Stefan

To most, August in Paris means one thing: les vacances! Each summer, following Bastille Day (July 14), Parisians ditch their usual city dwellings and head to country homes and seaside escapes for the remainder of the summer. This, however, does not result in Paris as a complete ghost town. Quite the contrary! August in Paris is a time for festivals and cultural events of all sorts, keeping tourists and remaining locals entertained and full of summer spirit. Whether you are interested in a high-energy music festival or a relaxing evening in the park, the City of Light has got you covered.

Fun and Games

Paris Plage – (e)Spry

Who said you have to ditch Paris for the South to soak up some rays on France’s best shores? From July 20 through August 20, the banks of Paris’ own Seine River and Bassin de la Villette will transform into veritable sandy beaches in this year’s 9th annual Paris Plages. Lie out on one of Paris Plage’s 800 lounge chairs under a real palm tree or partake in some beach-side activities, such as boating, badminton, pétanque, Tai Chi and dance classes. In association with Paris Plages, Fnac’s music festival, FnacIndétendances, hosted outside the Hôtel de Ville will feature over 30 free concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 5 p.m. from July 23rd through August 14th. The line-up includes Arno, Arpad Flynn, Beat Assailant, Lafayette, and Acid Washed. Click here to check out the full line up. For more information on Paris Plage’s plethora of activities and events, check out the official web page here.

What would summer be without a good old-fashioned carnival? Spanning June 26th to August 22nd, the Fête Foraine des Tuileries has all the classics: a carousel, Ferris wheel, games, sugary treats, and so much more. The best part? It all takes place right in the center of Paris in the city’s most renowned garden! The festival is open from 11 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Sunday – Thursday and 11 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Friday, Saturday and holidays. Entrance is free and attractions cost 2-10 € each per person.

Music

Indétendances Music Festival by Hotel de Ville – Flickr.Whisker

Every summer since 2003, Paris has played host to three-day music festival Rock en Seine at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud. This year, Rock en Seine will take place on August 27, 28 and 29, and has a line-up that includes both rock-and-roll heavy hitters such as Blink 182 and Queens of the Stone Age, and cult-followed indie rockers like Beirut and LCD Soundsystem. Tickets are available through Rock en Seine’s official website and cost 99 euros for all three days or 45 euros for each individual day. Coming with kids? Drop them off at Rock en Seine’s Mini Rock, a supervised pint-sized children’s festival full of music and hands-on creativity where youngsters can frolic freely while their parents rock out. For the full line-up, practical information and tickets, click here.
If loud music and rowdy crowds aren’t your thing, or if you’re just looking for a cheap and entertaining way to spend an evening, then check out the Festival Classique au Vert, a series of classical music performances held at the Parc floral de Paris every Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. from August 7th to September 26th. Adult tickets cost 5€, tickets for those between the ages of 7 and 25 cost 2,50 € and admission is free for children under 7. For more information, visit Festival Classique au Vert’s website here.

Cinema

Cinéma en Plein Air will be hosting its 20th annual movie line-up at the Parc de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement. The festival will show movies every evening at nightfall from July 17 through August 22 in the park’s Prairie du Triangle. Films range from American favorites Grease (August 22) and Juno (August 5) to French hits like L’Auberge Espagnole (July 30) and celebrated foreign flicks like Brazil’s City of God (August 3). For the full program listing, visit Cinéma en Plein Air’s official site. Movie showings are subject to cancellation due to inclimate weather. To find out about cancellations, dial 01 40 03 76 92 beginning 8 p.m. the night of the show.

Boules – The French Version of Bocce – Docfuscusager

Alternate outdoor movie-screening series Cinéma au Clair de Lune presents its films mostly every night from Thursday through Sunday at 9:30 p.m. The films will be hosted in various parks throughout the city, such as Parc Montsouris in the 14th and the Jardin des Champs-Elysées in the 8th. The line-up this year includes French films À bout de Souffle (August 5), Le Couturier de ces Dames (August 15) and La Science des Rêves (August 22). For more information, visit Cinéma au Clair de Lune’s official page here.

Related Links:

• Secrets of Paris’ August Parisian events calendar
• The Paris Kitchen’s favorite Paris restaurants open in August
• Eye Prefer Paris’ Eye Need To Do’s in August

Written by Marisa Morrison for the HiP Paris Blog. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

Sunbathers in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Photo by Tory Hoen

You may have heard rumors that Paris empties out in August. As it turns out, the rumors are largely true. But before you start envisioning a Parisian ghost town—tumbleweeds rolling down the Champs-Elysées—take it from us: August is a wonderful time to be in Paris. As many locals head to the coast and many businesses close up for the month, you can feel the city’s pulse slow down. Traffic decreases, picnickers multiply, people become friendlier, they linger in parks and enjoy balmy evenings on café terraces throughout the city. In August, Paris settles and simply enjoys itself.

