Festivals and cultural events Ile-De-France

Exchanging glances, passing on a movement, expressing joy or holding your breath, then laughing out loud! The Rêveurs éveillés festival is open to sensitive encounters that bring young and old together in the same curiosity about others. From wordlessness to foreign languages via the imaginary, explore the infinite spaces of linguistic diversity... through all our senses! For 32 years, this festival has been a must for young audiences aged 2 and over.

The Meetings of both here and Elsewhere are the annual meeting of Oposito. This event is essentially outside. In years, this initiative has become an event shared by a growing public resident in France. The companies present produce their creations and take part in a monumental show that combines the different know-how of the teams.

Thousands of square meters dedicated to children's books! Enough to satisfy your desire to read, or to immerse yourself in the adventures of multiple characters: this annual fair gives you the opportunity to stock up on novels, picture books, illustrated books or audio books, but also to discover the latest novels from the children's press. Nearly 250 artists are invited to this festival which changes its theme every year.

Children, too, have their own film festival: less glamorous and media-friendly than Cannes, this festival nonetheless has the merit of exposing children and teenagers to original artistic practices and visual universes. An international, never-before-seen selection of fiction, animation, documentary and short films is screened for ages 3 to 15 in 18 art house cinemas in the Val-de-Marne.

Qualified by its organizers of the 1 ^st LGBT Cultures Festival in Paris during its first edition in 2011, the Paris Circuit Festival is first and foremost a commercial operation to promote LGBT evenings that follow for 6 days (third week of June) in the middle of the afternoon for some. In the 2011 edition, the culture part was reduced to the minimum portion, i. e. three films spread over two days. The overall access price is not accessible to everyone, watch the site for a possible second edition in 2012…

Since 2006, the gay rally in Paris organised by the Men In France association consists of a proposed hiking in the form of a track game, taking place on the streets of Paris by teams of 4 or 5 participants. The rally open to everyone is held at the end of September. Pre-registration before mid-September.

Subtitled "When lesbians make movies", this festival was founded in 1989 at the initiative of the association Cineffable which aims to promote women's cinema. It takes place every year in front of an exclusively female audience. More than 50 films are presented each year. The projections give place to debates on lesbianism and feminism. More than 1,500 women participate in conferences, workshops, debates and concerts. Among them, directors, artists and visual artists hold stands and present exhibitions. 24th edition of the festival: from Wednesday, October 31 to Sunday, November 4, 2012, Théâtre de Ménilmontant, 15 rue du retrait - Paris 20e.

The Rendez-vous at the Gardens created by the Ministry of Culture and Communication invites you to discover public gardens as private, most often animated by special visits or meetings, under a theme changing every year. Exhibitions, singing towers, readings, stands, meetings with gardeners, architects, landscapers or artists are the three days.

What more impressive setting than the Grand Palais for this outstanding event, whose beauty echoes the extraordinary flavours you can discover there? Because Taste (we preferred an English theme here), these are days of meetings with great chefs, learning culinary techniques (or more simply making good snacks or cakes, for example), meetings with shopkeepers or craftsmen (just to fill up with food) or even relaxation, provided that the wonderful champagne bar that was present last year is renewed this year. Different pricing formulas are possible.

Event set up by the daily newspaper Le Parisien, the Paris Paradis festival takes place in the Parc de la Villette. For three days in September, different stages host various and eclectic events: different performances, workshops, meetings and, of course, music. On the bill last year? M, Patrick Bruel, Pete Doherty, Charly Winston, Alex Vizorek, Thomas VDB... In short, we laugh with comedians, we dance during concerts, we learn to recharge our batteries, and children are not forgotten with dedicated workshops. Let's bet that the 2023 edition, whose preparation is in progress, will be just as successful!

Monthly cycling

It takes place on Saturdays at 2pm, once a month (appointment in front of the Bastille Opera House). Organised by the vélorution, it is a convivial cycling event that highlights themes in line with the values of the association (air quality, the place of cycling, climate etc.)

http://velorution.org/paris/actions/

The Jardin de la Ville is a large public garden located in Pontoise, on part of the former moat that protected the city walls. Acquired by the municipality in 1820, it has become the largest green space in the city center, extending over 2.5 hectares. Located close to the cathedral, the garden provides a remarkable landscape link between the city's different districts. It features a green carpet with flower beds, bordered by tall trees, and a pond that is replenished in spring. To the west of the green carpet are shaded areas with a bandstand, a children's playground and a steep belvedere.

