What to do in Paris this summer? Ideas for family outings

A day at La Villette

This summer, it's good to live in the Parc de la Villette (19th) where two exhibitions play extra time during the summer holidays.

On the one hand, many contemporary artists besiege the 5,000 square meters of the Grande Halle de la Villette and deposit their balloon installations under its metal structures.

Completely unusual, and carried out under the aegis of the Balloon Museum in Rome, the

experience surprises and amuses.

The highlight of the show,

, the huge swimming pool with luminescent balls by the Italian Quiet Ensemble collective, takes its spectators on a magical daydream.

Like soap bubbles, a whirlwind of white spheres delicately falls to the floor and gives way to a suspended family moment.

For its part, the Philharmonie de Paris celebrates street art with its

exhibition which traces the path traveled by the hip-hop movement, from the African-American neighborhoods of New York, since its arrival in France. in the 1980s. More than a simple historical explanation, the exhibition functions as a mise en abyme and recounts the emergence of a true hip-hop identity, based on proud and plural expressions (beatbox, DJ, rap, dance, fashion…).

In the evening, the lawn of the garden meadow, adjoining the two museums, is covered with deckchairs and picnic sheets since, on July 20, the

resumes for its 32nd edition, developed under the sign of dance.

Children are not left out because the program includes several films for young people or for the general public.

On Saturday July 23, the Disney classic,

(Wolfgang Reitherman, 1971, 1:19) is screened at 10:30 p.m.

On Friday July 29, the adventures of the impetuous young dancer

(Stephen Daldry, 2000, 1h52) can be discovered on a giant screen from 10:15 p.m.

"Pop Air", until August 21 in the Grande Halle de la Villette (Paris 19th).

“Hip-Hop 360” until July 24 at the Philharmonie de Paris (Paris 19th).

“So we dance, outdoor cinema festival” from July 20 to August 21 - Wednesday to Sunday, access to the lawn from 7 p.m. - at La Villette, prairie du triangle (Paris 19th).

Free.

Stay near the water

Canal Summer Festival (Paris 19th and Seine-Saint-Denis).

Arthur Crestani

In anticipation of hot weather, several events favor sources of coolness and humidity, making outdoor family outings ideal this summer.

From July 9,

, organized by Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme, celebrates its fifteenth anniversary.

On the programme, along the canals, from the Bassin de la Villette to the Nord-de-Seine loop, numerous cultural (shows, creative workshops), sporting (nautical bases) and festive (floating concerts) events will satisfy vacation desires of young and old in the Ile-de-France region.

With, as a highlight, along the Canal de l'Ourcq, the passage of a river shuttle which joins the various beaches where the activities take place.

Its price defies all competition: 1€ on Saturday, 2€ on Sunday, free for children, within the limit of 2 children per adult.

Another water point awaits you at the

which fully embraces its vocation as a cool oasis at the gates of Paris for the holidays.

Misters, sprays and water jets animate the famous paddling pool in the garden, open all summer.

While the youngest splash about there quietly, the parents are lounging nearby, lying on the striped deck chairs made available to them.

Spirits are refreshed in this green refuge at the entrance to the Bois-de-Boulogne.

Swings, climbing spiders, and slides cover the garden, offering a complete entertainment experience for families.

In the evening, the Night

illuminate the sumptuous places of the castle and its gardens designed under the reign of Louis XIV.

Every Saturday evening, visitors stroll on the grounds of the Sun King and attend an intense program where firework shows, baroque dances and frenzied cadences mingle.

Two and a half hours of strolling await night walkers who descend on the royal estate to the sound of 17th century music.

From the Latona fountain to the Mirror basin via the grove of the Baths of Apollo, the traveling show hypnotizes all members of the family.

Without forgetting, this year, two exceptional evenings which spice up the Versailles program: the Nocturnes de feu, on Monday August 15th and the Electro Nocturnes, on Saturday September 24th.

“The summer of the canal”, from July 9 to August 14, every weekend, the Ourcq and Saint-Denis canals (Seine-Saint-Denis 93 - Paris 19th).