In the past, many tourists have avoided the month of August, deterred by the fear that many restaurants and businesses might be closed, or that Paris in August is not the “real” Paris. Nowadays, there is no need to worry about such things. While the “August atmosphere” is more relaxed and unhurried, there is plenty to do during this wonderful month; and many locals believe it’s actually the best moment to take advantage of the city.  In addition, visitors can often find special deals and lower rates at this time of the year.

Photo Erica Berman – Park in Paris in August

Restaurants & Food: Neither locals nor visitors go hungry in August. While some restaurants close for part (or all) of the month, many stay open to receive tourists and locals alike. If you have a specific restaurant in mind, it’s always best to reserve ahead. If you’re not pressed for time, stroll around and see what you stumble upon! Some of Paris’ best food can be found in restaurants that are slightly off the beaten path.

August is also a wonderful time to take advantage of fresh produce by cooking for yourself. Open-air markets (such as Place Monge and Blvd Raspail) maintain their regular schedules. And famous food streets (rue Mouffetard in the 5^th, rue Cler in the 7^th) welcome hungry visitors. Some food shops may close for select days in August, but in general, they will coordinate their closings with other shops in the neighborhood, so as not to inconvenience the locals. If you do find that your favorite boulangerie has closed for the day, chances are you won’t have to look far for another. August is a great time to discover culinary secrets that you would have otherwise missed!

Shopping and Museums: While some small, privately owned boutiques may close during August, Paris’ large department stores (BHV, Le Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette) remain open, as do most larger boutiques and international chains. All major museums such as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Rodin Museum maintain their regular hours.

Statue in the garden at the Musée Rodin. Photo by Tory Hoen

Culture: The number and variety of cultural events provides another great reason to head to Paris in August. Film buffs will want to take advantage of the warm weather by attending Paris’ two major open-air film festivals, Cinema en Plein Air and Clair de Lune. Cinema en Plein Air takes place in Parc de la Villette from July 15-August 16. Clair de Lune screenings take place in different neighborhoods around the city between August 5^th and 23^rd. Both film series are free and open to the public. At the end of August, one of Paris’ most anticipated music events of the year rolls into town. From August 28-30, Rock en Seine takes place at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, just outside Paris (Metro: Pont de St-Cloud, Line 10). This year’s line-up will feature MGMT, Oasis, Vampire Weekend, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, and Birdy Nam Nam. A 3-day pass, which will get you into every show over the course of the weekend, goes for 99€ and 1-day passes are 45€.

The Great Outdoors: Finally, we don’t have to remind you that summer is the best time to linger in parks, stroll along the Seine, and loiter along the banks of the Canal St. Martin. All of Paris’ parks and public spaces are open everyday and are entirely free to the public. No matter what your style—the dramatic Jardin du Luxembourg, the elegant Parc Monceau, the wild Parc des Buttes Chaumont—Paris has it all. In addition, the much acclaimed Paris Plages festival runs from July 20-August 20. Grab some sunscreen and spend the day at Paris’ very own beach—complete with palm trees, lounge chairs, beach cabanas and sporting activities.

Jardin du Luxembourg. Photo by Tory Hoen

So if you’ve delayed making plans for your summer getaway, it’s not too late. A low-key August in Paris is just what you need to recharge for the year ahead.

Looking for a place to stay? Check out Haven in Paris’ last-minute summer specials on vacation rental properties. For summer specials by neighborhood:

St. Germain-des-Pres / Latin Quarter: Champollion, Vieux Colombier, Ecoles, Designer Penthouse w/ Terrace, Rue du Four

The Marais: a Roi Doré, Michel le Comte

www.haveninparis.com

Now that summer is in full swing, Parisians will seek out any excuse to loiter outside for as long as possible. Luckily, the Cinéma en Plein Air festival at the Park de la Villette gives them an excuse to do just that! Back for its 19th year, the film series runs from July 15th-August 16th and features a different film every night (except Mondays) at approx. 9:00pm (or whenever night falls) on a large outdoor screen located in the Prairie du Triangle (Metro: Porte de Pantin, Line 5). The vast lawn provides ample space for film-goers to stake out a spot, throw down their picnic blankets, and spend the evening lounging beneath the glow of the silver screen. The theme for this year’s festival is traversées, or crossings, and each film in the series will explore the significance of a journey — literal, metaphorical, or otherwise — and the process of discovery.

And what’s better than enjoying a cinematic masterpiece beneath the Parisian night sky? Doing it for free. While last year’s visitors were charged admission to the screenings (for the first time in the festival’s history), this year’s screenings are once again entirely free and open to the public in the name of “democratizing access to culture,” according to Jacques Martial, President of Parc de la Villette. Oh, France! Always outdoing itself in the name of cultural enhancement.

Photo courtesy of www.benjerry.fr