Between sunbathing along the Seine during Paris Plages, screening movies under the stars at La Villette, and stepping into a nighttime sound-and-light show at the Dôme des Invalides, you certainly won’t get bored in Paris this August. Here’s what’s on our agenda this month.
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August is peak tourist season in Paris, and while all of the main attractions and landmarks get most of the attention, there are also plenty of local-approved activities and events that you won’t want to miss!
So if you’re in the City of Light this month, see the sights, bien sûr, but also make time for some of these authentic ways of experiencing Parisian life. Summer in Paris is truly something special.
Here’s what’s going on in Paris this month:
Happening This August in Paris
- Calder at Fondation Louis Vuitton | Ends Aug 16, 2026
- Free Outdoor Movie Screenings at La Villette | Ends Aug 16, 2026
- Fête des Tuileries | Ends Aug 23, 2026
- Rock en Seine | Aug 26–30, 2026
- Paris Plages | Ends Aug 30, 2026
- AURA Invalides Light Show | All Month Long
- French Movie Nights with English subtitles | All Month Long
- Van Gogh & Le Petit Prince at Atelier des Lumières | Ends Sept 13, 2026
Calder at Fondation Louis Vuitton | Ends Aug 16, 2026
This summer, Calder. Rêver en équilibre has taken over the Fondation Louis Vuitton, marking a century since Alexander Calder first arrived in Paris and fifty years since his death. Nearly 300 works fill the building, tracing five decades of his career — from the wire figures and miniature circus that captivated the Parisian avant-garde in the late 1920s to the monumental mobiles and stabiles that redefined public art in the 1960s and ’70s.
Suspended in the double-height galleries designed by Frank Gehry, Calder’s mobiles turn gently with the slightest air current, transforming the exhibition into a kind of slow-motion choreography. For the first time, the show also spills out onto the lawn beside the building.
And this August is your last chance to see it!
Details:
April 15 – August 16, 2026
Fondation Louis Vuitton
8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi
75116 Paris
Free Outdoor Movie Nights in Paris | Through Aug 16, 2026
Every summer, the Parc de la Villette shows movies on a huge screen on its expansive lawn as part of its Cinéma en plein air festival. This year marks the 35th edition, themed “The Call of the Wild,” with a lineup exploring the forest as a place of contemplation, adventure, and ecological reflection.
Highlights include The Animal Kingdom, Okja, Arrietty, and My Neighbor Totoro, all shown in V.O. As always, this popular Paris event is free, and this year each evening now offers two screenings — a family-friendly session at 18:00, followed by the main feature at 21:00.
You can pay online ahead of time to reserve a lawn chair for 6€.
Details:
July 22 – August 16, 2026
Parc de la Villette, 75019 Paris
Metro Porte de Pantin
Free
Fête des Tuileries | June 20 – Aug 23, 2026
Every summer, the Jardins des Tuileries hosts a huge fair. The crowds flock to the iconic Parisian gardens to ride one of the manèges or enjoy some sweet and fluffy cotton candy, called barbe à papa.
The Ferris Wheel and giant swing offer some incredible views of Paris and some fun photo opportunities too! It’s free to enter the fairground, but you have to pay per ride or game.
Details:
June 20 – August 23, 2026
Every day: 11:00 – 23:30
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris
Free entry
Rock en Seine | Aug 26 – 30, 2026
Closing out the Paris summer festival season in style, Rock en Seine returns to the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud for five days of concerts across four stages.
This year’s headliners are The Cure, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Tyler, The Creator (his only French date of 2026) with a long list of other great acts on the lineup including Deftones, Turnstile, and Franz Ferdinand.
The festival’s easy to get to from central Paris via Metro Line 10 or the T2 tram.
Details:
August 26 – 30, 2026
Domaine national de Saint-Cloud
Place Georges Clémenceau, Saint-Cloud
Metro Line 10 (Musée de Sèvres) or T2 tram
Paris Plages 2026 | July 4 – Aug 30, 2026
It might not be the same as a true beach vacation, but every summer the City of Paris does its best to make spending time on the riverbanks feel like a seaside retreat.
There are also picnic tables, pop-up bars, and concession stands so you can spend all day or evening along the water, reading a book in one of the lounge chairs or enjoying an apéro with friends with your feet in the sand.
And you can even swim in the Seine!
Free supervised swimming spots are set up at the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal Saint-Martin, alongside the usual sunbathing areas, water sports, and entertainment along the Parc Rives de Seine.
Details:
July 4 – August 30, 2026
Bassin de la Villette & Canal Saint-Martin, 75019 / 75010 Paris
Parc Rives de Seine, Central Paris
Free entry
AURA Invalides | All Month Long
Once night falls and the crowds have gone home, the Dôme des Invalides takes on an entirely different character. AURA Invalides is a nighttime, multisensory experience that uses light, video mapping, and orchestral music to bring the monument’s architecture and history to life from the inside.
Over the course of a 50-minute walking tour, you’re guided through the Dôme and its six chapels across three movements — evoking the building’s construction, its collective memory, and a final, more contemplative sequence inspired by the spirit of the site. It’s a striking, respectful way to experience one of Paris’s grandest monuments after hours, and the show is understandable regardless of language.
Note that it’s not recommended for children under 5, and there are flickering lights and a loud sound and music throughout.
Details:
All Month Long, evening sessions
Dôme des Invalides, 2 Place Vauban, 75007 Paris
Metro Saint-François-Xavier or École Militaire
Tickets required
French Movies with English Subtitles | All Month Long
Every month, Lost in Frenchlation hosts French film nights with English subtitles at various movie theaters in Paris. And this summer, they’re showing three movies a week as part of their Cinema Summer Camp.
These screenings are a great way too meet other English-speakers in Paris and see the latest French flicks and cult classics without needing to be fluent. Plus, the movie theaters are air conditioned!
Details:
Throughout Paris
Tickets: From 7.50€
Get your tickets on the official Lost in Frenchlation site
Van Gogh & Le Petit Prince at Atelier des Lumières | Ends Sept 11 & 13, 2026
This summer, the Atelier des Lumières is running a double bill of its most beloved immersive shows.
Van Gogh, La Nuit Étoilée is back for a newly “enriched” edition, with reworked scenography and new animations. Every Monday, Thursday, and Friday, the Atelier des Lumières projects Van Gogh’s most famous paintings in 360º, from floor to ceiling, accompanied by beautiful music to help you appreciate his oeuvre in a new light — from the dark, muddy tones of his Dutch years to the sun-drenched color of Provence.
Meanwhile, Le Petit Prince, l’Odyssée immersive returns on Wednesdays and Sundays to mark the 80th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved book. Saint-Exupéry’s original watercolors are projected at the scale of the old foundry’s walls and floors, carrying visitors from the desert to asteroid B612 across a 50-minute journey through the stars — a favorite with kids and francophiles of any age.
Each show lasts approximately 50 minutes and tickets include access to an interactive space for children, L’Atelier des Enfants, letting even the little ones appreciate this digital art experience.
Oh, and did we mention the Atelier des Lumières is air conditioned? Just in case you needed any more convincing to add this exhibition to your itinerary…
Details:
Van Gogh: Ends Friday, September 11, 2026 — Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays
Le Petit Prince: Ends Sunday, September 13, 2026 — Wednesdays & Sundays
Atelier des Lumières
38 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
Tickets: From 17€
What About the Weather?
Now that you know what’s on the calendar, see what to expect of the August weather in Paris.
