Best of

What to do in Paris in October 2024

In October, Paris showcases art with numerous events

Although the days are getting shorter and the skies may be grey, the big trade shows are back and there's something for everyone!

Fairs in Paris in October 2024

© Marc Bertrand

Gourmets will be excited about the return of the Salon du Chocolat. From 30 October to 3 November 2024, the world's leading chocolate companies and artisans will be at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

Car enthusiasts flock to the Mondial de l'Auto (Paris Motor Show), one of the biggest events in the industry. From 14 to 20 October, the show will be celebrating its 90th anniversary with a packed programme of events, celebrations, and new products!

The Salon de la Photo, a popular event for amateur and professional photographers, is also held in October. From 10 to 13 October, you'll find all the equipment you need at the Grande Halle de la Villette.

Also from 10 to 13 October 2024, the Ob'Art show can be discovered in Saint-Ouen, in the Serre Wangari. For 4 days, the public is invited to meet some fifty artists and craftspeople. You'll be able to pick up original, authentic and sustainable objects in a short circuit. And don't hesitate to extend the pleasure by taking a trip to the marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, just a stone's throw away.

On the art and culture front, the modern and contemporary art fair Art Basel Paris will be taking over the Grand Palais from 18 to 20 October 2024, with 195 galleries showcasing a selection of works of art (paintings, videos, sculptures, installations, photography and digital art).

Also to be discovered this month:

Exhibitions in Paris in October 2024

© Courtesy Pinault Collection Image Timelapse Go

October is a great time to visit exhibitions, and Paris has plenty to offer at this time of year!

The Bourse de Commerce presents a new event dedicated to the Italian art movement arte povera. Discover this movement and the key figures who made it so famous, from 9 October 2024 to 20 January 2025 in the exhibition Arte Povera.

With the exhibition Gustave Caillebotte. Painting Men, on show from 8 October 2024 to 19 January 2025, the Musée d'Orsay is honouring the painter and his favourite subject, the male figure.

The modern art collection of art dealer and collector Heinz Berggruen, bringing together the greatest artists - Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse and Alberto Giacometti - is being unveiled to the public from 2 October to 27 January 2025 at the Musée de l'Orangerie.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is dedicating its Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &... exhibition to the Pop-Art artistic movement, from 16 October 2024, while the Musée Picasso is devoting a retrospective to Jackson Pollock and his early creative years, from 15 October to 19 January 2025.

From 8 October, the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac will be offering the Zombis: la mort n'est pas une fin? exhibition, taking visitors on a journey to Haiti to discover the origins of this myth.

From 16 October 2024 to 30 March 2025, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs explores the notion of intimacy in the exhibition Intimacy, from the bedroom to social networks, and shows how our relationship with this notion has evolved over the centuries.

At the Maison Européeenne de la Photographie photography institution, the exhibition Science/Fiction, a non-history of plants explores the links between the arts, technology and science, and runs from 16 October 2024 to 19 January 2025.

In October, visitors can also discover the work of a leading figure in modern Brazilian art in an event dedicated to Tarsila do Amaral at the Luxembourg Museum from 9 October 2024 to 2 February 2024.

And don't miss The Birth of Department Stores. Fashion, design, toys, advertising. 1852-1925 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs until 13 October 2024, and the exhibition Cheval en majesté, au cœur d'une civilisation at the Château de Versailles, which closes on 3 November 2024.


BOOK YOUR EXHIBITION IN PARIS

Concerts in Paris in October 2024

© Adolfo Félix via Unsplash

In autumn, Paris never sleeps, quite the opposite! Get a glimpse of the best concerts to see in October 2024.

The greatest hits of Jean-Jacques Goldman will be performed at the Zénith in Paris on 12 October 2024 thanks to Goldmen, a musical tribute to the singer-songwriter who hasn’t given a concert for almost 20 years.

At the same venue a few days later, on 30 October, a concert by the metal band Sepultura.

On the bill on 4 October 2024 at La Cigale, is the French rock band Stuck in The Sound, which is on tour and has released a new album.

At L'Olympia, there is rap on 4 October with Yuston XIII and a festive dancehall vibe in a concert by Collectif Métissé on 31 October 2024.

Shows in Paris in October 2024

And there's a packed programme of shows too! In October, don't miss the director's immersive stage version of the cult 90s film La Haine. Matthieu Kassovitz will be presenting his retelling at the Seine Musicale from 10 October 2024.

Why not take a trip back to the 2000s? I gotta feeling is the perfect show to relive the hits of those years. On 4 October 2024, the Dôme de Paris will be welcoming Billy Crawford, Nâdiya, Priscilla and other artists from that era.

Choreographer Léo Walk is at the Salle Pleyel with La Maison d'en face, performed by his dance company La Marche Bleue, on 1 and 2 October. 2024.

For more dance, head to the Palais des Congrès from 18 to 26 October 2024 to discover the two programmes performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For more dance, head to the Palais des Congrèsfrom 18 to 26 October 2024 to discover the two programmes performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

For comedy, Marianne James is at the Casino de Paris on 23 October 2024, Jarry from 24 to 27 October 2024 at the Olympia, and Bérengère Krief from 9 October to 31 December 2024 at the Théâtre de l'Oeuvre with a new show.

Children's outings in Paris in October 2024

During the Autumn school break (from 19 October to 3 November 2024), kids celebrate Halloween on 31 October with their spookiest fancy dress costumes and can catch one or more films at the film festival for young audiences ‘Mon premier festival’.

More info on Halloween

And for moreindoor activities, here's a selection of places where kids can be active and have fun regardless of the weather.

Kids love climbing and there’s no better place than in a climbing gym. Arkose (Nation, Montmartre, Montreuil…), MurMur (Pantin, Issy) or Vertical’Art (in the 13th and 18th arrondissements).

A town just for kids? That's the concept behind Palomano (in Clichy), a theme park that has recreated a small town indoors. Children can dress up in fancy dress, go shopping, get their hair done, go to the doctor and go to the restaurant!

Sporting events in Paris in October 2024

© Scoopdyga

Autumn also sees the return of running competitions. And the 46th edition of the Vredestein 20 km de Paris will take place on 13 October 2024. This year's theme is dance, and the race, which takes place in the west of the capital, is also open to kids with Vredestein 20kids.

The 27th edition of the Parisienne takes place on 20 October 2024. This race exclusively for women is run over a distance of either 7km, or 10 km in Paris; the event is accompanied by a festival of sport on 18 and 19 October 2024.

In terms of professional competitions, there is the Rolex Paris Masters from 26 October to 3 November 2024. Come and watch this men's ATP Tour tennis tournament at the Accor Arena. Finally, at the Hippodrome de Longchamp, all eyes are on the horses and jockeys during the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on 5 and 6 October 2024.

More ideas