ENJOYING PARIS - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 295

This is the one day of the year when the Tourist Office on
the Champs-Elysées is closed.
8 May: Victoire 1945 (V-E Day) —a national holiday.
Celebrates the World War II victory in Europe in 1945 with
a parade on the Champs-Elysées.
Mid-May: Les Cinq Jours de l'Objet Extraordinaire. Many
antique shops on the Left Bank hold open houses.
Sixth Thursday after Easter: Ascension (Ascension
Day) —a national holiday.
Second Monday after Ascension Day: Pentecôte
(Pentecost) —a national holiday. Pilgrimages to
Sacré-Coeur.
Late May: French Open Tennis Championships. Two-week
tennis tournament, one of the four annual 'Grand Slams',
held at Stade Roland Garros in the Bois de Boulogne.
Late May: Festival de Paris. Dance, theatre and music at
various locations.
Mid-May to July: Festival de Jazz de Paris. Jazz concerts
throughout the city.
Last Sunday: Fête des Mères. The same commercial hype
for Mother's Day as anywhere else.
June
All month: Foire Saint-Germain. Held at place Saint-
Sulpice, this varied fair features poetry readings,
music, lectures and more. One of the most popular of
the year.
All month: Festival de Saint-Denis. Several weeks of
classical music at Saint-Denis, a suburb to the north.
Early June, odd numbered years only: Salon International
de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace. Paris Air Show
with displays of aircraft and air shows, held at the
Parc des Expositions du Bourget, which is at the Le
Bourget airport.
Mid-June, on a Sunday some weeks after Mother's Day:
Fête des Pères (Father's Day).
Mid-June/July: Festival du Marais. Music, dance and
theatre in the historic hôtels particuliers (townhouses) in
the Marais.