Paris Events Calendar - February 2016 ⋆ Secrets of Paris

Note: More events will be listed throughout the month, check back!

February 2
Author Linda Hervieux will be presenting her fascinating book Forgotten: The Untold Story if D-Day’s Black Heroes, at Home and at War at the American Library in Paris, 7:30pm, free entry, donation requested for the snacks.

February 4-29
Over 40 paintings and works on paper by the Paris expatriate artist Beauford Delaney (1901-1979) will be shown in the Grande Salle at Columbia Global Centers at Reid Hall (4 rue de Chevreuse, 6th) for the exhibition Beauford Delaney and Paris: A Breathtaking Evolution. All works have been loaned by private collectors in the Paris region and most of them have never been seen by the general public before. It is the first solo exhibition to be organized for Delaney in Paris since 1992 and it offers a rare opportunity to view works by this figurative and abstract expressionist master. Entry to the exhibition and to all events is free.

February 5-7
Visit places normally closed to the public throughout Paris and the suburbs through the 5th annual Paris Face Cachée (reserve quick, spots fill up fast!) Prices range from €6-€20. And…it’s all in French.

February 6-7
The 21st edition of the Paris Manga and Sci-Fi show comes back to the Porte de Versailles this weekend, with guest of honor Christopher Lloyd, aka Doc Brown from Back to the Future. An event à ne pas manquer!

February 16
Ooh la la! Calling all ladies, the next Sex & Booze: An Erotic Book Club at The Chamber, a private pop-up cocktail club, Heather will be moderating a discussion about Best Women’s Erotica over fabulous cocktails, wine, bubbly and plenty of French cheese. From 8pm. Limited guest list, tickets €25 (members) or €45 (non-members; get €10 off with the discount code naughtyparis). Discount copies of the Naughty Paris Guide will also be available for €20.

February 20
Want to see the inside of a real working chocolate factory? RRraw, an organic, raw-chocolate maker in the eastern suburbs of Paris is opening its doors to the public today for three guided tours by the friendly owner, Frédéric Marr (in French, but hey, chocolate is universal, right?): 11am, 2pm and 4pm, just €4.74 per person. Register in advance online.

February 26
“Artists! Musicians! Poets! Philosophers! Creatives! Visionaries! Aficianados! All are welcome at the Bohemian Soiree!” Café de la Culture is a Meetup group that hosts magical evenings that bring together a cosmopolitan guestlist with invited musicians, performers, poets, and storytellers around different themes. This month it’s La Soirée Bohème in a secret Montmartre location. To participate or read more information visit the Meetup site for Café de la Culture de Paris.

Shows & Concerts

February 1-14
It’s the Year of the Monkey! The Chinese New Year kicks off two weeks of celebrations with concerts, shows and exhibitions at the Mairie of the 13th arrondissement (Place d’Italie), home to the city’s largest Chinatown. The traditional parade with over 2000 participants will take place on February 14th starting at 1pm from 44 avenue d’Ivry, 13th. For the full schedule of events see the official website. Other Chinese New Year events will take place in the 3rd and in Belleville.

February 7
The 19th annual Carnaval de Paris “Boeuf Gras Parade”starts today at 1pm from the Place Gambetta in the 20th (near Père Lachaise Cemetery). The theme for 2016 is The Amazing Aquatic World, so it should be pretty fun to watch! The parade finishes at Place de la République at about 6pm, followed by a festival in the square until 9pm. For more info on the exact route or if you’d like to participate, check out the official site in French here.

February 12
See French films on the big screen in Paris with ENGLISH subtitles with Lost in Frenchlation. This evening’s film is Mon Roi, with Vincent Cassel and Emmanuelle Bercot (awarded Best Actress at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival), considered one of the best French films of the year. The evening starts at 8pm at Studio 28 (10 rue Tholozé, Montmartre, 18th) with cocktail hour and the film starts at 9pm. Entry €7.50, cocktails €5 (cash only, credit cards not accepted). No advance sales, so get there early to get your place!