The river shuttle sails every weekend (July 9 to August 14) from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Boats at Parc de la Villette, Pantin, Bobigny and Noisy-le-Sec/Bondy.

Departure approximately every 40min.

“The garden paddling pool”, all summer long at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, Bois-de-Boulogne (Paris 16th).

"Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes", until September 17, every Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to 11:05 p.m. in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles (78).

BOOK YOUR PLACE WITH LE FIGARO

Cooling off at an exhibition

View of the digital exhibition

at the Atelier des Lumières (Paris 11th).

Culturespaces Eric Spiller

In the event of extreme heat but also in the event of a downpour, Parisian museums and exhibition venues always offer a golden alternative for discovering and learning.

This summer the program is rich between interactive, historical and fun visits.

Housed in a former 19th century foundry,

was born in 2018 to become a digital arts center.

Using powerful projectors and speakers, each new digital exhibition immerses the visitor in an immersive experience.

This year two masters of painting are honored: Cézanne in the long program and Kandinsky in the short program.

Two avant-garde artists who have challenged the treatment of form and color in painting.

Enough to thrill the older ones who discover a work up close and immerse the little ones in an infinity of shapes, colors and sounds.

A first step towards the work of these artists before going to see their paintings "in real life" in the Musée de l'Orangerie or the Center Pompidou.

To the east, with the fascinating exhibition

devoted to the figure of the samurai.

We discover in this exhibition that these "Japanese knights" placed at the top of the social hierarchy are not simple soldiers but also scholars.

They nurtured a fascination, a theatrical cultural production in the Noh, Bunraku and Kabuki theater which were greatly inspired by the figure of the samurai, literary with the story of the 47 ronins or even graphic with prints to admire within the Guimet Museum.

Everything is embellished with elements of armour, photographs and works of art.

Following a visit to the National Museum of Natural History, Céline du Chéné created the series of chronicles

broadcast in the summer of 2016 and 2020 on France Culture (it is still available for replay on the site) and directed by Laurent Paulré.

Thanks to a collaboration with the MNHN sound library, it endeavors to examine the noises produced by our animal friends.

We learn from it that the scallop shell sneezes, that the elk is capable of producing a veritable recital to seduce a female, or that the penguin produces a sound which is its own and unique allowing it to be recognizable in the middle of its colony.

This year, the chronicle gives rise to an exhibition at the Maison de la Radio, the sound journey of which is accompanied by 30 giant animals made with stencils by Gérard Lo Monaco.

A great way to introduce the little ones to biodiversity through sound.

Spend the summer in music

A summer concert in a Parisian bandstand.

Sonia Yassa / City of Paris

Outdoor concerts, activities, shows and musical visits, there are plenty of opportunities this summer to experience music in Paris.

You often pass by, they could shelter you during a downpour or be a refuge for your children's games, the Parisian kiosks come alive thanks to the activities and events of the

.

For example, you can attend the piano recital "Chopin in the garden" on Saturday July 9 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kiosque du parc Montsouris (14th), take part in a walk concert "Les productions chez nous" on Sunday July 10 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the square Carpeaux kiosk (18th), see the show for young audiences “Passage d’où rien-tu” on Friday August 12 from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at the Théâtre de plein air du Parc de Choisy (13th), or finally take part in a swing ball organized by the company Shake That Swing on Saturday August 20 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Kiosque du square d'Anvers (9th).

Want to introduce your family to the basics of music?

In July,

proposes to bring all musical styles to life with the broadcast on a giant open-air screen of legendary concerts, timeless musical films or even great opera classics to be seen from a deckchair.

Nostalgic for the “1, 2, 3 Suns” era with Faudel, Rachid Taha and Khaled?

The Bercy concert in 1998 will be broadcast on July 23 while that of the Doors "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" will be played on July 25.

On July 17 and 18, the cinema makes its debut with the marvelous Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders which traces the rise of the Cuban group and its late singer Ibrahim Ferrer and Whiplash by Damien Chazelle on the entrance to a young drummer in music school.

Finally, on July 13 and 15, an opera-ballet will be broadcast.

