The sun's rays are warming the pavements and the terraces are full to bursting: summer is here! There's a certain lightness about the capital and residents and visitors alike are enjoying the parks and outdoor activities. It's the perfect season to stroll from morning to night, explore new districts, rediscover the city... and enjoy the season's must-see events! Because in summer, Paris celebrates more than ever, and there's something for everyone!
© Thierry Rambaud
Summer kicks off with the Fête de la musique! Every 21 June, amateur and professional musicians take to the streets, parks and even several museums to offer free concerts to passers-by throughout the evening. The danse also gets in on the act, with introductory courses on offer for the more curious. It's an evening to be enjoyed in a good mood!
A few days later, you'll find yourself in a good mood at the Marche des fiertés (or Gay Pride), a huge colourful and musical parade where you can sway your hips in a joyous electro atmosphere. It's a festive and committed gathering, giving visibility to the LGBT community. Dances, floats, costumes... it closes the Quinzaine des Fiertés, which includes debates, screenings and parties open to all!
© Maxime Chermat
Every summer, visitors and Parisians alike can look forward to the big music festivals, often open-air and always eagerly awaited: Solidays, which pitches its tents at the hippodrome de Paris Longchamp for three days of stages as varied as they are talented, in support of the fight against AIDS. Rap, pop, rock... all styles intermingle, as at the now highly acclaimed Fnac Live Paris, which sets up on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville for three days. A thirty or so free concerts to delight fans of new music! In the Parc de Saint-Cloud, Rock en Seine brings the vast gardens designed by Le Nôtre to life. Three days dedicated to rock, at the end of the scorching summer, to delight the ears of nearly 110,000 spectators. On the jazz front, head west for the unmissable free La Défense Jazz Festival, which brings the esplanade of the Paris business district to life for a week at the very start of summer with the sounds of instruments by the greatest artists. To the east, it's to the creative Villette that the Jazz à la Villette Festival heads for fans of Marcus Miller, Belmondo Quintet and Joshua Redman as September approaches.
Opera is not to be outdone, with the L'Opéra en plein air event at the Domaine de Sceaux, the château de Vincennes, Hôtel national des Invalides and Domaine national de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, or the classical music that resounds from the estate of the château de Versailles during the Grandes eaux nocturnes, every Saturday in summer. A magical show combining pyrotechnics and water features.
© Joe de Sousa via Flickr
At the height of summer, the Fête nationale is in full swing. It's a unifying event celebrated all over France. Symbolising the end of absolute monarchy, it is celebrated every year on 14 July.
The programme of festivities includes popular dances organised by the much-loved Paris fire brigade on the evening of 13 July. On the 14th, there's a military parade down the Champs-Elysées and a flypast by the Patrouille de France in the morning, and in the evening a spectacular fireworks display at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, with a theme that changes every year, accompanied by a grand concert. A must!
To savour the warmth of summer, relax with the family or disconnect from city life, set up your transat on the beaches... of Paris! With Paris Plages, the capital is transformed into a seaside resort along each of its waterways. Cultural activities, sports entertainment and supervised swimming are organised throughout the season, giving the city a seaside feel. There are plenty of facilities to make the most of the sunny summer days, whether you're enjoying an ice cream, playing pétanque** or cooling off under the mist generators. It's a great way to enjoy the banks of the Seine and the beauty of the panorama while basking in the sun!
© Yvan Grubski
When it's hot outside, it's sometimes nice to relax in a cinema. At the start of each summer, the Fête du cinéma offers a few days' worth of films at reduced prices. It's the perfect way to enjoy a refreshing change of scene in the cinema while taking in a good feature film.
Film fans also have a date with the much-anticipated outdoor film festivals. Many of Paris's parks offer film screenings under the stars for all or part of the summer, such as Toile sous les étoiles at the Château de Vincennes or the Festival Silhouette in the Parc de la Butte du chapeau-Rouge. Relaxation guaranteed...
© Mary Quincy
For children of all ages, the atmosphere at fêtes foraines is always synonymous with laughter and fun. In Paris, La Fête des Tuileries, held in one of the capital's most beautiful parks, offers a funfair unlike any other all summer long: thrilling attractions, activities for the little ones, games of skill... all the essentials are there, in an extraordinary setting.
Another summer option is the Fête du bois de Boulogne. To the west of Paris, in one of the city's two woods, a hundred or so attractions are set up over a few weeks in summer for the enjoyment of young and old alike. These include Ferris wheels, duck fishing, flying chairs... there's something for every taste and every age!
© Cité Fertile
One of Parisians' favourite pastimes is to sit on a terrace and enjoy a drink and the panorama with friends. That's why, every summer, terraces, rooftops and landscaped wastelands spring up all over the city, just for a few weeks. Ephemeral places** that quickly become meeting places at the end of the day, where it's great to relax!
