May 30 – June 9
You don’t need tickets to the French Open at Roland Garros to enjoy some of the tennis action. Just drop by “La Terrasse” in front of the Hôtel de Ville to watch the matches live on the big screen (with tables and bean bags set up for spectators). There’s also a tennis court featuring the “Longines Future Tennis Aces”, international tennins players under 16 years old competing for the prize on June 1st. Free entry, from noon-7pm.
May 31 and June 1
Noureev & Friends classic dance performance at the Palais de Congrès. This spectacular show will feature dancers and projected images to celebrate the 75th birthday of Rudolf Noureev, one of the 20th century’s most famous ballet dancers.Reserve tickets here.
May 31-June2
L’Art du Jardin: Nouvelle Expérience Végétale, takes place this year at theGrand Palais (Ave Winston Churchill entrance), a garden show where you can shop for plants, gardening supplies, garden furniture, and see the latest in landscape design and innovations. Entrance is €18 (or €14 if purchased before May 27th).
May 31 – June 2
The Festival d’Anatolie is a festival dedicated to the art and culture of Turkey. Set to take place at the Parc des Expositions, this event is geared towards adults and children, artists, professionals and tourists alike. There will be food, dancing, movies, and several exhibits of traditional and contemporary Turkish art.
June 1-2
The 6th annual Ceramics Festival takes place this weekend from 10am-7pm in the Mouffetard district (rue de Bazeilles and rue Censier, 5th), free entry.
June 1 – September 15
Transport yourself to 1912 at the Titanic shipwreck exhibit. This collection of artifacts from the famous ship has been viewed by over 20 million people worldwide. It promises to spark the imagination and send shivers down the spine. Entry €12.90 to €15.90.
June 1 – September 30
The historic Art Deco restaurant La Coupole (102 blvd du Montparnasse, 14th) is hosting an exposition ofeight young Parisian graffiti artists: Alex, 6pack, Done, Moon one, Hopare, Esper, Stack, and Brok. Open free to the public, open daily 8:30am-midnight.
June 2
Join thousands of cyclists this Sunday for the annual Convergence Francilienne, where cyclists from all over the Ile-de-france region converge on Paris for a symbolic victory lap (on streets closed to traffic) and ending with a big picnic on the Champ de Mars. It’s hostes by La Maison du Vélo and different groups lobbying to make the region more cyclist-friendly. Free to join the final parade in Paris, just show up at the meeting place behind the Louvre (outside M° Louvre Rivoli) with your bike at 1:30pm.
June 6-9
The Braderie de Printemps is a great spring-cleaning junk market in the Marais. Browse through vintage clothes, books, artworks, furniture, and more. Entry is free, and there will be a bar.
June 7 – 30
The Bartabas Equestrian Show is not to be missed! This grandiose spectacle has been praised as a high point of horsemanship and choreography. Music by the contemporary composer Philip Glass. The public is invited to meet the horses during the day, in front of the Grande Halle at the Parc de la Villette. Tickets on sale between € 22 and € 32.
June 8
The SOS Help “Bag of Books” sale invites you to browse and stock up on books for only 5 € per bag! Swing by St. Joseph’s Church in the 8th arrondissement this Saturday and show your support for SOS Help, an aid service for English speakers in France.
June 8
Paris dog owners and dog lovers, please join us for a Mon Chien, Ma Ville demonstration at the Mairie du 1ère (the town hall of the 1st arrondissement, Place du Louvre, right outside metro Louvre Rivoli) from 2:30pm with your four-legged friends to lobby the City for more dog-friendly parks and green spaces for them to run free, and to promote “responsible” dog ownership as well. Pedro and Lena will be there!
June 8, 9
Lezarts de la Bièvre is sponsoring an open-door event for artists working in the 5th and 13th arrondissements of Paris. The public is invited to make a tour of participating workspaces, in appreciation of art and creativity.
Through June 9
Explore the origins of goth and fantasy at the latest exposition at the Musée d’Orsay, L’Ange du Bizarre: Dark Romanticism from Goya to Max Ernst.
“…a vast swathe of artistic creation, which from the 1760s onwards exploited the shadows, excesses and irrational elements that lurked behind the apparent triumph of enlightened Reason. This world was created in the English Gothic novels of the late 18th century, a genre of literature that fascinated the public with its penchant for the mysterious and the macabre. The visual arts quickly followed suit: many painters, engravers and sculptors throughout Europe vied with the writers to create horrifying and grotesque worlds: Goya and Géricault presented us with the senseless atrocities of war and the horrifying shipwrecks of their time, Füssli and Delacroix gave substance to the ghosts, witches and devils of Milton, Shakespeare and Goethe, whereas C.D. Friedrich and Carl Blechen cast the viewer into enigmatic, gloomy landscapes, reflecting his fate.” Entrance to the museum + exhibition is €12. Advance tickets online.
