Paris Events for July 2018
Paris events during July include some of the year's most exciting things to do and see: the Tour de France bicycle race finishes with a flourish down the Champs-Élysées, city beaches complete with sand and palm trees pop up next to the Seine River, and Bastille Day fireworks at the Eiffel Tower lights up the night skies.
And that's just the beginning of the exciting events in July - many of them free and outdoors, taking advantage of the glorious July weather.
You can drop in on a Fireman's Ball for some pre-Bastille Day celebration, catch the famous summer sales, and perhaps spot a few models from Paris Fashion Week - Haute Couture takes place in July.
You'll also find free outdoor film festivals, concerts, and art shows.
Get ready to have a spectacular time in the City of Lights, and enjoy the long sunny days and fun things to do that makes July one of the best months for visiting Paris.
Bastille Day Celebrations & Fireworks
Bastille Day, the biggest Paris summer holiday and a national celebration throughout France, always takes place on July 14, the anniversary of the storming of the infamous Bastille prison in 1789 - a turning point in the French Revolution.
The day starts with a huge military parade down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde including a flyover of military aircraft that you can see from most points in the city. A special tribute will be given to the United States this year to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of our entry into World War I.
Military ceremonies begin at 10am, the flyover takes place at about 10:45am, and the parade kicks off at 11am, and lasts almost an hour. Arrive early if you want to stake out a good viewing location along the Champs Élysées.
A spectacular fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars begins at 11pm, and lasts about half an hour. Gather on the Champ de Mars with a blanket and picnic from noon on to relax and enjoy free concerts, including an opera under Tour Eiffel beginning at 9:30pm.
More to Enjoy: Firemen's Balls (see next July event) at the fire station in each Paris district (arrondissement) on July 13th or 14th.
Firemen's Balls
Want to celebrate Bastille Day like a true Parisian? Attend one or more of the Firemen's Balls- Bals des Pompiers - held on July 13th and/or 14th as the main fire house in each Paris arrondissement (district) opens its barracks and courtyards and welcomes the public for an all-night party with music, dancing, and drinking Champagne or beer.
The Bals des Pompiers start at 9pm and end at 4am. Depending on the fire house, they take place on July 13 or July 14 - and in a few cases, on both dates.
Tour de France Grand Finale in Paris - 2018
Arrival time in Paris is hard to predict and varies every year, but somewhere between 3:30 and 5:30 is a reasonable guess. The final Paris stretch includes 10 laps up and down Champs-Élysées and around the Tuileries Garden - which gives you plenty of chances to see the racers.
You can watch the race anywhere along this route, but viewing areas along Champs-Élysées fill up quickly due to barriers keeping you back from the street and "privitized" areas used for outdoor dining by restaurants and other businesses. Tuileries Garden and areas on the other side of surrounding streets are usually somewhat less crowded, and especially if you get there early, you can usually find a good place.
Keep in mind that most metro stations along and near the route will be closed for much of the day, and city buses will be re-routed.
July Concerts in Paris - 2018
Photo courtesy of Raph_PH
- Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Sainte-Chapelle - July 1, 6, 8, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 27, 30 - Tickets
- Don Pasquale - Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier) - July 2, 6, 9, 12 - Tickets
- Boris Godunov - Opéra National de Paris (Opera Bastille) - July 2, 6, 9, 12 - Tickets
- Jack White - L'Olympia - July 3 - July 4
- Verdi's Il Trovotore - Paris National Opera (Bastille) - July 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, 14 - Tickets
- Vivaldi's Four Seasons - La Madeleine Church - July 4, 10, 14, 20, 24, 28 - Tickets
- Satie, Liszt, and Beethoven: Piano at Saint Ephrem on July 4, 5, 12, 18, 25 - Tickets
- Iron Maiden - AccorHotels Arena - July 5 - July 6
- Fnac Live Music Festival - in front of City Hall - July 5, 6, 7 - Free
- Bach Suites for Violoncello Solo - Saint Ephrem Church - July 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 27, 30 - Tickets
- Ed Sheeran at Stade de France, Saint-Denis (Paris suburb) - Choose from 2 dates: July 6 - July 7
- Earth Wind and Fire - Palais des Congrès - July 7 - Tickets
- La Sainte-Chapelle Concerts - Sainte Chapelle - July 7, 14, 17, 20, 23, 28, 31 - Tickets
- Carlos Santana - AccorHotels Arena - July 7 - Tickets
- Mozart & Bach - Sainte Chapelle - July 7, 18, 26 - Tickets
- Concerts in Saint Germain des Près Church - July 7, 13, 21, 28 - Tickets
- La Bohème: An Adaptation - Opéra Comique - July 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 - Tickets
- Chopin by Candlelight - Saint Ephrem Church - July 9, 15, 21, 29 - Tickets
- Mozart Requiem with Goldoni Quartet - Sainte-Chapelle - July 15, 21, 24, 29 - Tickets
Paris Plages 2018
Paris Plages ("Paris Beaches") transforms parts of Paris into fun-filled beaches each summer.
