Calendar of Events

Check the Paris Tourist Office website at www.paris-touristoffice.com for up-to-the-minute details on these and other events.

January

International Ready-to-Wear Fashion Shows (Salon International de Prêt-à-Porter), Parc des Expositions (Hall #7), 15e. Hundreds of designers, from the giants to the unknown, unveil their visions (hallucinations?) of what you will be wearing in 6 months. The event in the Porte de Versailles convention facilities is geared to wholesalers, retailers, buyers, journalists, and industry professionals, but for the merely fashion-conscious, the rules are usually bent. Much more exclusive are the défilés (fashion shows) at the headquarters of houses like Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Courrèges, and Valentino. For details, call tel. 01-44-94-70-00; www.pretparis.com. End of January.

February

Special Exhibitions, Special Concerts: During Paris's grayest month, look for a splash of expositions and concerts designed to perk up the city. Concerts and theaters spring up at such diverse sites as the Cité de la Musique, 221 av. Jean-Jaurès, 19e (tel. 01-44-84-45-00; www.cite-musique.fr; Métro: Porte-de-Pantin); the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, 15 av. Montaigne, 8e (tel. 01-49-52-50-50; www.theatrechampselysees.fr; Métro: Alma-Marceau); and the Maison de Radio-France, 116 av. du Président-Kennedy, 16e (tel. 01-56-40-15-16; www.radiofrance.fr; Métro: Passy-Ranelagh). Also look for openings of new operas at the Opéra Bastille, 2 place de la Bastille, 4e (tel. 01-40-01-17-89; www.opera-de-paris.fr; Métro: Bastille); operas and dance at the Opéra Garnier, place de l'Opéra, 9e (tel. 01-40-01-25-14; Métro: Opéra); and concerts at the Auditorium du Louvre, 1er (tel. 01-40-20-50-50; www.louvre.fr; Métro: Musée du Louvre), and the Salle Cortot, 78 rue Cardinet, 17e (tel. 01-47-63-80-16; Métro: Malesherbes). A copy of Pariscope or L'Officiel des Spectacles, available at most newsstands, is the best info source.

March

Foire du Trône, Bois de Vincennes, 12e. A mammoth amusement park that its fans call France's largest country fair, the Foire du Trône originated in A.D. 957, when merchants met with farmers to exchange grain and wine. This high-tech continuation of that tradition, held on the lawns of the Pelouse de Reuilly, has a Ferris wheel, carousels, acrobats, fire eaters, and diversions that seem like a Gallic Coney Island. It's open daily from 2pm to midnight. Call tel. 01-46-27-52-29; www.foiredutrone.com. End of March to end of May.

April

International Marathon of Paris. Beginning on the Champs-Elysées at 9am, runners take over Paris's boulevards in a race that draws competitors from around the world. Depending on their speed and endurance, participants arrive at the finishing point on avenue Foch, 16e, beginning about 2 1/2 hours later. For details, call tel. 01-41-33-14-00; www.parismarathon.com. Early April.

Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, Versailles. These musical events are intended to re-create the atmosphere of the ancient regime. The fountains around the palace are turned on, with special emphasis on the Neptune Fountain, which sits squarely in front of the best view of the château. You can promenade in the garden and listen to the music of French composers (Couperin, Charpentier, and Lully) and others (Mozart or Haydn) whose careers thrived during the years of the palace's construction. The music is recorded, but the vistas are monumental, and the music, the fountains, and the architectural vistas of the world's grandest château all operate in unison. The events occur every Saturday and Sunday from 11:15am till noon and 2:30pm till 5pm between April and early September. For details, call tel. 01-30-83-78-88; www.chateauversailles-spectacles.fr.

May

VE Day (in French: Jour de l'Armistice), citywide. The celebration commemorating the capitulation of the Nazis on May 7, 1945, lasts 4 days in Paris, with a parade along the Champs-Elysées and additional ceremonies in Reims. Pro-American sentiments are probably higher during this festival than at any other time of year. May 5 to May 8.

Grand Steeplechase de Paris, Auteuil and Longchamp racetracks, Bois de Boulogne. In this equestrian event, obstacle courses at both Auteuil and Longchamp racetracks are laid out to incorporate hurdles and crossings over streams. The result is a rougher, more rustic counterpoint to the flatbed races conducted at Chantilly . For details, call tel. 01-49-10-20-30 or see www.france-galop.com. Mid-May.