June 9
Pastry chef and cookbook author (and Paris Pastry Guide author) David Lebovitz will be signing books today at La Cuisine (80 quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th) from 2-4pm. Glazed ice cream truck will be there, too! (You can RSVP at the Facebook event page, although it’s not required).
June 9
Looking for a bit of retro vintage shopping? Check out the Fifties Sound “Vide-Grenier Retro Vintage” with 45 stands selling fashions, accessories, home decor, vinyls and burlesque outfits from 1930s-1980s. Today 10am-8pm at Next Step: 11 cour Debille, 11th, M° Voltaire. The live swing concert with The King Baker Combo starts at 5pm. Entry €2.
June 10
A rare chance to see one of the few surviving Irish films from the silent era presented as part of the Ciné-Concert at the Cinéma Balzac, 8pm. “Willy Reilly and his Colleen Bawn (1920) is a powerful melodramatic film set in 18th century Ireland, in which Willy Reilly, a Catholic gentleman, and his beloved Colleen Bawn, daughter of a Protestant squire, overcome religious and social barriers for their love.” This Live-to-Screen orchestral performance features a new score composed and conducted by Bernard Reilly, and is performed by the 12-piece CinéTheatre Ensemble. Tickets €13, available at the door or online.
June 14-16
The Portes d’Or is a chance for all the artistic workshops in the Goutte d’Or (18th arrondissement) to open their doors to the public. Painters, sculptors, jewelery-makers and many others who live and work in the Goutte d’Or wish to share their creativity. Please come support the community and experience these unique productions.
June 14-16
The 12th annual Salon du Vintage & VivylIsBack takes place for three days at the Garage Turenne (66 rue de Turenne, 3rd), with over 100 stands selling women’s vintage clothing and accessories, men’s clothing, furniture and vinyl records. Didier Ludot will even have his vintage couture dresses on display. Open 11am-8pm (opens at 3pm on Friday), entry €4.
June 15 -16
L’Entrée des Artistes: Do you want to get a glimpse of Christian Dior’s workspace? How about Desmarets de Kenzo? Now is your chance! For just two days, the LVMH houses will open their doors to the public and reveal the insides of their décor and the secrets of their savoir-faire. Attention: tickets are expensive.
June 16
Le Salon Emmaus is a gathering of “restoration artists” and their wares. Vintage clothes, furniture, decorative objects, antique telephones — you name it, someone from the Emmaus community has found it and restored it! A great place to find good deals, with all proceeds going to a good cause (Emmaüs helps bring marginalized adults back into the work force). Adults €3 entry, free for kids under 12.
June 16
Get out your fancy hats and picnic baskets for the annual Prix de Diane races at Chantilly Hippodrome (just 45 minutes north of Paris from Gare du Nord). Read more about the event here.
Through June 17
Looking for a romantic exhibition in a little-known museum? Don’t miss Sensuality and Spirituality: In Search of the Absolute at the Musée Henner (43, avenue de Villiers, 17th, M° Malesherbes; entry €5; closed Tuesdays, open until 9pm on first Thursdays of the month).
June 13 – July 14
Check out the Cirque Electrique, put on by STEAM, an acrobatic troupe that plays with themes of urban decay and the ethereal. The performance will feature a trapeze artist and Chinese contortionists, among other stunts. Tickets between 8 € and 16 €.
June 15 – July 12
Don’t miss the Ephemeral Garden at the Hôtel de Ville! Inspired by New York’s High Line, this metropolitan garden installation is intended to both please the senses and inform the public about urban greenification. This is a free installation.
June 20
Looking for a good read about one young Canadian expat woman’s experience dating in Paris? Lily Heise will be presenting her hilarious new book, Je ‘Taime, Me Neither, at the Abbey Bookshop (29 rue de la Parchiminerie, 5th) tonight 7-10pm. Come by and meet the author, grab a glass of wine, andperhaps share some of your own adventures!
June 21
The Fête de la Musique is one of those rare annual events when Paris gets to turn itself inside out and blow off some steam. Music lovers, professional and amateur musicians alike, will pour into the streets for one long night of festivities. Be sure to check the schedule of spectacles and events online before heading out, because the streets are going to be full of people celebrating, and if you don’t plan ahead, you might never get to the concert you wanted to see. This is a free event.