February 12-13
Sinfonietta presents a romantic classical music concert for Valentine’s weekend, hosting two enchanting evenings of chamber music by Astor Piazzolla and Johannes Brahms, featuring three brilliant young professional artists: Rika Masato on violin, cellist Dmitry Silvian, and pianist Kana Okada. Our Cocktails and Conversations create a blend of culture and privileged conversations, chamber music and excellent wine, offering a unique experience to our guests. For our Valentine’s weekend series, we are pleased to present two evenings: Friday, February 12 at 20h in the charming private residence of one of our patrons, located on rue Saint-Honoré (1st); and Saturday, February 13 at 20h in the beautiful space of our artistic partner at the Finnish Institute (5th). Tickets €25, reserve your places online.

February 20
The Max Linder Panorama cinema is paying tribute to the late, great Alan Rickman with an all-night showing of three of his films in a row: Die Hard, Galexy Quest and Dogma. It starts at 11:30pm, ends at 7am, followed by coffee and croissants. Tickets €15.99.

Through February 28
Bartabas’ Zingaro shows combine equestrian theatre, dance, world music, poetry and many other disciplines. After having pounded the ground of his Théâtre Equestre Zingaro for more than a quarter of a century, Bartabas is now tackling the skies with his new show “They shoot angels, don’t they? (elegies)”. Get your tickets €42-50 at FNAC.

Get Involved & Make a Difference

February 3
SOS Help, the confidential English listening line in Paris, needs volunteers for the coming season. If you’re interested, you only need to attend one of the information sessions in January, 7pm at the American Church of Paris (65 Quai d’Orsay, 7th). All volunteers will need to be available for the initial training session (date TBA, checkwebsite).

Through February 27
The 100% Packaging-Free Organic Pop-Up store by BioCoop, originally just slated to run through COP21, has been such a success that it’s not extended through the end of February. There are over 250 itiems available in bulk, including produce, fresh bread, dairy (butter, yogurt and cheese), fresh ground coffee, nut butters, and other items, 20% from local sources. If you don’t bring your own reusable glass jars and other containers you can buy them at the shop. At 14 rue du Châteu d’Eau, 10th, open 10am-8pm Mon-Sat.

Shopping, Art & Market Events

Through February 2
As part of the Fête du Graphisme, the City of Paris commissioned 39 acclaimed artists from France and around the world to “Celebrate the City”. Their artworks will be on display all over the city on the bus shelters and advertising pillars, as well as on special panels along the Champs Elysées (between the Rond-Point and Place de la Concorde) for the general public to enjoy for free. The main exhibition will be at the Cité International des Arts (18 rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th, just behind City Hall) from January 15th through February 7th, featuring four themes: Graphisme des Antipodes (Stockholm vs Buenos Aires); Graphisme, Rock & Cinéma; Utopies et Réalités; and Rendez-Vous à Fondation Alliance Française. Seethe full schedule of events and prices on the official website (only in French, sorry!).

Through February 14
The boutique Storie specializes in high quality, hand-made, artisan, fair trade, recycled, and sustainably-made crafts from around the world. They have a boutique near Montparnasse, but for the holidays and through February there is apop-up boutique near the Canal St Martin (24 rue Yves Toudic, 10th, open Mon-Sat noon-8pm, Sunday noon-6pm).

Through February 16
The annual winter sales, aka Les Soldes. Honestly, the rules about when and how sales can take place in France since the economic crise have essentially made the sales irrelevant. There are sales all of the time now (often called “promotion” or “7 Jours BHV” or something like that).

Planning ahead…

February 10-11
Solidays, a summer music festival to raise awareness of the continued fight against AIDS/HIV, has ticket sales going live this February 10th at 1 PM. You can buy 3 day passes at only €39: but act fast, because once these run out, they go up in increments of 10 up until €89. If you’re interested in other offers, on February 11 you can start buying passes 2 day passes as well as Day, Night and Camping passes. Buy tickets through the Billetterie on their website.

Paris Events Calendar – February 2016