La Fête de Paris 2026: a popular, free festival featuring a guinguette, dancing and a historic village

As last year, the Paris-Geneviève Association invites history enthusiasts to enjoy its festival "Paris vaut bien une fête", now renamed "La Fête de Paris", on 12 and 13 September 2026, between the 5th and 6th districts of Paris. For a weekend, the Jardin du Luxembourg and the place André Honnorat will transport visitors back in time, with period costumes, a giant guinguette, dancing, a parade and a crafts village, all centered around the theme of theatre.

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A journey through 1500 years of Parisian life, thanks to a multi-eque village animated by actors and craftsmen in period costume, sculptors, jewelers, antique photographers, swing dancers and wood carvers, for initiations, demonstrations, creative workshops and games. On the program: a Viking camp, a Belle Epoque quarter, a Napoleonic encampment, a medieval village and Paris Libéré!

A gourmet hall awaits you to sample regional specialties at a local producers’ market, from Jambon de Paris to Brie noir de Melun, with plenty of tastings to make your taste buds buzz! A guinguette gigante also offers lovely shaded tables and a dance floor!

Don't forget to book your free tickets, so you can be sure to enjoy the costume parade on Sunday at 2pm from the Panthéon, with its brass bands, historic vehicles, dancers and historic Parisian figures, such as Geneviève, the capital's patron saint, as well as shows, behemoth and musketeer fights, jugglers, acrobats, street theater, puppets and musical stages.

It's an opportunity to rediscover Paris' vast heritage, through dance, music, gastronomy, literature and crafts, and to return the capital to its festive past, because as Hemingway wrote, Paris is a party!

Also join the Bal Années folles, a dance night centered on Joséphine Baker, by donning a fanciful costume or period-inspired outfits for a single evening, alongside the Carnet de Bals association. The entire festival is free, except for the ball, which will cost 55 euros.