French Open Tennis Championship, Stade Roland-Garros, 16e. The Open features 10 days of Grand Slam men's and women's tennis, with European and South American players traditionally dominating on the hot, dusty red courts. For details, call tel. 01-47-43-48-00; www.fft.fr. Late May to early June.

June

Fête de St-Denis, St-Denis. This series presents a month of artfully contrived music in the burial place of the French kings, a grim, early Gothic monument in this industrialized northern suburb. For details, call tel. 01-48-13-12-10; www.festival-saint-denis.fr. Early June to July.

Prix du Jockey Club & Prix Diane-Hermès, Hippodrome de Chantilly. Thoroughbreds from as far away as Kentucky and Brunei, as well as mounts sponsored by Europe's old and new fortunes, compete in a very civil competition broadcast around France and talked about in horse circles around the world. On race days, as many as 30 trains depart from Paris's Gare du Nord for Chantilly, where they're met by free shuttle buses to the track. For details on this and all other equine events in this calendar, call tel. 08-21-21-32-13; www.france-galop.com. First week of June (Jockey Club) and second week of June (Prix Diane-Hermès).

Paris Air Show, Le Bourget. This is where France's military-industrial complex shows off enough high-tech hardware to make anyone think twice about invading La Patrie. Fans, competitors, and industrial spies mob the airport's exhibition halls for a taste of what Gallic technocrats have wrought. For details, call tel. 01-53-23-33-33; www.salon-du-bourget.fr. Mid-June.

Fête de la Musique, citywide. This celebration at the summer solstice is the only day that noise laws don't apply in Paris. Musicians and wannabes pour into the streets, where you can make music with anything, even if it means banging two garbage cans together or driving around blowing your car horn (illegal otherwise). You might hear anything from Russians playing balalaikas to Cubans playing mambo rhythms. Musical parties pop up in virtually all the open spaces, with more organized concerts at place de la Bastille and place de la République, and in La Villette and the Latin Quarter. For details, call tel. 01-40-03-94-70; www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr. Mid-June.

Fête Chopin, Orangerie du Parc de Bagatelle, Versailles. Hear all the Chopin you want at these piano recitals from the works of the Polish exile who lived most of his life in Paris. For details, call tel. 01-45-00-22-19; www.frederic-chopin.com. Mid-June to mid-July.

Festival Musique en l'Ile. A series of concerts, most including dignified masses composed from the 17th to the late-19th centuries, is presented at the Church St-Louis-en-l'Ile and the Church St-Germain-des-Prés. For more information, call La Toison d'Art at tel. 01-44-62-00-55; www.latoisondart.com. Late June to late August.

La Course des Garçons de Café, throughout the city. Although it has diminished somewhat in importance in Paris since the postwar years, when it was much more visible, there's no more amusing race in Paris. Balancing heavy trays, the garçons (both waiters and waitresses) line up in front of the Hôtel de Ville in the 4th Arrondissement and then race for 8km (5 miles) through the streets, ending back at the Hôtel de Ville. Some, obviously, don't make it. A Sunday in the last week of June or first week of July.

Gay Pride Parade, place de la République to place de la Bastille. A week of expositions and parties climaxes in a parade patterned after those in New York and San Francisco. It's followed by a dance at the Palais de Bercy, a convention hall/sports arena. For more information about gay pride and any other aspect of gay, lesbian, and transgendered life in and around Paris, contact Lesbian and Gay Pride, Ile de France, 3 rue Keller, BP 255, 75524 Paris Cedex 11. For information about the parade, call or fax tel. 01-72-70-39-22; www.inter-lgbt.org. Late June.

July

Tour de France. This is Europe's most visible, highly contested, and overabundantly televised bicycle race. Crews of wind tunnel-tested athletes speed along an itinerary tracing the six sides of the French "hexagon," detouring deep into the Massif Central and across the Swiss Alps. The race is decided at a finish line drawn across the Champs-Elysées. For details, call tel. 01-41-33-15-00; www.letour.fr. First 3 weeks of July.

