, creators, musicians, showmatches, talks, and a 500m² gaming area as part of the Esports World Cup 2026, which Paris is hosting for the first time. It runs from 3:30p. to 8pm between Rue Arsène Houssaye and Rue de Berri, completely free and open access, no tickets or registration required.

Through August 4
Festival Paris l’été returns for its 36th edition, transforming locations throughout Paris into stages for contemporary theater, dance, music, circus, performance, and cabaret. This year’s lineup features more than 30 events in unexpected venues—rooftops, chapels, schools, and gardens—with both free and ticketed shows. Highlights include an All World Waacking Battle at the Grand Palais, a theatre performance in the Théâtre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare, and circus performers in the making with the apprentices of the Académie Fratellini at the Jardin d’Acclimatation. Tickets range from €10–€38.

August 4-8
The Seine will host the European Swimming Championships‘ open-water and high-diving events, bringing elite competition back to the river after the Paris 2024 Olympics. Open-water races around Île aux Cygnes require paid tickets (€11–16), while the 20-meter high-diving competition from the Bir-Hakeim Bridge can be watched free from the riverbanks on the 7th and 8th at noon and 2:30pm. The nearby Grenelle swimming area will be closed from August 1–9 to accommodate the event and its setup.

August 12
Paris will experience a partial solar eclipse today begining around 7:20pm, reaches its maximum occultation of about 92% around 8:20pm, and ending around 9:10pm. Because the sun will be very low on the western horizon during the event (a few hours before sunset), a clear, unobstructed view to the west is essential. If yo can’t find access to a rooftop, look for open spaces that aren’t hemmed in by buildings or trees. Parc André-Citroën in the 15th arrondissement is one of the top recommended locations: the Association Française d’Astronomie (AFA) will be on-site from 7pm near the greenhouses with telescopes and expert guidance, free of charge and without reservation, and the park stays open until midnight. Other favored spots include the top of the Arc de Triomphe (open until 11pm, with reduced entry at €16 instead of €22 on that Wednesday, and free for EU visitors under 26), the rooftop of the Philharmonie de Paris near Parc de la Villette (exceptionally kept open for the occasion), the heights of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Invalides lawns, and several bridges and quays along the Seine such as the Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, and Pont Alexandre III. You’ll find certified eclipse glasses (absolutely necessary) at pharmacies and eyewear shops in Paris. As a bonus for stargazers, the Perseid meteor shower peaks that same night between roughly 2am and 4am, best viewed by looking toward the northeast in the direction of the constellation Perseus.

Through August 23
The Fête des Tuileries annual summer funfair in the Tuileries Gardens (next to the Louvre, 1st) is open daily 11am-1:45pm with food stands, hair-raising rides, games to win prizes, and the “Grand Roue” Ferris Wheel. Free entry, different prices for the attractions. Watch your pockets in this typically crowded space!

Through September 5
The Association Française d’Astronomie hosts free stargazing evenings in 21 different parks and gardens across Paris this summer. Events begin at 9pm and run until 1am. The orange squares on the interactive map show the meeting place within the larger parks. The schedule:
August 7: Parc Montsouris (14th arrondissement, Nuit des étoiles);
August 8: Jardin d’Éole (18th arrondissement);
August 9: Square Louise Michel (18th arrondissement);
August 12: Parc André Citroën (15th arrondissement, partial eclipse of the sun, begins at 7pm);
August 15: Square Louis XIII (4th arrondissement);
August 21: Parc de la Butte Chapeau Rouge (19th arrondissement);
August 22: Square Georges Méliès (12th arrondissement);
August 26: Jardin Shakespeare (16th arrondissement);
August 28: Parc de Choisy (13th arrondissement);
August 29: Parc Georges Brassens (15th arrondissement);
September 5: Parc Montsouris (14th arrondissement).

August 23-25
Paris will mark the 82nd anniversary of the Liberation with public ceremonies from August 23rd through August 25th. Key events open to the public include:

• Sunday, Aug. 23, 4pm — Memorial ceremony at the Cascade du Bois de Boulogne, 16th arrondissement, honoring 35 Resistance martyrs.
• Monday, Aug. 24, 5:30pm. — Ceremony honoring the Spanish Republicans of the Dronne Column, Jardin des Combattants de la Nueve, 1 rue Lobau, 4th arrondissement.
• Tuesday, Aug. 25, 10am. — Ceremony at Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad, 19th arrondissement.
• 10:30am — Ceremony at Gare de l’Est, Place du 11-Novembre-1918, 10th arrondissement, honoring deportees.
• 11am— Unveiling of a plaque honoring FTP Saint-Just Resistance fighters, 10 avenue de Laumière, 19th arrondissement.
• 2:30pm — Ceremony marking the surrender of German forces in Paris, Place du 18-Juin-1940 (in front of Montparnasse), 15th arrondissement.
• 3:30pm — Military ceremony honoring the 2nd Armored Division, Porte d’Orléans, 14th arrondissement.
• 5:30pm — Arms ceremony and historical commemoration, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville–Esplanade de la Libération, 4th arrondissement.
• 9pm — Outdoor screening of Diplomacy by Volker Schlöndorff, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville–Esplanade de la Libération, 4th arrondissement.

August 30
The Fête de Ganesh returns to Paris’s 18th arrondissement today, with a free Hindu procession celebrating the elephant-headed god Ganesh. Starting at 11am from the Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam temple on Rue Pajol, the colorful parade features three floats, traditional musicians and dancers, flower garlands, offerings, and ritual coconut-breaking before returning to the temple around 3pm. The route runs from rue Pajol along rue Philippe de Girard, rue Perdonnet, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, rue Marx Dormoy, rue Ordener, boulevard Barbès, rue Labat, rue Marcadet and La Chapelle/Gare du Nord, then back to rue Pajol; admission is free and no reservation is required.

Through September 14
The iconic Olympic Cauldron returns to Paris’s Jardin des Tuileries from June 21 to September 14, rising at sunset until 2am nightly, weather permitting. You can visit it “parked” in the daytime from 10am. See exact schedule updated daily here.

Through September 27
The Théâtre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare is a seasonal open-air theatre set inside the Bois de Boulogne in western Paris. Performances take place throughout the summer in a small, garden amphitheatre surrounded by tall trees and other greenery, creating an intimate setting for the theatre, music, and dance performances (mainly in French if any spoken words). It’s a nice little escape from the city in the summer, preferably when it’s neither too hot nor too wet (tickets usually available last minute, see the full program on the website). Prices vary from free to €25.