Things to Do in Paris in December 2026: Christmas, Major Exhibitions and New Year's Eve

There are two Decembers in Paris. One is made of garlands, shop windows and Christmas markets. The other belongs to the concert halls and museums, and it is already scheduled: the Cézanne et nous exhibition and Oli's Musée imaginaire at the Grand Palais, the Soweto Gospel Choir at the Casino de Paris, Tintoretto at the Musée Jacquemart-André. This guide keeps the two apart, so you can book now what has a date and fit in the rest as the official announcements arrive.

Lights and shop windows: the festive season aglow

For the Champs-Élysées lights, the press is relaying an announcement from the Comité Champs-Élysées: the switch-on would take place on Sunday 22 November 2026. No official page confirms it yet, and the hours, the end date and the theme of this edition have not been published. A reference point from the previous edition, according to the City of Paris: the avenue was lit every evening from 5pm, until midnight on weekdays and 1am at weekends, all night on 24 and 31 December, and until 4 January. Our article on the Christmas lights of the Champs-Élysées and place Vendôme will be updated as soon as the official announcement is made.

As for the windows, the press reports that the Galeries Lafayette windows and Christmas tree will be unveiled on Thursday 12 November 2026 from 6pm, on the theme "Au cœur de Noël" designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, with no confirmation on the official website so far. What is official, however, is the Galeries Lafayette rooftop ice rink, open from 24 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 on the eighth-floor terrace (40 boulevard Haussmann, 9th): synthetic ice and decor in the colours of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, in partnership with Courchevel. Tickets are booked online, €16 from age 15 and €7.50 for children aged 4 to 14 and people with reduced mobility, skates and helmet included, for 30 minutes on the ice within a one-hour experience; open on weekdays from 12.10pm to 7.45pm outside school holidays (from 10.10am during the holidays), on Saturday from 10.10am to 7.45pm and on Sunday from 11.10am to 7.45pm. For the Printemps windows, no date has been confirmed yet.

Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are a 10-15 minute walk from Hôtel R de Paris, so you can stroll past the windows on a weekday morning, before the crowds. December weekends and Wednesday afternoons are often very busy, both for shopping in the department stores and for the windows.

Christmas markets: La Défense and Notre-Dame have their dates, the others are to be confirmed

Two markets already have official dates. At La Défense, more than 350 chalets are set up from 12 November to 31 December 2026, and the "Le Sommet" festive area stays open until 3 January 2027. In the Latin Quarter, the Notre-Dame Christmas market takes over square René Viviani (2 rue du Fouarre, 5th) from 26 November to 27 December 2026, every day from 10am to 8pm, until 9pm on Friday and Saturday; admission is free.

On the Champs-Élysées, the City of Paris had issued a call for applications for a market on the lower part of the avenue from 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027; as yet, no operator has been appointed and nothing is confirmed on its official page. For the Tuileries Garden, there is no official 2026 source: listings mostly give 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, to be confirmed. The Fondation Apprentis d'Auteuil has not yet published the 2026 dates of the Féeries d'Auteuil; the 2025 edition ran from 6 to 14 December. The dates of the markets at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, place des Abbesses in Montmartre or the Gare de l'Est should be checked with each organiser. The December calendar of public fairs and shows completes the picture.

One event does have official dates: Klin d'œil, a Christmas-themed designers' market, brings together 95 French designers for its fifth edition on Saturday 12 December from 11am to 8pm and Sunday 13 December from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free, in the hall of the Carreau du Temple, 2 rue Perrée (3rd arrondissement), metro Temple or République. Around 3 to 6 December, with dates to be confirmed on the venue's website, the Carreau du Temple also hosts the Salon international du livre rare & des arts graphiques (rare book and graphic arts fair), another tip for bibliophiles.

At the Grand Palais: Cézanne, Oli and the ice

Cézanne et nous remains on show at the Grand Palais until 17 January 2027. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7.30pm, late opening on Friday until 10pm. Full price €19, reduced €16, Liberté ticket without a time slot €24, free for under-18s. Entrance square Jean Perrin, 17 avenue du Général Eisenhower (8th). On 24 and 31 December, the exhibition closes at 6pm; it is closed on 25 December and exceptionally opens on 1 January, at hours to be checked on grandpalais.fr.

From Wednesday 2 December until 21 February 2027, the Grand Palais presents Le Musée imaginaire d'Oli (Oli's imaginary museum), created by Oli of the duo Bigflo & Oli, with Jérôme Sans as curator. Same hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7.30pm, Friday until 10pm. Ticketing is online only; full price €22, reduced €17. It is the only new exhibition of December in this selection. The ice rink returns too, under the glass roof: the Grand Palais des Glaces runs from 12 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, every day in three sessions, from 10am to 1pm, from 2pm to 7pm and from 8pm to 2am (hours on 24, 25 and 31 December to be checked on the official website); tickets are sold online only, on the official website, from €27 (adult, morning session).

