Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mid-June: Grand Steeplechase de Paris. Annual steeplechase
at the Auteuil racetrack in the Bois de Boulogne.
Mid-June to mid-July: Festival Chopin à Paris. An annual
Chopin festival held in the Orangerie de Bagatelle of the
Bois de Boulogne.
21 June: Fête de la Musique. A vibrant welcome of summer
with music played in all parks and many squares and street
corners. The Champ de Mars, the esplanade leading to the
Eiffel Tower, sometimes welcomes half a million music
lovers until the wee hours of the morning, with major
programmes and performers.
Late June: Course des Garçons de Café. Waiters run an
8-km course around the Hôtel de Ville, carrying trays with
full glasses of beer.
Late June: Grand Prix de Paris. Horse race at Longchamp
racecourse, in the Bois de Boulogne.
Later June: Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans Pride March. Held
near the Bastille, this is one of the happening events of the
year, with floats and wild costumes.
July
July/August: Le Cinéma en Plein Air. Free films on a big
screen in the park at La Villette. They start when it gets
dark, which can be quite late. Bring a blanket or deck chair
for the grass and make yourself comfortable.
Early July: Foire Internationale d'Art au Grand Palais.
International art exhibition at the Grand Palais.
13 July: Bastille Day Eve. Festivities to open Bastille
day, including Les Bals des Pompiers—balls organised
by the Fire Department in various districts. They take
place in the streets, attracting numbers who dance
for hours.
14 July: Le 14 Juillet
—a national holiday. Impressive
military parade on the Champs-Elysées and fireworks
after sunset (that is, quite late) at the Trocadéro. Get to
the Champ de Mars early—half a million people come
to picnic and enjoy the evening. If there is a theatre
production that interests you, national theatres are free
on 14 July.
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