Mary AnneHere are some of the big events happening in France in 2026. It’s a pretty impressive list spanning the whole year. And as France welcomed over 100 million international visitors in 2024 with the UK being one of the most important markets, I wanted to give you a heads-up on what to see when.
Apart from major openings, keep your eyes open for the cities and institutions celebrating anniversaries. To pick a couple: the Lyon Street Food Festival from June 11 to Sunday, June 14 is 10 years old. On a rather different note, during March and April, the Harlem Globetrotters tour France for their 100th birthday.
Please note: I will add firm opening dates when these are confirmed.
Major Openings in France in 2026
Villa Windsor, Paris, Spring 2026
Spring sees the opening of the Villa Windsor, the former Paris home of the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallace Simpson. The Brits continue to be fascinated by the strange story of the love affair that led to the abdication of the Prince of Wales. It’s a very grand house with a strange history, inhabited at various times by the Germans in World War II, President de Gaulle, the Duke of Windsor and his wife and Mohamed Al-Fayed. It’s located in the Bois de Boulogne, close to the southern edge of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
No precise date is yet set for its opening. As soon as I hear, I will add it to the site…and book my tickets!
Claude Monet: 100 Years of Legacy, Normandy and Paris, 2026
The French Impressionist painter Claude Monet is the subject of a whole range of events in Normandy and Paris to commemorate the centenary of his death on December 5, 1926.
Look out for some real blockbusters among the 100 plus events between March and December. Monet Discovers Giverny takes place at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny. The painter first rented the house from 1883 to 1890 and the exhibition will feature works from this period.
Normandy and Impressionism
Who were the Impressionist Painters? A Quick Guide
Re-opening of the Palais du Tau, Reims, Grand Est, Spring 2026
The splendid Palace of the Archbishops of Reims, the Palais du Tau, partly reopens this spring with the new Musée des Sacres. It celebrates royal history from 751 to 1825 when 33 French Kings lived here before their coronation in Reims Cathedral. It’s going to be semi immersive, so visitors can witness the various parts of the coronation ceremony.
200 Years of Photography, Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, 2026
Hands up…Who knows that the French inventor and pioneer Nicéphore Niépce, successfully took what is now the oldest surviving photograph Point de vue du Gras. It was the birth of photography. Niépce’s photograph was taken from his study window. The image which was recorded on a bitumen-coated pewter plate taken over eight hours in bright sunshine.
The whole of France is celebrating 200 years of photography, with a year-long bicentenary programme running from September 2026 to September 2027. If you want to see where it all started, visit his former home, now the Nicéphore Niépce Museum, in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, close to Chalon-sur-Saône.
There’s a major exhibition in autumn 2026 at the Grand Palais, with the Centre Pompidou and the Grand Palais-RMN, with some of the great photographs in the national collections.
Étoile Voltaire, Paris, Île-de-France, 2026
The new Etoile Voltaire promises to be spectacular. Opening in the 11th arrondissement, the former Voltaire electricity substation has been transformed by the architect, Olivier Palatre. The new complex will have five cinemas including one panoramic screening room, a community restaurant from chef Thierry Marx, exhibition and events space and a wonderful green rooftop terrace with views over the surrounding streets.
It’s taken a long time. In November 2016, the much loved Parisian cinema La Pagode closed. The Etoile Cinemas group which owned it, entered a project in the Réinventer Paris competition organized by the mayor’s office to transform underused urban spaces (like parking lots, defunct train stations) with environmentally friendly urban designs. It brought out some stunning designs.
Events in France in 2026
There are plenty of anniversaries in France in 2026. Here’s a very small selection.
February 2026 – The Six Nations opening match will be France vs Ireland at the Stade de France, Paris, Île-de-France
April 12, 2026 – 50th Edition of the Paris Marathon, Paris, Île-de-France
June, 2026 – 150th Anniversary of the death of George Sand, Aubusson, Creuse, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
The famous writer was also known for her love of tapestry. She was responsible for alerting Prosper Mérimée, the first inspector of historic monuments, of the tapestries from the Lady and the Unicorn series in Boussac. The tapestry will be unveiled in June 2026 and the be part of the permanent collection of the Cité Internationale de Tapisserie.
More about Tapestry in France