Four museums for short afternoons

At the Musée du Luxembourg, Andy Warhol. La ligne et l'image runs until 10 January 2027; hours and prices are on the museum's website.

The Musée Jacquemart-André presents Éternel Tintoret until 24 January 2027, at 158 boulevard Haussmann (8th). It is the exhibition to pair with a tour of the windows: same boulevard, same afternoon. We presented it alongside Cézanne in our selection of autumn exhibitions.

At the Louvre, December sees the close of two exhibitions: Chefs-d'œuvre de la Renaissance until 13 December, and Les Hôtes du Louvre, with Kader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton, until 14 December. Crosscurrents, devoted to Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman arts, continues until 24 January 2027, and the Michel Lacoste donation until 11 January 2027. Other exhibitions of the season are in our selection of Louvre exhibitions this autumn.

At the Musée d'Orsay, Mary Cassatt, l'indépendante is on from 6 October 2026 to 31 January 2027; hours and prices are on the museum's website.

In the evening: gospel on rue de Clichy, chanson on the Boulevards, young dancers at Garnier

The Casino de Paris, at 16 rue de Clichy, on the same street as Hôtel R de Paris, programmes gospel, chanson and children's shows in December. The Soweto Gospel Choir sings there from 18 to 20 December, and Lynda Lemay and Jean-Félix Lalanne join forces on the 21st. For families, the children's show Mary Candies plays on Sunday 20 December at 3pm, and Simon Superlapin takes over from 26 December to 3 January. Lynda Lemay and Jean-Félix Lalanne perform at 8pm; other times and prices are on the venue's website.

On the Grands Boulevards, the Olympia (28 boulevard des Capucines, 9th) hosts Marguerite on 4 and 5 December, Pierre de Maere on the 8th and 9th, Lio on the 17th. Zélie opens the month there, on 1 December; tickets can be booked on the venue's website, subject to availability.

At the Opéra national de Paris, the student showcases of the École de Danse take place at the Palais Garnier on Saturday 5 December at 10.30am, Saturday 19 December at 10.30am and 2.30pm, and Sunday 20 December at 10.30am and 2.30pm; book on operadeparis.fr.

New Year's Eve and public holidays

Since 2014, the arrival of the new year has been celebrated on the Champs-Élysées. The programme for 31 December 2026 had not been published by the City of Paris at the time of writing. A reference point from last year, according to the City of Paris: the public was welcomed onto the avenue from 7pm, a video mapping on the Arc de Triomphe began at 11.50pm and fireworks were fired from midnight to 12.10am. Nothing has yet been announced for 2026: to be checked as the holidays approach. If the evening goes ahead again, you will need to arrive early; our practical guide to the fireworks will be worth rereading at that point.

For 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, here are the opening hours already published by the venues:

• Grand Palais (Cézanne et nous): closes at 6pm on 24 and 31 December, closed on 25 December, open on 1 January (hours to be checked).
• Louvre: open on 24 and 31 December at the usual hours, from 9am to 6pm; closed on 25 December and 1 January.
• Musée du Luxembourg: closes at 6pm on 24 and 31 December, closed on 25 December.
• Musée Jacquemart-André: open from 10am to 6pm on 25 December and 1 January.
• La Défense Christmas market: from 11am to 6pm on 24 and 31 December, from 3pm to 11pm on 25 December, and on 1 January for the "Le Sommet" festive area.
• Galeries Lafayette rooftop ice rink: possible closures on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January not specified, to be checked.

We have not been able to confirm these hours for the Musée d'Orsay, the Opéra, the department stores, the Tuileries, the Notre-Dame and Champs-Élysées markets and the Grand Palais ice rink: check venue by venue. For 25 December and 1 January, see also our ideas for these two public holidays.

A few tips to keep up with the festive season

• Book as soon as ticketing opens. A time slot for Cézanne et nous, tickets for Le Musée imaginaire d'Oli, sold online.
• Aim for the late opening. On Fridays, the Grand Palais stays open until 10pm: a late-afternoon visit leaves the morning free for the windows.
• A central starting point. From the hotel, line 13 runs without a change from place de Clichy to Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau for the Grand Palais, Gare Saint-Lazare is a 7-minute walk, and the hotel's neighbourhood has its own addresses for the evenings with nothing planned.

Keep at least one evening free to wander the Grands Boulevards or dine in a 9th arrondissement bistro.