Bastille Day, citywide. This celebration of the 1789 storming of the Bastille is the birth date of modern France, and festivities reach their peak in Paris with street fairs, pageants, fireworks, and feasts. The day begins with a parade down the Champs-Elysées and ends with fireworks in Montmartre. Wherever you are, before the end of the day, you'll hear Piaf warbling "La Foule" ("The Crowd"), the song that celebrated her passion for the stranger she met and later lost in a crowd on Bastille Day, and lots of people singing "La Marseillaise." July 14.

Paris Quartier d'Eté, Latin Quarter. For 4 weeks, the Arènes de Lutèce or the Sorbonne's Cour d'Honneur host pop orchestral concerts. The dozen or so concerts are grander than the outdoor setting would imply and include performances by the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, and Baroque Orchestra of the European Union. On the fringes, you can find plays, jazz, and parades in the Tuileries Gardens. For details, call tel. 01-44-94-98-00; www.quartierdete.com. Mid-July to mid-August.

September

International Ready-to-Wear Fashion Shows (Salon International de Prêt-à-Porter), Parc des Expositions, 15e. More of what took place at the fashion shows in January , with an emphasis on what le beau monde (the rich and the beautiful) will be wearing next spring. For details, call tel. 01-44-94-70-00; www.pretparis.com. Early September.

La Villette Jazz Festival, La Villette. This homage to the art of jazz incorporates 50 concerts in churches, auditoriums, and concert halls in all neighborhoods of this Paris suburb. Past festivals have welcomed Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Michel Portal, and other artists from around the world. For details, call tel. 01-40-03-75-75; www.jazzalavillett.com. Early September.

Biennale des Antiquaires, Carrousel du Louvre, 99 rue de Rivoli, 1er. Antiques dealers and lovers from all over gather at this gilded event in even-numbered years. Precious furnishings and objets d'art are displayed in the underground exhibit halls linked to the Louvre, or perhaps in the Grand Palais once it's restored. For details, call tel. 01-44-51-74-74; www.biennaledesantiquaires.com. Usually third week in September. Next event: 2010.

Fête d'Automne (Autumn Festival), citywide. Paris welcomes the return of its residents from their August holidays with an ongoing and eclectic festival of modern music, ballet, theater, and art. Venues include art galleries, churches, concert halls, auditoriums, and parks citywide. There's an emphasis on experimental works, which the festival's promoters scatter judiciously among more traditional productions. Depending on the event, tickets cost from 15€ to 75€ ($20-$98). For details, contact the Fête d'Automne, 156 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris (tel. 01-53-45-17-00; www.festival-automne.com). Mid-September to late December.

October

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Hippodrome de Longchamp, 16e. France's answer to England's Ascot is the country's most prestigious horse race, culminating the equine season in Europe. For details, call tel. 01-44-30-75-00; www.france-galop.com. Early October.

Paris Auto Show, Parc des Expositions, 15e. Glitzy attendees and lots of hype attend this showcase for European car design. The show takes place in even-numbered years near the Porte de Versailles. In addition, a permanent exhibit on French auto design at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is upgraded and enriched during October. For details, call tel. 01-56-88-22-40; www.mondial-automobile.com. Two weeks in October (dates vary).

November

Armistice Day, citywide. The signing of the controversial document that ended World War I is celebrated with a military parade from the Arc de Triomphe to the Hôtel des Invalides. November 11.

Fête d'Art Sacré (Festival of Sacred Art). A series of classical concerts is held in five of the oldest churches of Paris. For details, call the Paris Tourist Office (tel. 01-49-52-53-54). Mid-November to mid-December.

Release of the Beaujolais Nouveau, citywide. Parisians eagerly await the yearly release of the first new Beaujolais, that fruity wine from Burgundy. Signs are posted in bistros, wine bars, and cafes -- these places report their heaviest patronage of the year during this celebration of the grape. Third Thursday in November.

December

Le Salon Nautique de Paris (Boat Fair), Parc des Expositions, 15e. This is Europe's most visible exposition of what's afloat and of interest to wholesalers, retailers, boat owners (or wannabes), and anyone involved in the business of waterborne holidaymaking. For details, call tel. 01-41-90-47-22, or check on the Web at www.salonnautiqueparis.com. Ten days in early December.

Fête de St-Sylvestre (New Year's Eve), citywide. It's most boisterously celebrated in the Latin Quarter around the Sorbonne. At midnight, the city explodes. Strangers kiss strangers, and boulevard St-Michel and the Champs-Elysées become virtual pedestrian malls. December 31.