It's a must-attend event in March, here and everywhere in France! Le Printemps des Poètes is an event that encourages everyone to send poems to friends and family, or to read them: an excellent way to discover, or rediscover, this musical style! Numerous events are taking place in theaters, museums and public spaces in and around Paris. There are also storytelling tours for children, and encounters with poets in numerous libraries.

Launched in the early 1990s, this festival, originally called "Paris Quartiers d'été", has since been renamed simply "Paris l'été". The festival transforms the capital into an open stage, with over 300 artists on the bill. Dances, concerts, acrobatic strolls, travelling opera, musical theatre, circus, performances of all kinds, shows... a rich and eclectic programme that enlivens every district of Paris, and even the regions. Cultural and artistic events for all generations.

A programme of screenings of the greatest and most exciting cinema classics is offered to lovers of black and white as well as cinemascope. Each year, the films are chosen according to a theme. Good to know: a free audio description of the films is available for blind and visually impaired people. And what a great idea: lying on the lawns, watching a movie, with the city and the park around you! One piece of advice, however: if you come with friends, make sure you really come to see a movie, not that you're spending time with friends chatting, moviegoers might just point this out to you...

La Ville of Paris accommodates in Parc Floral, each season, of the beginning of June to at the end of September, a "Musical Summer with the parc floral", composed of three festivals: Paris Jazz Festival, Classical in the Green and Pestacles. Of international repute, Paris Jazz Festival joins together a public very many. For the price of park entrance, there is the chance attend concerts which proceed under a large hood. It is particularly amusing to listen to music surrounded of flowers and herb. Attention, the access being free, it is better not to be able to too late be well placed. Passed there: Wynton Marsalis, Thomas Dutronc, Stacey Kent, Ahmad Jamal, Didier Lockwood, Erik Truffaz, Richard Galliano, etc One would not finish any enumerating them!

French chanson in all its forms, in some thirty towns in the Val-de-Marne department. Over 90 established and up-and-coming artists come to present their shows in a wide range of concerts. A special mention goes to the Les Refrains des gamins festival, which, in the same artistic and musical vein, is aimed at children from the age of 6 months! The children's program includes concerts, storytelling, and musical affabulations, in short, something to amaze young and old alike. The atmosphere is guaranteed!

Each municipality involved organizes animations to discover thousands of chocolate eggs, with a preference for prestigious places such as the main castles of the region. For the list of municipalities that organize this party, as well as dates (the only Easter Sunday or all weekend) and the registration procedures, a simple contact with the local tourist office is sufficient.

This communal theater offers shows for a wide audience and also has a bar.

It's one of the best known and most popular independent music festivals - it must be said that it already existed in other territories, enjoying an excellent reputation. Pitchfork, whose 11th edition was held in November for three days of non-stop music, in several Parisian venues, from the Salle Pleyel to the Café de la Danse, including the Bataclan and even the Saint-Eustache church. Among the headliners of the last editions: Kam-BU, Denise Chaila, Gabriels, Yay Bey, Jeshi or Yard Act. You just have to enjoy it!

Every year in June, the traditional "Passages Clownés" festival is one of the highlights of Bessancourt's cultural life. The festival features several free shows by up-and-coming and well-known companies, as well as a range of workshops that youngsters love, such as acrobatic training and face-painting. The whole event takes place in the ideal setting of the Complexe Sportif de Maubuisson.

What better way to celebrate the beautiful season, around the middle of June each year, than to take a walk in the splendid park of the city to watch the wild shows of the jazz bands? Every evening, big names from the New World, but also from Europe, come one after the other on the Jazz Festival stage to delight the audience with their voices or their golden fingers. Students from the jazz class of the city's Conservatory are also expected on stage. Whether you're a big fan or a neophyte, this festival is for all fans of the genre. In 2019, the festival will offer the opportunity to see, and above all to listen to Hugh Coltman, Nola French Connection, Yom and various tributes to Michel Petrucciani and Wes Montgomery.