Being attentive to the sounds that surround us, learning to welcome and identify them, becoming aware of the scope of one's voice and that of others...

which opened less than a year ago, addresses all these issues. in a space of 1000m2 dedicated to the exploration of sound by children.

Through five universes and 32 highly interactive installations, 4-10 year olds discover the infinite possibilities of their own body.

In a scenography designed by Constance Guisset and thanks to the associated artists (Babx, Brecht Evens, Pierrick Sorin…) the notions of language, song and music come to life in the ears of the little ones.

Participate in children's workshops

Quai Branly summer garden (Paris 7th) Branly

During the long holidays, many museums give pride of place to workshops for children and/or to live with the family.

From July 3, the

imagined by the musée du

reappears in its green setting, for the duration of a long summer break.

Designed around the themes of nature, the environment and the living, a string of fun activities invites the youngest to learn about new practices (gardening, Japanese kokedama, urban vegetable garden) and makes them aware of the biodiversity of here and elsewhere (green walks, animated readings, mini-theatre).

Shows and concerts punctuate the program, on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July (at 4 p.m.), the creation

!

by the Guinean collective Circus Baobab arouses our curiosity.

The dancers and acrobats who populate the young troupe bring together African tradition and new contemporary circus writing.

The space adjoining Les

has been in existence for a year now and offers, within its eco-responsible wooden structure, a stone's throw from the André Citroën park in the 15th arrondissement, an enticing family offer.

Dedicated to the exploration of scientific fields (chemistry and geosciences, physics, computer science, life sciences, mathematics and astronomy), the Sparks welcome the geniuses of tomorrow (from 6 years old).

They choose from around fifty mediations with declinable themes, called presentations (€4 - 1 hour), such as the "geological walk on Mars" or the "insect species" workshop.

The place also houses a planetarium allowing families to travel, during live commented sessions, to the heart of the galaxy.

At the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the ephemeral

terrace is out again and absolutely does not forget to invite the youngest to its festive calendar.

Every Saturday afternoon, new activities are to be discovered: on July 9, a graffiti discovery workshop or on September 4, an authentic fair.

Accompanying people sip a carefully selected drink from the various stands and later let the Poisson Lune DJ set soothe their end of the day.

“Summer Garden”, from July 3 to August 28, at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (Paris 7th).

Free.

“The sparks of the Palais de la Découverte”, from Tuesday to Sunday during school holidays, at the Jardin Caroline Aigle (Paris 15th).

"Poisson Lune", until October 2, at the Palais de la Porte Dorée (Paris 12th).

Traveling to Egypt while staying in Paris

Three Parisian exhibitions take you to ancient Egypt this summer.

For the older ones they are an opportunity to learn about the wonders that Egypt has to offer for the little ones to develop their imagination and their curiosity.

It was in what is now northern Sudan that in the 8th century BC.

JC is created a kingdom with overflowing ambitions.

They will be called the Kushite rulers of the Napatan period and will go so far as to dominate the Egyptian territories.

From this prolific period highlighted for the first time in France was born a rich artistic production exhibited at the Louvre whose pieces come from the museums of Khartoum, Berlin, London or New York.

Engraved stelae, sculpted sphinxes and majestic gods populate the

a must see with your little budding archaeologists who dream of digging in Egypt.

It was he who gave Egyptology its letters of nobility, who aroused a keen interest in Egypt and its treasures in the 19th century and above all who proposed a system of analysis of hieroglyphs allowing a writing whose understanding had been totally lost for centuries to come back to life.

The work of Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832) is extensive and the 350 pieces to be discovered in the

exhibition attest to this.

Among these are the impressive notes and drawings left by Champollion himself to slip into the head of this great researcher who invented Egyptology.

This is not an exhibition in the literal sense offered by the IMA, but rather an immersive experience (from 10 years old) in the footsteps of King

.

Largest pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt, this building would be the tomb of the king built under the IVth dynasty.

Armed with virtual reality masks, visitors enter the interior of the stone monument to discover the different funerary chambers but also the rituals linked to the deceased.

A few liberties taken with reality allow day-long explorers to experience the reconstruction of this ancient site up close.