In the heart of winter, the parks and gardens of Greater Paris are decked out in magical lights to celebrate the festive season in style, offering visitors unforgettable magical immersive experiences. Lanterns in brilliant colours, crafted using ancient Chinese techniques, bring to life a dreamlike world of animals, illuminated plants, flowers, and fantastic creatures at nightfall. This unique experience invites you to discover the capital's most beautiful green spaces in a different way, from the Parc de Saint-Cloud to the Jardin des Plantes, via the Jardin d'Acclimatation...
From 29 November to 2 March 2025
This winter, the Lantern Festival returns to the Jardin d’Acclimatation, from 29 November to 2 March 2025. At nightfall, more than 2,000 lanterns are lit to reveal 40 species of dinosaurs from the Mesozoic era ... Two new ‘Jurassic Island’ digital attractions: an experience in virtual reality and a 360° immersive experience prolong the discovery of the world of tyrannosaurs, brontosaurs, diplodocus, and a big wheel offers a panoramic view of the festival.
Jardin d'Acclimatation, Bois de Boulogne, Paris 16th
From 30 November to 19 January 2025
From 30 November to 19 January 2025, Light Odyssey enchants the Parc Floral de Paris with its colourful light trail. During a night-time stroll, visitors are invited to discover the wonders of Thailand, India and Mexico, and to explore the delicious world of sweets, candies and cakes. The highlight of this open-air exhibition is a spectacular sound and light show reproducing the magical aurora borealis!
Parc Floral de Paris - Jardin botanique de Paris - esplanade du château de Vincennes, Paris 12th
From 20 November to 19 January 2025
From 20 November to 19 January 2025 ‘Jurassic illuminated’ brightens up the paths of the Jardin des Plantes. This year, the theme of this immersive outdoor night-time stroll featuring hundreds of light structures – some of which are animated – is species that inhabited the planet during the Jurassic period such as plesiosaurs, archeopteryx and ammonites.
Jardin des Plantes - Place Valhubert, Paris 5th
from 15 November to 12 January 2025
The Lumières en Seine light trail with music will take place on the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, from 15 November to 12 January 2025. This magical event invites visitors to take a night-time stroll of around 2 kilometres, in 25 stages, combining lights and water features. A food court provides sweet and savoury refreshments to enjoy along the way.
Domaine national de Saint-Cloud - 1 avenue de la Grille d’Honneur (92)
From 27 October to 2 March 2025
The gardens of Wow Safari Thoiry undergo a transformation in winter time to provide a unique and magical spectacle, the Thoiry Wild Lights. 2,500 lanterns light up the 6-hectare park, from 27 October to 2 March 2025 and offer a world tour and discovery of the wonders of nature as in the "Voyages extraordinaires" (‘Amazing Journeys’) by Jules Verne.
Wow Safari Thoiry - Château et parc zoologique de Thoiry (78)
Light trails and lantern festivals generally take place in parks and gardens in Greater Paris such as the Jardin des Plantes, the Parc Floral de Paris, the Jardin d’Acclimatation, the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud or the Wow Safari Thoiry.
The light trails and lantern festivals that take place in the big parks and gardens of Greater Paris generally open at the end of October or in November (Light Odyssey, Jurassic illuminated, Lumières en Seine) and finish in January. The Lantern Festival: The Dinosaur Ball and Thoiry Wild Lights continue until March.
At the end of the year, Christmas lights deck out the French capital, from the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to Boulevard Haussmann, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Marais, Place Vendôme, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Bercy Village, Avenue Montaigne, the Viaduc des Arts … offering visitors a wonderful festive atmosphere. Parisian shops are festooned with the finest decorations, and department stores unveil their dazzling facades, inviting kids and grown-ups to marvel at their animated seasonal window displays.
