Summer festivals
Summertime is music festival time. The weekly metro magazine A Nous Paris has the entire French summer festival calendar online, with festivals in Paris and Île-de France and across France, in French only: Festivals on A Nous Paris
Summer on Les Berges du Seine
There’s always something going on at Les Berges, the Left Bank pedestrian walkway along the Seine from the Musée d’Orsay to the Musée Quai Branly (7th), and the Right Bank from the Pont Sully to Pont Neuf, including concerts, art installations, workshops, kids events, ping pong, sports activities (zumba, yoga, climbing), etc.
June 30-July 2
See some world class horses at the Paris Eiffel Jumping event this weekend, featuring the 40 best riders attempting to make it over the obstacles on the Champ de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Tickets from €28-€50.
July 1- 23
Since 1975, the finish line for the Tour de France has been at the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysées. Join the crowd of Parisians and tourists alike to see the winner of the race. Expected arrival time: 5:30pm.
July 6-8
Choose between 31 free concerts at the Festival FNAC Live, featuring artists like Cassius, Julien Doré, Jay-Jay Johanson, and Calypso Rose. Shows at the Scène du Parvis are open access. Shows at the Scène du Salon require an invitation that can be picked up for free at FNAC stores in Paris starting at noon on July 6. See the full program here.
July 6 – September 2
La Nuit aux Invalides is an impressive sound and light show in the courtyard of Invalides highlighting the monument’s history (Louis XIV, Napoléon, Charles De Gaulle). Tickets €19 (adult price). See the teaser video.
July 8 – September 3
Paris Plage : sandy beaches, palm trees, volley balls and bikinis — on the Seine! Along the Right Bank quays and Hôtel de Ville. This year’s edition of the Paris Plages will feature many fun activities. Free entry, 9am-midnight.
Through July 10
One of the city’s most charming small museums, the Musée Jacquemart-André in the 8tharrondisement, presents a collection of 52 works from the outstanding collection of Alicia Koplowitz – from old masters like Zurbarán, Tiepolo and Goya to modern works by Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso, Modigliani, Rothko Giacometti and Bourgeois. Entry €13.50.
July 13-14 Bastille Day
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!” Click here to read the defintitive guide to what to see and do in Paris on July 13th and 14th, what’s open, what’s not, how to get around, where the parties will be, and insider tips on being prepared: http://bit.ly/BastilleDayPAris
through July 16
Musée Bourdelle, a charming exhibition space in Montparnasse which was once the studio of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, is housing an exhibition of haute couture from Balenciaga, with over a hundred pieces from the Palais Galliera collection and the archives of Maison Balenciaga. The exhibition is part of a Spanish season by Paris’ museum of fashion, Palais Galliera, with other exhibitions to follow through the year.
Through July 22
Government of the Parisians: Paris, its people, the state – a shared history (Le Gouvernement des Parisiens. Paris, ses habitants, l’État, une histoire partagée) is a free exhibition at Hôtel de Ville, with almost 300 documents, sculptures, posters, photographs and more from the Louvre, d’Orsay, Carnavalet, Petit Palais and National Archives.
July 22-23
The famous Lollapalooza Festival comes to Paris for the first time this weekend, with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Pixies, Alt-J, Imagine Dragons, Liam Gallagher, Martin Solveig, The Roots, The Hives, The Weekend, DJ Snake and MArshmelo, among others at the Longchamp Hipodrome (Bois de Boulogne, 16th). Two-day pass €149.
Through July 31
This year marks 100 years since the death of sculptor Auguste Rodin, and there is a calendar of worldwide events to mark the occasion. The centrepiece is the Centenary Exhibition at the Grand Palais, with 200 works by the master himself as well as sculptures and drawings by contemporaries such as Bourdelle, Brancusi, Picasso, Matisse and Giacometti. Entry €13.
Through July 30
The 24th annual Paris Jazz Festival takes place all summer; come enjoy traditional Parisian and international jazz music in the Bois de Vincennes’s Parc Floral. Concerts are free; entry to the park is €2.50.
July 20-August 20
The Cinéma en Plein Air (Open Air Cinema Festival) takes place again this summer at the Parc de la Villette from Thursday though Sunday night, starting at sunset (9:30pm-10:15pm depending on the week). Free entry. Beach chair rentals €7.
Through August 8
Les Soldes! The annual summer sales take place this year for five weeks throughout France, primarily in clothing stores, but pretty much everything is on sale now. And although most bloggers still get all frothy at the news, the sales are no longer just twice annually, so it’s not the big deal it used to be.
Through August 27
The 31st annual Fête des Tuileries funfair with carnival rides at Tuileries Gardens starts today, free entry, rides with individual tickets. Plenty of food stands, too!
Through September
Last year it was Grand Train in the 18th, this year’s hip/wacky transport themed pop-up bar is Ground Control, set up on the Halle Charolais terrace, a secret SNCF space within walking distance from Gare de Lyon (12th). 2500 square metres of terrace with DJ sets, kitchen gardens and gardening workshops, a solarium (really), producers’ market and plenty of food and drink options, including RATP buses converted into food trucks. Free entry.
Through September
Summer House is another ephemeral summer event held in the lush gardens of the Mona Bismark American Centre, in the 16th arrondisement right by the Palais de Tokyo. With live music, ‘American fusion’ food (BBQ, hot dogs, pastrami sandwiches, jambalaya…), and Prohibition-themed cocktails.
Through September 3
After the rising heat in Paris drove locals into the parks to cool off last summer, the city has decided to allow us more access around the clock. Sixteen Parisian parks will be open 24/7 throughout the summer including Place des Vosges (4th), le Jardin des grands explorateurs (6th, just below Luxembourg), le Parc Kellermann (13th), le Parc Montsouris (14th), le parc André-Citroën (15th), le parc Martin-Luther-King (17th, next to Batignolles), le Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th), le Square Séverine (20th) and les Pelouses d’Auteuil (16th). Also, for runners, three parks are now open an hour earlier, including Square René Le Gall (13th) and the Promenade Plantée (12th).
Through 30 October
The Holocaust and comics (Shoah et bande desinée), at the Mémorial de la Shoah, explores how artists working in this popular art form – from French and Belgian bandes desinées to American superhero comic books to Japanese manga – have tackled the Holocaust. Free entry.
Through November 5
At the always fascinating Musée des Arts et Métiers, the exhibition Les Meilleurs Ouvriers de France looks at the craft and expertise of the best of French artisans – jewellers, watchmakers, embroiderers, workers in glass, wood and textiles. Guided tours in French at 3.30pm every day.
Other Paris calendar links
▪ For French Theatre with English surtitles: Theatre in Paris
▪ For general events around Paris: Que Faire à Paris?
▪ For literary events, readings, and classes: Monthly Paris Listing
▪ For indie/alternative music concerts see Gigs in Paris
▪ For art exhibitions in galleries and museum see Slash Paris
▪ For mainstream events visit the Paris Office of Tourism
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