July 14
Bastille Day festivities
The traditional firemen’s balls have been cancelled this year, but fireworks will light up the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars at 11 pm.
Eiffel Tower/Champ de Mars, Paris
July 16-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, July 16-August 6
More free outdoor films
Ciné Quartier 13 shows movies in the parks of the 13th arrondissement on Friday evenings.
Various locations, Paris
Through August 22
Paris beaches
During the summer, the banks of the river and canals are transformed into miniature beaches for Paris Plages. Above: Deckchairs on the banks of the Seine.
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 July 24
Young Musical Talents
The Festival Européen Jeunes Talents gives promising young classical, jazz and contemporary musicians from all over Europe a chance to perform in Paris.
Archives Nationales, Paris
July 25
Vintage vehicles
Retro cars and motorbikes take to the streets of Paris for the 12th annual Traversée de Paris, beginning at the National Vintage Cars conservatory.
Antony, 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 July 18
International cuisine
For the Refugee Food Festival, restaurants in Paris and around the world will invite a refugee chef into their kitchens to concoct specialties from their home countries, from Georgia to Syria and Sri Lanka.
Various locations, Paris
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 July 19
Live and direct
The Centre Pompidou presents various concerts and shows.
Centre Pompidou, Paris
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 July 17
Olympic Preparation
Le Carreau du Temple presents Festival Jogging 2021, which will host sports festivals each July to prepare Parisians for the 2024 Olympics. This year’s edition includes sessions on inclusive sports, demonstrations of unique sports from around the world and a roller-dance party for Bastille Day.
Le Carreau du Temple, 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
July 14
French movies with English subtitles
Lost in Frenchlation presents a Bastille Day special: La Fille du 14 Juillet (The Rendez-Vous of Déjà-Vu), directed by Antonin Peretjatko.
Online
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.