Top 5 Events in Paris in 2010
Thinking about a trip to Paris in 2010, but can’t decide when you should go? Why not plan your trip around one of these top 5 events that will rock the city in 2010.
1. Les Soldes (“The Sales”)
For shopaholics, Paris is a drug — and during the city’s “sales” season, a particularly dangerous one. Twice a year, all stores in Paris from Louis Vitton to Gap, have monster sales, with discounts up to 80% off. Although the sales last for six weeks, Parisians and tourists alike rise early on the first day of sales to stand in line outside their favorite stores, waiting for the doors to open so that they get first crack at coveted items. Given the number of shops in Paris, trying to figure out where to go can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau created “Soldes by Paris”: five themed shopping routes based upon your taste and style. Each route has 50 stores in each category (classic, trendy, creative, Bobo Chic, and Fusion Fashion World), and includes boutiques, restaurants, and cultural sites that might also please you. Download this multilingual shopping guide at www.shoppingbyparis.com.
Winter sales: January 6 – February 20; Summer sales: late June-July.
2. Chinese New Year.
Come welcome the Year of the Tiger! Over the past decade, celebrating theChinese New Year has become an increasingly popular event among in Paris. Thousands come out to attend the noisy, colorful parade in the 13th arrondissement, where you can enjoy dancers, musicians, flag-bearers and an enormous gaily-colored silk dragon that swoops and swirls over the crowd. Afterward, try one of the many Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood for a traditional New Year’s meal. Be sure to eat Spring Rolls for wealth, and noodles for long life (don’t cut them!)
Chinese New Year: February 14th.
3. French Open (Roland Garros Tournament).
Even if you’re not a die-hard tennis fan, you’ll likely be enthralled by the hard-fought matches at the French Open. This tournament is one of the four major tennis events that make up the Grand Slam and inevitably features theworld’s top tennis players – many of whom find themselves defeated by the stadium’s clay courts. Score tickets early: this tournament is unquestionably one of the most popular events of the year.
Roland Garros Tournament: May 23- June 6.
4. Fête de la Musique.
Every year on June 21, the city of Paris turns into a massive music festival. The Fête de la Musique is a day on which all musicians, from the unknown amateur to highly-regarded professional, can display their talent to the masses – all for free. Wander the streets, sit in a café, or hang out in a park, and you’ll find music of some stripe on almost every corner: brass bands, rock,opera, hip-hop, jazz,reggae, classical – you name it, it’ll be there. Check out __ www.fete-musique.net for further details.
Fete de la Musique: June 21.
5. La Nuit Blanche.
If Paris turns into a huge music festival on Fete de la Musique, then it turns into a giant museum during the Nuit Blanche. On the Nuit Blanche (White Night), Paris’s museums, galleries, cinemas, parks, monuments and evenswimming pools are open all night long – and admittance is free. Thousands of people spend the night roaming the streets of Paris, attending various exhibits and special showcases, and enjoying Paris’s cultural scene under the shroud of darkness. At dawn, the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) offers breakfast for weary all-night culture-seekers.
