Christmas 2026 in Paris: a free illuminated parade with giant puppets at La Villette

After the start of Christmas illuminations in Paris, the lights come off the façades to take the lead of the parade! Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 5 p.m., Parc de la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement, hosts Les Allebrilles, a free light parade led by the collective Les Grandes Personnes. This new creation takes over from the traditional Lantern Parade, which lit up the park in previous years, with this time a wholly different universe. For 45 minutes, visitors witness a parade of fantastical creatures, between fairy-tale magic and joyful chaos.

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Alongside the Christmas walks and the light festivals that make Parisian parks sparkle, La Villette bets on a show that cannot stay still. And this time, it all begins... in a bedroom! Installed in broad daylight in the public space, it becomes the starting point of an strange ballet where masks, fireflies, floats and large puppets come to life under the lights. Colorful chimeras compose this unusual procession, where dreams seem to have decided to get out of bed.

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La Villette also offers the workshops Make your firefly, the November 14 and 15, 2026. Families, with children aged 7 and up, can assemble paper and cardboard to create their own glowing chimera, to take along for the parade. These three-hour sessions are available by reservation, at a price of €22 (€16 for subscribers and members).

The big day, heading to the Little Studio, under the Grand Hall's colonnade, to see this amusing procession slip off. The garlands had better behave themselves!