What's on in Paris, France through the year

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Winter sales

• Rule

  Winter sales

  7 Jan – 3 FebCrowded

  The state fixes the dates: four weeks of legally regulated discounting from the second Wednesday of January. Department stores are unusable on the first Saturday. Source ↗

Still on: Christmas markets (12 Nov – 4 Jan (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Winter sales

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter sales (7 Jan – 3 Feb)

Busy — between the peaks, Winter (February) holidays in France

• Nature

  Blossom on the quais

  25 Mar – 15 Apr · usuallyCherry blossom

  Cherry and magnolia come out along the Seine and in the Jardin des Plantes, usually in the first half of April, and the terraces fill the same week. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Easter weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowded

  The first real crush of the year: queues return to the Louvre and the Sainte-Chapelle, and hotel rates jump for the long weekend. Source ↗

Busy — between the peaks, Easter weekend

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Blossom on the quais (25 Mar – 15 Apr (usually)), Easter weekend (3–6 Apr)

Busy — between the peaks, May public holidays

• Holiday

  May public holidays

  1–31 May · usuallySchool holidaysClosuresCrowded

  Three or four public days land in the month and Parisians bridge them into long weekends. On 1 May almost everything shuts, including most of the metro's shops. Source ↗

• Festival

  Roland-Garros

  18 May – 7 JunMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Three weeks of tennis in the 16th, with qualifying from mid-May and the finals in the first week of June. Hotel prices in the west of the city move with it. Source ↗

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Roland-Garros

• Festival

  Marche des Fiertes

  3 OctPrideCrowdedBook early

  Paris Pride normally takes the last Saturday of June, closing a diagonal of the city for the afternoon and running late in the Marais afterwards. The organisers moved the 2026 march to 3 October, so check the date before booking for June. Source ↗

• Festival

  Fete de la Musique

  21 JunMajor festivalCrowded

  Free music on every corner on the longest evening of the year, from conservatoire quartets in courtyards to sound systems on the quais. It runs past midnight. Source ↗

Still on: Roland-Garros (18 May – 7 Jun)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Bastille Day

• Opening

  Paris-Plages

  6 Jul – 31 Aug · usuallySummer season opens

  Sand, deckchairs and pools go down along the Seine and the Bassin de la Villette for about eight weeks, free and busiest in the early evening. Source ↗

• Festival

  Bastille Day

  13–14 JulNational holidayCrowded

  The firefighters' balls on the 13th are the better half; the parade and the fireworks at the Trocadero on the 14th mean closed streets and a shut-down centre. Source ↗

• Festival

  Tour de France finish

  19–27 Jul · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The race ends on the Champs-Elysees on the final Sunday of July; the centre closes to traffic from the morning and the crowd is three deep by lunchtime. Source ↗

Still on: Marche des Fiertes (3 Oct)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in France

• Closure

  The August closures

  1–25 Aug · usually

  Bakeries and neighbourhood restaurants shut in rotation for two or three weeks and hang a paper note on the door. Museums and the big brasseries stay open. Source ↗

Still on: Paris-Plages (6 Jul – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Journees du Patrimoine

• Festival

  Journees du Patrimoine

  15–22 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  On the third weekend of September the closed doors open: ministries, the Elysee, private hotels particuliers. The good ones have queues from dawn or timed tickets. Source ↗

Busy — between the peaks, Marche des Fiertes

Nothing new starts in October.

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Christmas markets

• Festival

  Christmas markets

  12 Nov – 4 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Chalets and a fairground in the Tuileries from mid-November into the first days of January, more at La Defense and Trocadero, and a cold that is damp rather than hard. Source ↗

• Festival

  Beaujolais nouveau

  19 NovMajor festival

  The year's first wine lands on the third Thursday of November and the cafes make a night of it. The wine is beside the point and everyone knows it. Source ↗

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Christmas markets

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Christmas markets (12 Nov – 4 Jan (usually))