What’s On in Paris – June 2024

May 30-June 2
The Grande Braderie de la Mode is an extremely popular annual clothing sale to benefit AIDES charities, with over 100 participating brands selling their clothing for 70% off (including Anne Fontaine, Zadig & Voltaire, APC, Kaporal, Kenzo, BA&SH, Christian Louboutin, Isabel Marant, Gas Bijoux, etc. At BETC – Les Magasins Généraux in Pantin, 1 rue de l’Ancien Canal, M° : Eglise de Pantin. Open 11am-6pm Thurs-Friday, and until 7pm Sat-Sunday. Entry is €2, and you MUST reserve online in advance, timeslots fill up fast!

May 31-June 2
The We Love Green Festival in the Bois de Vincennes is an environmentally-friendly music festival with Justice, Ninho, Hamza, Burna Boy, SZA, Kim Gordon, Shay and more. Tickets from €69/day.

Through June 1
Discover Paris of the 1970s through the lens of photographers François-Xavier Bouchart and Léon Claude Vénézia at the Roger-Viollet Gallery’s free exhibition from March 7 to June 1, 2024. Featuring sixty photographs, this exhibit captures the vibrant, colorful, and unique essence of the popular neighborhoods of Belleville and Ménilmontant in the 20th arrondissement, offering a glimpse into the lives of workers, immigrants, and the modestly employed during a time of significant urban renewal. The vernissage will be the evening of March 7th from 6:30pm-9pm.

June 1
It’s the 23rd annual Nuit Blanche in Paris, when cultural events take place all night long (usually for free) in museums, cultural centers and in the open air. Find the program here online, or check out the information centers on the night from 7pm-2am at the Parvis de l’Hôtel de Ville (center), Place de la Résistance, near RER Pont de l’Alma (7th), and outside Boulevard de Belleville métro station (20^th).

June 1-2
The famous rose gardens of the Parc de Bagatelle (Bois de Boulogne, 16th) are featured at their finest this weekend for the annual “Weekend de la Rose”. Come see over 1200 varieties of rose including the ones competing for “Best in Show”, gardening workshops and demonstrations, and practical gardening tips, including how to garden without pesticides (the City of Paris no longer uses any pesticides in the Municipal Gardens). There’s also a flower market if you’re in the mood to shop. Open 10am-6pm, entry €2.60.

June 1-2
One of the original Parisian artist squats (totally legal now), Les Frigos (aka 91 Quai de la Gare) open their artist studios to the public for a free open house all weekend for the annual Portes Ouvertes. Open Saturday from 2-10pm for the Nuit Blanche and Sunday 2-8pm. There will be concerts, performances, and food as well as artworks for sale.

June 2 (and every 1st Sunday)
Many museums and monuments in Paris are open for free the first Sunday of the month. In June, that includes the Orsay, Picasso, Pompidou, Cluny, Arts-et-Métiers, Orangerie, Cité de l’Architecture, Quai Branly, and the Château Fontainebleau. Be sure to check each museum’s website, as some still require you to have a timed ticket; even if the entrance is free. See the full list here.

June 2-30
The 15th annual “Chopin au Jardin” festival features free Chopin concerts at the Kiosque du Parc Montsouris (14th) every Sunday from 5-6pm. The festival is organized by the City of Warsaw, Stołeczna Estrada and the Polish Institute of Paris. See the full program here.

June 6-16
A unique event all week in a local’s bar in the 10th arrondissement, submitted by Secrets of Paris member “Brian from the 10ème”:
“There is a special little expo of a wonderful legendary local artist, Loic (who has illustrated for Charlie Hebdo among many journals) who has been creating weekly chalkboard illustrations for the past 10 years once every week reflecting with satire , humor and wit the news and key world events at the charming 1920’s Cristal Bar at the corner of rue Lafayette & rue Louis Blanc (Metro Louis Blanc- Ligne 7).
His smile-inducing chalkboard illustrations carried the neighborhood through the attacks and covid, matches being won and lost, and election results with a special spirit of hope and positivity. When I learned Loic was retiring and the welcoming handmade signs of hope were to disappear from my local TGIF haunt, I insisted on Loic to please share the magical legacy of his past drawings with all of us ‘convives du coin’ in an informal but special celebratory expo at The Cristal Bar! That mission after three years of incubation has hatched! Please come day or night to share in this fun local event, now through Sunday. If you come Sunday (election day) around Noon, there is meant to be a finale including a poetry reading, a few nibbles  and a fun local vibe…Peace and hope to see you!” [photo of Brian (left) and Loic]

June 7-10
Ateliers d’Artistes de la Goutte d’Or open their artist studios free to the public this weekend on the eastern-most edge of the 18^th arrondissement, with 60 artists in 23 studios. The vernissage opening is Friday from 6pm, and then the studios are open 2-8pm (note that not all of the studios are open on Monday). Find more info and the collective show at La Recyclerie La Poulpe (48 Rue d’Oran, 18th).

June 8-9
Artists of the 5^th and 13^th arrondissements (around Mouffetard, Gobelins, and Butte aux Cailles) open their studios to the public for the annual Portes Ouvertes of Les Lézarts de la Bièvre. There are four circuits, with info points in each one: Maison de la Vie Associative (25 rue Linné; this is where you can purchase small artworks for €60), Foyer des Jeunes Travailleurs (21 rue Daubenton), Digital Village (21 rue Albert Bayet, right near Place d’Italie), and Le Fil Rouge (4 rue Wurtz). Visits open 1-8pm both days, vernissage opening Friday 1-8pm at the Maison de la Vie Associative.

