What's Happening in Paris This Week

For full details about an event, click on the title to visit the official Web site (in English when available).

Through August 22

Swimming in the canal

Now declared clean enough to swim in, the free Bassin de la Villette swimming area returns. Above: the scene at the Bassin. Photo: Mairie de Paris / JB Gurliat.

Bassin de la Villette
Through September 8

Outdoor classical concerts

Concerts in the park at Festival Classique au Vert every weekend.

Parc Floral
Through September 8

Entertainment for kids

The Festival les Pestacles presents concerts and other entertainment for children age five and up.

Parc Floral, Paris
September 3-5

Free amusements in historic Marais sites

The Festival Les Traversées du Marais brings everything from art installations to cooking classes, readings and dance performances to the monuments, courtyards and gardens of the Marais.

Various locations
September 9-18

Design mania

One hundred design-related events happen all over the city during Paris Design Week.

Various locations, Paris
September 7-12

Tribal art walk

Some 60 galleries put on special shows of world art for Parcours des Mondes.

Saint Germain des Prés, Paris
Through August 22

Open-air cinema

Cinema en Plein Air is back with a series of 28 films inspired by historical and public figures, featuring such films as Sofia Coppola’s Marie-Antoinette. Free admission.

Parc de la Villette, Paris
Friday evenings Through August 6

More free outdoor films

Ciné Quartier 13 shows movies in the parks of the 13th arrondissement on Friday evenings.

Various locations, Paris
Weekends throughout the summer

Candlelit outdoor concerts

Homages to some of our greatest composers throughout the summer.

Musée de Montmartre gardens, Paris
Through August 22

Paris beaches

During the summer, the banks of the river and canals are transformed into miniature beaches for Paris Plages. 

Various locations,  Paris
Through August 26

Son et lumière

A sound and light show, La Nuit aux Invalides, recounts the life of Napoleon.

Hôtel National des Invalides, Paris
Throughout the summer

Summer stargazing

Experts from the Astronomy Association of Paris freely share their skills and equipment to show us the stars during Paris Sous les Étoiles.

Throughout Paris
Through August 1

Summer arts festival

Paris Festival d’Eté is an annual festival of music, dance, theater and more from around the world.

Various locations, Paris
Through August 29

Summer garden

For its Jardin d’Été festival, the Musée du Quai Branly stages a variety of free events in its garden.

Musée du Quai Branly
Through August 29

Countryside onscreen

Paysages de Cinéma explores the relationship between cinema and the countryside, in the beautiful setting of the Domaine de Sainte-Cloud.

Parc de Saint Cloud
Through August 29

Garden visits

Green spaces throughout the region organize cultural events for Jardins Ouverts en Île-de-France.

Various locations, Île-de-France
Through August 15

Summer fun on the canal

The Été du Canal festival offers theme cruises (street food, music, art, etc.) and other activities like a floating concert, balls, restaurants and bars.

Canal de l’Ourcq
Through November 21

Focus on graphic design

The Biennale International de Design Graphique Chaumont is a four-month festival of workshops, group discussions, concerts and conferences on the subject of graphic design.

Various locations, Paris
Through October 10

Candlelit Chateau

Every Saturday, the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is lit by 2,000 candles for the Soirées aux Chandelles.

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Île-de-France
Through August 23

Women in art

Oft-overlooked women working in abstract art are spotlighted for the Women in Abstraction exhibition.

Centre Pompidou, Paris
Through August 29

Close-up at the Louvre

The Mini Découvertes return for a second year, with 20-minute guided tours of emblematic parts of the museum.

Musée de Louvre, Paris
Through September 8

Outdoor jazz

The Paris Jazz Festival offers free weekend concerts in the park (admission to park: €2.50).

Parc Floral, Paris
July & August

Free outdoor films and concerts

This year’s Festival Paradiso will take place in the Louvre’s Cour Carrée, at La Seine Musicale and at the Hôtel Paradiso.

Various venues, Paris
Through October 3

Street art

Portuguese street artist Vhils presents Trace, a new retrospective exhibition including art from throughout his career.

Fluctuart, Paris
Through November 7

New views of Paris

The Saint-Jacques Tower in Paris’s 4th arrondissement has recently reopened. Climb the tower to see panoramic views of the city.

Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques, Paris
Through August 1

Louis de Funès retrospective

An exhibition and retrospective of the work of renowned French comedian and actor Louis de Funès.

La Cinémathèque Française, Paris
Through August 20

Focus on Simone Veil

The life and work of French politician Simone Veil are explored in a new exhibition, Nous Vous Aimons, Madame.

Hôtel de Ville, Paris
Through October 13

Natural history

Artists’ covers for an imagined Paris magazine modeled on The New Yorker chart the history of Paris’s Jardin des Plantes museum for the exhibition The Parisianer, Chroniques du Muséum.

Jardin des Plantes, Paris
August 18

French movies with English subtitles

Lost in Frenchlation presents an outdoor screening of Itinéraire d’un Enfant Gâté, directed by by Claude Lelouch.

Jardin de la Folie Titon, Paris
Through September 2021

Lockdown life

Artist Jeanne Susplugas presents work reflecting on how our relationships with our homes have changed in the past year for Where My House Lives. The viewer is invited to peer through 12 windows, each showing an illustrated and narrated piece about a different person’s life and space.

Online
Ongoing

Save the Musée de l’Éventail

A crowdfunding campaign is underway to help save the Musée de l’Éventail, Paris’s museum of fans and fan-making.

Online
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