June 14 – August 11
Paris Summer Festival: don’t miss this amazing theatre and classical music series. Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture and housed by many of Paris’s finest performance spaces, this season promises many beautiful evenings. Ticket prices vary according to performance.
June 21 – September 15
Missing the beach this summer? Stop by Glazart to enjoy La Plage, a pleasant beach atmosphere + sand, all inside you favorite 19th arrondissement bar. Free entry and free music most days.
June 24 – September 28
Le Maxi Monster Music Show is not your typical music spectacle. This show invites you to discover a bizarre cabaret of gypsies, bearded women, strongmen, the macabre, the strange and the mystical. The theatre is located in Montmartre, and tickets start at € 20.
Through June 25th
They’re back! I’ve written before about the fabulous Fills Monkey: Incredible Drum Show. Fills Monkey is made up of two French comedians, Yann Coste and Seb Rambaud, who somehow manage to mix humor with actual musical talent. These guys have come up with a hilarious “dueling drumsticks” show. Just when you think, “Okay, this is interesting, but how can they keep it up for an hour?” it gets better. Oh, I should mention they never once speak any actual words, so it’s perfect for those looking to go see a show in Paris without knowing any French. A word of warning: it’s in a “cave”, a French cellar. They give you ear plugs, but be forewarned it gets hot down there! Shows are scheduled through June, get tickets at FNAC or at the venue itself, Le Sentier des Halles (50 rue d’Aboukir, 2nd).
June 29 – 30
Paris Jazz Festival: come enjoy traditional Parisian gypsy and jazz music in the Bois de Vincennes. Tickets are 5.50 €.
June 24 – July 7
La Boutique Ephémère: are you a fashion nut? Then don’t miss this special sales event, hosted by L’Espace Beaurepaire. Fashion creators will show their wares while hip DJ’s set the mood. Entrance is free.
June 26- July 30
The nation-wide summer sales last five weeks, with up to 70% off the current collections of clothing, shoes, and accessories, although almost every single other store joins in on the “soldes” frenzy. Do your reconnaissance in advance!
Through June 26
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of Frenchchanteuse Edith Piaf with sexy cabaret singer Caroline Nin’s “Hymne à Piaf”, a show using English storytelling and songs en français to remember one of the greatest French singers of all time. Shows are every Wednesday at 8pm at the intimate Essaïon Theatre (6 rue Pierre au Lard, in the Marais, 4th). Tickets are €15-€20.
Through June 26th
If you’re in the mood for a good English comedy show in Paris in an intiate setting, check out The Improfessionals, every other Wednesday night from 9:30pm at the Essaïon Theatre (6 rue Pierre au Lard, in the Marais, 4th). Tickets are €15-€20.
June 28, 29 & 30
Solidays is one of the best summer music festivals in France. This event unites more than 150 musicians and 160,000 attendees every year in the fight against AIDS, and this summer is expected to be bigger and better than ever. Day passes starting at € 31.
July 6
Paris treasure hunt: both French and international visitors are invited to discover the “Paris of the Parisians”. This unusual way to explore the capital city will lead contestants down untrodden paths and through secret passages. Roadbooks will be available in French and English. Many prizes to win! This event is free.
July 7
Red Bull is sponsoring a soap-box car race at Saint-Cloud this July! The vehicles must be home-made and muscle-powered. The judges will consider speed as much as creativity of design in their decisions, and there are some wonderful prizes to win. This event is free for spectators.
July 14
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!” Nothing says Bastille Day like a philharmonic orchestra and fireworks by the Eiffel Tower. Come celebrate the French Republic with a picnic on the Champ de Mars. NOTE: No glass bottles allowed, there will be police checking.
July 18 – August 18
L’été Defacto will bring some relaxation and entertainment to La Défense this summer, providing a change from this area’s typical image as a business district. The event will consist of cultural conferences, afterwork cocktails, and art installations in the street. Whether you live at La Défense or are just visiting, you are invited to enjoy: L’été Defacto.
July 21
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: 9:45 pm.
July 20 – August 18
Paris Plages: sand, beach trees, volley balls and bikinis — on the Seine! This year’s edition of the Paris Plages will feature many fun activities.
Other Paris Calendar Links
- For literary events, readings, and classes: Monthly Paris Listing.
- For indie/alternative music concerts see Gigs in Paris
- For art exhibitions, museum news and openings see Paris Muse.
- For mainstream events visit the Paris Office of Tourism.
- For naughty events, see the Naughty Paris Guide.
- Major sporting events and festivals can be found at WhatsOnWhen.
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