June 8-15
This week is the Festival du Mieux Manger, or “Festival of Better Eating” a festive week dedicated to the promotion of sustainable food and agriculture to reduce our environmental impact with cooking classes, tasting workshops, activities, and conferences hosted throughout Paris. The opening day festivities take place at the Académie du Climat in the center of Paris (the former Mairie of the 4th arrondissement on Place Baudoyer). The week will end on Place des Fêtes (19th arr) with a showcase of the actors who work daily to produce, promote and sell organic, sustainable and local products, and a huge communal meal. Note that some events require registration, even if all are free of cost. All of the events are in French, and the full program is in French, but if you try the auto-translate you’ll find many events that only need your taste buds! 😉

June 13
Le Food Market is a monthly open-air food festival on Boulevard Belleville (between metro Ménilmontant and Couronnes) with over a dozen stands serving up tasty dishes of all kinds at affordable prices (kind of like a gathering of static food trucks, but without the wheels) from 6pm-10:30pm. This month’s theme is “Cap au Sud” featuring Mediterranean cuisine. It can get quite crowded, so get there early to avoid waiting (there are huge tables to sit and eat).

June 15
Bill & Rosa’s Bookroom (42 rue du Chemin Vert, Boulogne Billancourt, metro Porte de St-Cloud) welcomes Janet Skeslien Charles, author of The Paris Library, to discuss her new book, The Librarians of Rue de Picardie today at 4pm. Free, but register your spot at brbookroom@gmail.com.

June 16
Fête des Pères – Father’s Day in France

June 18-25
The 13th annual Champs-Élysées Film Festival celebrating independent French and American films takes place in cinemas on and around the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, with screenings open to the public (passes from €49). One of the best events of the festival is without a doubt the premiere party on June 23rd with a screening of “Il Etait une Fois Michel Legrand” by David Hertzog Dessites and drinks on the rooftop of the Drugstore Publicis, hosted by Lost in Frenchlation. Open bar and snacks from 6:30pm, film screening from 7:30pm, and Q&A with the film crew afterward. Tickets are €35.

June 20
The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore across from Luxembourg Gardens is hosting the Ivy Writers poetry reading tonight from 7pm with Lisa Pasold, Jennifer K Dick, and Adam J. Gellings. Free entry.

June 20
World-famous graffiti artist Shepard Fairey, aka Obey, will be at the Galerie Itinerrance (24bis boulevard du Général Jean Simon, 13th, metro Bibliothèque) tonight from 6-10pm to kick off his third exposition in Paris, Swan Song.

June 20
The Town Hall of the 13th arrondissement is throwing a party in the Jardin du Moulin de la Pointe (166 avenue d’Italie, 13th) tonight from 7pm to celebrate the inauguration of the new Line 14 metro station Maison Blanche, featuring the “space-trip funk band” Shrizz N’ Maze. Free entry (dress warm, maybe bring an umbrella!)

June 21
Fête de la Musique! The 42nd annual all-night music festival takes place throughout France, but in Paris the whole city is overtaken: public spaces, bars, cafés, parks, sidewalks and even the streets are closed off for live music of every kind, performed by both famous and amateur musicians, from late afternoon through early morning, all concerts are free and open to everyone. Please note the main metro lines will be running all night, but it will be hard to get around by taxi because of road closures (and Vélibs are typically locked down for the night). Bring your earplugs if you expect to try and sleep!

June 21-22
Ground Control (behind Gare de Lyon) is hosting this year’s Benchmark Skateboard Festival (originally at the Fac Diderot campus in the 13th arrondissement). Friday is Go Skateboarding Day followed by a series of concerts at Ground Control to celebrate the Fête de la Musique, in partnership with Spotify and Converse. On the Nozbone Benchmark Contest returns, in the Ground Control hall on a new street area, before moving on to previews and new concerts, followed by DJ sets. There will be a dozen stands bringing together cool players from Parisian skateboarding scene (SOA, Concrete Jungle Foundation), skateshops (Nozbone, Vega, Balargue, Odilon), artists (Brainwash Yourself, César Dubroca), and skater crews (ZYY skateclub/screen printing). Free entry, events Friday from 6pm-1:30am, Saturday from noon until midnight.

June 23rd
Alertes Féministes has organized a women’s march against the Far Right starting at 2:30pm from Place de la République to Nation, dress code: purple (and bring your whistles…or earplugs).

June 28-30
Solidays is one of the best summer music festivals in France. For the 26th anniversary of the festival, this year’s acts include Louise Attaque, Mika, Laurent Garnier, Pomme, PLK, Anitta, Sam Smith, and over 160,000 attendees are expected to join the fight against AIDS at Paris-Longchamp racecourse. Day passes start at €35 and sell out fast!  

June 29
The Pride March is back! This year the Marche des Fiertés LGBT+, the march for LGBT+ rights, will take place from outside metro Michel-Bizot in the 12th arrondissement at 1:30pm and finishes at the Place de la République.