Every year, Arami takes place in the magnificent setting of the Pierre Fresnay theater. Arami is the leading contemporary art fair in the Val d'Oise, enabling everyone to familiarize themselves with the latest trends in the field, and artists to exhibit their work. Performance art, painting, sculpture, digital art: there's no shortage of it, making this event a must-attend. Every year, big-name artists are the guests of honor: another reason to attend this entirely free event.

Taverny's main cultural facility, the Théâtre Madeleine Renaud boasts a vast 487-seat auditorium, an outdoor stage area, three rehearsal studios for artists, a dance studio and two function rooms. There are as many performances here as there are diverse offerings: theater, modern and classical music, comedy and beautiful dance. The box office is open on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Every year, the terroir of the Paris region is in the spotlight for a weekend: producers and artisans come to Franconville to meet you at the Espace Saint-Exupéry. You'll discover wines, charcuterie, sweet and savoury preparations and a thousand and one delicacies from almost every region of France, as well as from other countries. You can also take advantage of the on-site catering and tasting facilities. A great event, friendly and on a human scale.

March 2024 saw the ^18th edition of this not-to-be-missed event in the cultural life of Cormeilles-en-Parisis. It's an understatement to say that children (and not only children!) look forward to this event every year, which not only features screenings at the Cormier cinema, but also a host of other activities. Youngsters can discover the different techniques involved in filmmaking, as well as have their faces painted, learn about augmented reality coloring and dubbing. The festival is an ongoing success, and is constantly being renewed.

This not-to-be-missed event takes place in the cultural venues of Plessis Bouchard in March and April, and has become a benchmark for many. Around a given theme ("Excellence and Performance" for the year 2024), a dense cultural program is offered: music, dance, exhibitions, street art, conferences and many other events are held, the arts sometimes meet in unexpected encounters and the public is the first beneficiary.

A former dairy farm built at the end of the ^19th century in a superb industrial style, since the 1990s Ferme du Buisson has become a cultural mecca in Seine-et-Marne, bringing together a variety of theaters, cinemas and open-air exhibition spaces. On the program: eclectic exhibitions, classic or atypical plays, festivals, films, etc. The website provides precise program information. Online ticketing is also available, excluding cinema screenings.

This beautiful, modern establishment is one of the city's leading cultural venues. Here, the focus is not on any particular art form, but rather on eclectic programming, ranging from theater (contemporary and classical) to dance, magic, comedy, concerts and circus. Regular meetings between artists and the public are offered. The venue and its facilities can also be used as a residence for artists.

It's a cultural event in the broadest sense of the word, and takes place not only in La Frette-sur-Seine, but also in Herblay-sur-Seine. The Les Spiriades festival, now in its 10th year, was created on the initiative of Stéphane Spira. Every year on the banks of the Seine, it brings together a host of music lovers around renowned artists and young talents selected by audition after a rigorous process. Usually, four young virtuosos perform: a unique springboard for launching their careers.

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The pretty, narrow rue de la Petite Range, right in the heart of Herblay's old town center, is known for having one of the smallest theaters in the area! The aptly named Théâtre des Anges seats just 30. Intimacy and closeness to the artists are the order of the day, whether for singing or comedy, for example! Last but not least, classes can be taken here with Tatiana Kecojevic, and the venue can be privatized for your own events. There's no shortage of reasons to come here!

Held for the ^41st time in 2023, this is undoubtedly one of the most important children's book fairs in the entire region. The packed two-day program features countless activities and workshops (from fun to sports), as well as meetings with artists and authors. There are dozens of artists and authors from all the major publishing houses. The whole event is completely free of charge: not to be missed.

This municipal theater is one of the finest in the area. Its vast and plentiful program means there's something for everyone to discover or rediscover. For the current 2023-2024 season, no fewer than 11 plays, 13 musical, visual, dance or circus shows and the appearance of 3 comedians (including Sandrine Sarroche and Fabrice Eboué) have punctuated the year. The venue also boasts a great bar open on performance nights. Last but not least, the on-site box office is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Le Temps de Vivre is a theater company based in Colombes. It offers participatory shows and storytelling. The company is supported by the Ministère de la Culture, the Direction régionale des Affaires culturelles d'Ile-de-France, the Région Ile-de-France, the Ville de Colombes and the Conseil départemental des Hauts-de-Seine.