The Sparks at the Palais de la Découverte will permanently close at the end of the year.

The Palais de la Découverte is set to reopen to the public in spring 2027, after several years of work. So what will become of Étincelles at the Palais de la Découverte, the venue created specifically in the 15th arrondissement to bridge the museum’s closure?

In 2020, the Palais de la Découverte, Paris's renowned science museum, shut its doors for a lengthy renovation. Six years on, the work is nearing completion and the site is gearing up to reopen to the public. Yet the Palais de la Découverte has not entirely vanished over those six years.

To keep the public informed and amazed, the museum has opened a temporary branch in the 15th arrondissement: Les Étincelles du Palais de la Découverte. Conferences, demonstrations, festivals, events: a rich program has been put together to keep this curious and scientific spirit alive in Paris.

The celebration is drawing to a close: the Palais de la Découverte is preparing to resume service. The museum aims to reopen to the public in March 2027. After a long wait, visitors will be able to explore an entirely renovated space, a modernized and redesigned visitor route, and an entirely new program.

But what will become of the Etincelles once the main museum reopens? At a press conference, Bruno Maquart, President of Universcience (the institution that manages the Cité des Sciences and the Palais de la Découverte), said that the Étincelles had reached the end of their life: the site was always intended to be temporary.

Officially, and according to the annual program published by the Palais de la Découverte, Les Étincelles are set to close their doors for good on December 31, 2026. After a brief hiatus, activities will resume on the Palais site. The Les Étincelles team will wind down operations at the end of this year, before rejoining the main museum for new scientific adventures.

The Sparks exhibit will keep running until 2026, and it will close shortly before the museum reopens. Don’t miss these final moments.

The Sparks at the Palais de la Découverte, a must-see before they close
The Sparks at the Palais de la Découverte invite curious visitors aged six and up to the André-Citroën Park, open until December 31, 2026. For All Saints’ Day, three cryptography talks are scheduled for October 28. [Read more]