The Christmas Lights on the Champs-Élysées bring festive magic to what is often considered the most beautiful avenue in the world. Along the avenue, the trees light up at nightfall during this season that enchants Paris. The magical atmosphere draws crowds every year, starting with the launch ceremony, which features a celebrity guest to kick things off.
Since 2025, the launch of the Christmas Lights on the Champs-Élysées has taken on a whole new dimension. For the 2025 launch, the Champs-Élysées Committee, which organizes the event, announced a sound-and-light show conceived by designer Thierry Reboul, with lighting by Thomas Dechandon and music by Victor Le Masne—a creative team whose members all contributed to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This year, the sound-and-light show comes to life to the rhythm of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It will run four times an hour between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. As a special treat, a special happening is planned for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, with green and red lighting on December 24 and 25, 2026, as well as a new six-minute creation that will bring the blue, white and red of concord toward the Arc de Triomphe to accompany the December 31 show.
Champs-Élysées Christmas lights 2026: Cate Blanchett to switch them on
Each year, the festive season kicks off with the lighting of the Champs-Élysées. A public figure joins local elected officials and two children invited by the Petits Princes association for the occasion. This year, Australian actress Cate Blanchett will be there. [Read more]
2026 Champs-Élysées Christmas Lights: Find out the launch date and program!
When will the Champs-Élysées lights be switched on in Paris this year, 2026? This year, the launch is expected to coincide with the return of a Christmas market, bringing the spirit of the year-end festivities to the world’s most beautiful avenue. Here’s what you need to know about the launch. [Read more]
2025 Christmas lights on the Champs-Élysées in Paris: what does the new lighting look like?
The Champs Elysées illuminations in Paris are one of the highlights of the holiday season, and depending on the year, there may be new lighting designs to discover. This will be the case this year: here's what the Champs-Elysées illuminations will look like for Christmas 2025. [Read more]
