Inspiration

14 Paris Events Worth Traveling For: Fall 2016

Paris is beautiful no matter when you go. But there's something particularly thrilling about being there in the fall, including annual traditions involving red wine and chocolate, a street party where it's required to stay up all night, and special catch-them-now-or-you'll-miss-them events like a Magritte retrospective and the Pitchfork Festival.
  • Image may contain Human Person Dance Ballet Bird Animal Dance Pose Leisure Activities and Ballerina
    Courtesy Festival d’Automne à Paris

    Festival d’Automne à Paris (September 7-December 31)

    The French take their devotion to arts and culture so seriously that four months out of the year are dedicated to the Festival d’Automne à Paris, or Paris Fall Festival. Whether you're interested in dance (a night dedicated to the work of Lucinda Childs, pictured), film (a roundup of American indie shorts), or performance (Charlotte Rampling and Tilda Swinton re-creating iconic photographs), there's definitely at least one event worth putting on your calendar.

  • © Adagp, Paris 2016 © Photothèque R. Magritte / Banque d’Images, Adagp, Paris, 2016

    Magritte at Centre Pompidou (September 21-January 23)

    This fall and winter, the Centre Pompidou is paying homage to the Belgian Surrealist artist Rene Magritte with a retrospective entitled "The Treachery of Images," which gets its name from Magritte's famous "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" painting. The exhibit includes paintings, drawings, and letters.

  • Getty

    Fête de la Gastronomie (September 23-25)

    Going to Paris to do nothing but eat is a totally acceptable vacation strategy, and the annual Fête de la Gastronomie makes it easy to justify a long weekend. This year's festival, which is themed around "Popular Cuisine," includes everything from different chefs discussing their favorite way to cook duck to a conversation about how Thai food became so popular in France. If you only attend one event, make sure it's the International Gastronomy Village, which is packed with tastings and accompanied by music, in case you wanted to stimulate two senses at once.

  • Getty

    Garden Festival (September 24-25)

    During Paris's annual Garden Festival, some 150 parks and gardens around the city (including Parc Monceau, pictured, in the 8th arrondissement) are open to the public for walks, picnics, botany lectures, guided tours, and workshops aimed at novice gardeners.

Trending Stories
  • Photo by Yann Caradec

    Nuit Blanche (October 1)

    The City of Light hits new levels of brightness on Nuit Blanche, or White Night, a citywide event held every first Saturday in October from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Free art installations, light displays, and live music performances shine across the city. Bonus: Paris's first-ever museum dedicated to street art, Art42, will open to the public for the first time during Nuit Blanche.

  • Getty

    Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre (October 5-9)

    Montmartre is one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods—but it turns into an all-out street party during the four-day Fête des Vendanges festival. Doors around the neighborhood open up to host everything from wine tastings to garden tours to storytelling events. The big finale is a fireworks display (the theme is "freedom") in front of Sacre-Coeur that you will definitely want to Instagram.

Trending Stories
  • Courtesy Le Bristol

    Wine Mondays at Le Bristol (Begins October 10)

    The iconic Hotel Le Bristol is trying to make the Monday back-to-work blues a little easier with their new Wine Mondays program. Each Monday, the hotel's 114 Faubourg restaurant hosts four course dinners with wine pairings, with a wine expert who will walk guests through the evening's vintages.

  • Getty

    The Tuileries (year round)

    Located in the 1st arrondissement, the Tuileries Gardens are one of Paris's most elegant places to flâner. Fall is a particularly beautiful time for a stroll, thanks to the crisp air and the opportunities to people-watch (how do Parisians manage to own so many beautiful scarves?), but keep in mind that there's no French translation for "leaf peeping."

Trending Stories
  • Courtesy Pitchfork Music Festival Paris

    Pitchfork Music Festival Paris (October 27-29)

    For three days, the Grande Halle de la Villette cultural space in the buzzy 19th arrondissement will play host to the Pitchfork Paris music festival, whose headlining acts include M.I.A., DJ Shadow, and Bat for Lashes. Indie lovers should be sure to check out Pitchfork Avant-Garde in the days leading up to the main event, which features up-and-coming artists in smaller, more intimate spaces.

  • Gallery Stock

    Salon du Chocolat (October 28–November 1)

    Paris is arguably the best city in the world for chocolate lovers, so the sweetest of tooth should head there in the fall for the annual Salon du Chocolat. There's a little bit of everything here: samples, more samples, the live-streamed crowning of a master chocolatier, even more samples, and, making its debut, a chocolate education area just for kids.

Trending Stories
  • Courtesy Paris Photo

    Paris Photo (November 10-13)

    The annual Paris Photo fair at the Grand Palais showcases the best photography around the world. This year’s exhibitions include work from Berenice Abbott, Nan Goldin, Joseph Sterling, David Hockney, and more, so be prepared to get inspired—and feel an urge to redecorate your living room. If you can't afford an original Ansel Adams, hang out near the entrance so you'll be the first to spot a celebrity or art star on the way in.

  • Getty

    Armistice Day (November 11)

    Every November 11, the entire nation of France gathers to commemorate the end of World War I. Schools and most businesses are closed for the day (translation: if you need to go to the bank, go yesterday), and Paris plays host to a grand military parade that concludes at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe. Don't be surprised if you see otherwise disaffected Parisians tear up a little at the sight of a tricolor flag.

Trending Stories
  • Alamy

    Beaujolais Nouveau Day (November 17)

    The French love their wine so much that it gets a national holiday. Every third Thursday in November is Beaujolais Nouveau Day, when that year's vintage is officially released at 12:01 a.m. The French make a big show of shipping the first bottles from Beaujolais to Paris—in the past they have come via horseback, hot air balloon, and even Concorde jet. To celebrate the happy event, there are fireworks, bright lights, and dancing, but let's be honest—you're here for the vin rouge.

  • Courtesy Le Salon du Cheval de Paris

    Le Salon du Cheval de Paris (November 26–December 4)

    One of the world’s most important equestrian events, Le Salon du Cheval, takes place in Paris every autumn. Some 2,000 horses and riders will be at the Nord Villepinte center for a week’s worth of shows, competitions, and classes. People also flock here to to buy horses—there's a certain thrill to petting a horse worth more than your house.

TopicsPhotography