You'll find Paris Plages at several main locations: Both the Left and Right Banks of the Parc Rives de Seine where deck chairs, umbrellas, sand, grass, and palm trees line both sides of the river, the Esplanade in front of City Hall, and La Villette Canal Basin in the 19th arrondissement where you can float in the huge Paris Plages swimming pools as well as enjoy canoeing, other water sports, and even a zipline along the Quai de Loire.
Dates: July 7 - September 2
Summer Sales on Designer Fashions - 2018
The famous Paris summer sales run from June 27 - August 7. Look for Soldes signs in store windows all over the city, often followed by the amount of the reduction - typically 30-40% at the beginning, and soaring as high as 70-80% at toward the end.
Best places to find bargains? Everywhere! Luxury labels such as Chanel, Valentino, and Armani draw huge crowds - ditto for Galeries Lafayette, BHV, Bon Marché, and Au Printemps - but don't ignore smaller boutiques and even global mid-market chains.
As usual, coveted Hermès bags, shoes, clothing, and other goodies go on sale for only 2 days this time - June 27, 2018 (9am-8:30pm) and June 28, 2018 (9am-6pm) offsite at Palais de Congrès near Porte Maillot.
Paris Tours for Fashionistas
Paris Fashion Week - July 2018
Haute Couture Fashion Week takes place in Paris from July 1 - July 5 for designers to present their Fall/Winter 2018-2019 collections.
The best places to catch a glimpse of the models (assuming you're not going to the invitation-only shows) are near the venue locations - the Grand Palais in the ritzy 8th arrondissement near the ornate Pont Alexandre III bridge, Espace Eiffel near the Branly Museum on the other side of the Seine, and at a variety of smaller, hipper venues scattered around the city. The trendy Marais neighborhood, especially around Place des Vosges, and Palais Royal (shown in photo) are always good model-spotting locations.
Paris l'Été (formerly Paris Quartier d'Été) - 2018
Want a fun excuse to explore different Paris neighborhood while celebrating summer in the city? The annual Paris l'Été Festival (Paris SummerFestival) offers free or inexpensive outdoor music, dance, circus, and performances in all parts of the city, often in unusual places - more than 70 events in 30 different locations. - and celebrates the city's cultural diversity while mixing avant-garde/off-beat events with more mainstream traditions. The festival runs from July 16 - August 4. Check Paris l'Été for schedule details.
Hotel de Ville Free Concerts - Fnac Live - 2018
Photo courtesy of Olivier Ortelpa
Don't miss three days of free live concerts by 30+ artists in front of Hôtel de Ville (Paris's City Hall) from 5pm - midnight on July 5, 6, 7, 2018 by contemporary French musicians as part of the big Paris Plages (beaches) summer event. Concerts are sponsored by French electronic retail chain Fnac (you'll see branch locations all over Paris) and usually attract around 100,000 fans.
Location: Place de Hôtel de Ville, 4th arrondissement.
Nearest Metros: Châtelet, Cité, Saint-Paul
Paris Jazz Festival - 2018
Jazz concerts take place every Saturday and Sunday for 4 weekends at Parc Floral (the Paris Botanical Garden) in Bois de Vincennes through July 22. Bring a blanket and a picnic or buy wine and a sandwich at the park's snack bar, and get ready for a relaxing afternoon and evening enjoying the sunshine, flowers, wandering peacocks, and virtuoso jazz. Concerts are free, although the park charges a small (2.50€) entrance fee during summer and early fall. Check the Festival's website for concert times and - they vary each weekend - but generally take place in the afternoon and early evening.
Getting there: Bois de Vincennes, located in 12th Arrondissement on the eastern edge of Paris, is easy to reach - just hop on RER A train or Metro Line 1 to the Chateau de Vincennes Metro Station - the park is about a 3-minute walk from the station.
Bonus idea: Arrive early and stroll through Parc Floral's famous gardens, or explore Bois de Vincennes' other attractions such as its spectacular zoo, Lac Daumesnil, the aquarium, and 14th century Château de Vincennes.
Outdoor Movies at Parc de la Villette - 2018
Free outdoor movies return to Parc de la Villette again this summer for the Cinéma en Plein Air.
On most Wednesday through Sunday evenings (yes, 5 nights/week this year instead of just 4!) during five weeks in July and August, great mix of classic films and recent hits are shown in their original language with French subtitles as soon as the sky is dark enough. (Sunset in Paris occurs around 10pm at the beginning of July and 9:30pm at the en..)
Bring a blanket to sit on, or rent a folding chair for 7€, or 5 folding chairs for 20€.
Movie selections feature a theme each year - and this year's theme is singing!
Cinéma en Plein Air Lineup for July:
July 18 - La La Land in karaoke version
(English)
July 19 -
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (English)
July 20 -
ARTE does karaoke (French)
July 21 - Kids movie day at Little Villette and Screening of The Jungle Book at night (English)
July 22 -Yellow Submarine (English)
July 25 - Leningrad Cowboys go America (English)
July 26 - Holy Motors (English, French, Chinese)
July 27 -Dancer in the Dark (English)
July 28 - L'Île Jaune (French) followed by Love Songs (French)
July 29 - Jules et Jim (French)
Dates: July 18 - August 19; see Paris Events in August for the August lineup and dates
Nearest Metro: Porte de Pantin
Paris Exhibits - Must-See Shows during July
Imagine Van Gogh Exhibit
@ The Grand Hall at Parc de la Villette, July 23 - September 10 - An immersive experience based on the work of Vincent Van Gogh with music by Saint-Saens, Satie, Bach. Open daily 10am-7pm, and Saturday until 10pm (last admission at 8:30pm). Tickets 14.90€.
Location: Parc de la Villette (19e). Nearest Metro: Porte de Pantin.
More info: www.imagine-vangogh.com
Rodin, the Centennial Exhibition
@ Grand Palais, through July 31 - More than 200 magnificent works by Rodin plus his contemporaries - Matisse, Picasso, Bourdelle, Brancusi, Giacommetti, and others. Tickets 14€.
Location: Grand Palais, 8e. Nearest Metro: Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau
More info: rodin100.org
David Hockney
@ Centre Pompidou (Rue Saint-Martin, 4e), June 21 - October 23 - In celebration of David Hockney's 80th birthday, this retrospective exhibition lets you see over 100 of this English artist's representative works almost 20 years after his Paris debut at the Pompidou. Exhibit included with museum admission of 12€.
Location: Rue Saint-Martin, 4e. Nearest Metros: Rambuteau, Hôtel de Ville, Châtelet. RER: Châtelet les Halles, lines A, B, D
La Fête Foraine des Tuileries - 2018
La Fête Foraine des Tuileries - literally, a "Fun Fair," or carnival - suddenly pops up in Paris's Tuileries Garden toward the end of June for two months of non-stop entertainment. With a giant ferris wheel (hint: bring your camera for great shots of Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower), carousels, bumper cars, gut-wrenching rides for thrill seekers, children's games, and a lot more, the carnival entertains families with kids, teens, and everyone else seeking fun throughout the rest of the summer.
If you're visiting Paris, combine a stroll through Tuileries Garden and the Fête Foraine with a visit to other nearby attractions: the treasure-filled Louvre, Monet's giant Water Lily paintings at Musée de l'Orangerie at the opposite corner of the garden, and the Carrousel du Louvre underground shopping center next to the Tuileries metro station.
When: Through August 25, 11am to 11:45pm (12:45am Friday-Sunday)
Where: Jardin Tuileries (Tuileries Garden), 1st arrondissement (enter through the gate near the Tuileries metro station)
Metro: Tuileries
Admission: Free - plus whatever you spend on rides and games (most cost between 2-12€)
