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PARIS

Nuit Blanche 2023: What’s on and where to go in Paris

During this year's all-nighter event in Paris there will be film screenings and street art exhibits, as well as free museum entry at some of the capital's best art and culture venues. Here is the schedule for the 'Nuit Blanche'.

Nuit Blanche 2023: What's on and where to go in Paris
A woman rides a decorated Velib' bike during Nuit Blanche in 2019 in Paris (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)

The annual Nuit Blanche celebration in Paris will take place on Saturday, June 3rd, and the city has plenty of activities to enjoy all night long.

This year, the event was organised by artistic director Kitty Hartl, who also coordinated the 2022 event. With nearly 200 cultural activities and art exhibits running throughout the night, everyone will be able to find something worth staying up for.

You can find the full agenda HERE.

Artistic exhibits

“Artistic posters for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games” – If you are not available on Saturday the 3rd, you can still see a special Nuit Blanche exhibit on Thursday, June 1st from 3pm until 8pm.

For each Olympic and Paralympic Games, artists are invited to contribute to the collective memory of the event by creating a body of original artwork intended to demonstrate Olympic values, such as inclusivity and innovation. Seven artists were commissioned to come up with Olympic and Paralympic posters, which you will be able to see during the exhibit. The event will be held at the Auai de la Mégisserie in Paris’ 1 arrondissement.

“Nuit Blanche at the Holocaust Memorial” – During Nuit Blanche, the Holocaust (Shoah) Memorial will present works of art related to the Armenian Genocide via the personal story of artist Melik Ohanian in an evening titled “Remember, It was tomorrow”. You can find more information here.

“Breuer.121” – Held at the Hungarian cultural centre, the Institut Liszt Paris, this exhibit will show the works of Marcel Breuer, who graduated from the Bauhaus school in the 1920s, and gained an international reputation for his tubular furniture. On the event of his 120th birthday, the exhibit will show Breuer’s entire body of work and discuss his influence on Hungarian Brutalism. It will run from 7pm until 11pm. More information found here.

“CAPITALE(S), 60 years of urban and street art in Paris” – Nuit Blanche will represent the final day of the “CAPITALE(S)” street art exhibit at Paris’ Hôtel de Ville, which will keep its doors open to the public until midnight during the event. The exhibit shows works from 70 prominent street artists, both French and international. The event will run from 6:30pm until midnight, and though it is free, you will need to reserve a ticket in advance. You can find more information here.

Museums

Several museums across the city will offer free entry during Nuit Blanche, and some have special exhibits going on for the night as well.

La Bourse du Commerce – During Nuit Blanche, entry will be free until midnight. There will also be a special event titled “Before the Storm” running from 7pm until midnight at the museum, which will show the works of 15 artists exploring tensions and impacts brought on by climate change. 

Picasso Museum – The Picasso Museum will also open its doors for free, with special events throughout the night. From 9pm until 11pm, there will be a DJ performance by the artist Radio Nova in the courtyard. You can find more information here.

Pompidou Modern Art Museum – The Centre Pompidou will offer immersive installations and performances starting at 6pm at the Piazza in front of the museum. The public will also be granted free entry into Galerie 3, where a light and sound performance by Camille Juthier will take place, as an exploration of the universe.

The Musée d’Orsay – Even though the museum will not allow people to take tours of all its galleries during Nuit Blanche, there will still be an event worth seeing, running from 7pm until 4am – an outdoor showing of the film “Le Fond de la Seine” which gives a portrait of the river using underwater and landscape images to show its history, connection to people and industry and how the water runs out to the ocean.

Concerts

“The Orchestre Colonne” – one of France’s oldest orchestras, founded in 1873, the Orchestre Colonne will offer a show running from 8pm to 11pm during this year’s Nuit Blanche. The team of over 47 musicians will play Verdi, La Forza del destino (overture) and Brahms’ 2nd symphony. It will be held at 23 quai de Conti, in Paris’ 6th arrondissement. You can find more information HERE.

“Nour Kara & Juliette Capel – Women, Life, Freedom” – this experimental live music show will honour Iranian women’s struggle for freedom. Starring Nour Kara, Iranian electronic music producer, and Juliette Capel, cellist and percussionist, the show will offer a non-classical interpretation of the cello, partnered with electronic and experimental music effects. The event will take place at the Mairie of the 19e arrondissement, going from 9pm until 10:30pm.

“III Julien Signolet & Mathias Durand” – Enjoy an immersive musical experience with live performances by Mathias Durand. This installation will join visual effects, dance and sound. It will take place at the Collège des Bernardins at 20 rue de Poissy, in Paris’ 5th arrondissement, going from 7pm until 2am.

Activities for kids

“109 LOSANGES” – located along the banks of the Seine, the Federico-García-Lorca garden will host several open air art exhibit, with trees and pathways illuminated with lights to create a fun, immersive and colourful experience. It will run from 7pm until 3am, taking place on the Georges-Pompidou pathway in the 4th arrondissement.

“The Europa Experience” – Inspired by the world of gaming, this video event is a collaboration between two artists. In the exhibit, viewers will enjoy a 2D to 3D video as the character walks around video game landscapes and modernist paintings. The event will be held at 28 place de la Madeleine, in the 8th arrondissement. It will run from 7pm until midnight.

“Aiguillage galerie” – From the young comics collective, this multimedia event will allow you to discover comic books, immersive video projections, and fascinating animations. It will be held at 19 rue des Frigos, Building B, in the 13th arrondissement, running from 9pm to 1am.

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PARIS

Will rain spoil Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

Paris woke on Friday to a wet and grey day - but will the rain continue and disrupt this evening's spectacular Olympics opening ceremony on the River Seine?

Will rain spoil Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

In the months before the Olympics a report by a group of Olympians and UK-based academics warned of the dangers of extreme heat at the Paris Games.

But the first weather-related challenge for the organisers is rain – namely will it rain during the opening ceremony on Friday evening, planned as a spectacular open-air event on the River Seine.

The day dawned rainy and cool in the Paris region, with French weather forecaster La Chaîne Météo saying that there is a 70 to 80 percent chance of “moderate to heavy” rain at the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony starting at 7.30pm.

“There is still uncertainty about the trajectory and exact position” of the rainstorm, meteorologist Cyrille Duchesne said in a post on the channel’s website, with “some models having Paris on the edge of this heavy rain, while others… see rainfall of 15-20 millimetres, or 10 days of rain in two or three hours”.

Meanwhile, Météo France wrote in their morning forecast that “the risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out”, while predicting light wind and temperatures near 22C in the evening.

One meteorologist and forecaster, Louis Bodin, told TF1 on Friday morning that “according to several weather models, the cloudy and rainy spell should be behind us by the time of the ceremony, with one or two hours to spare. We’re still within the margin of error, but the most significant part could well be over”.

The 2024 opening ceremony will be the first to not be held in a stadium, and it is expected to involve over 6,000 athletes who will board 85 boats to float down 6km on the River Seine, from Pont d’Austerlitz bridge in the east to the Eiffel Tower.

Meanwhile, up to 300,000 ticket-holders are set to watch from the built stands along the banks of the river.

READ MORE: What we know about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

What happens if there is rain?

If there is rain, the ceremony is still expected to go ahead.

“The rain won’t spoil the party or the show in any way’, French sport minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told the radio channel RMC.

“It’s always more pleasant when the weather’s nice, let’s face it. But there will be no impact. It won’t detract from the quality of the show,” she added.

The head of the Olympic organising committee, Tony Estanguet, told France Inter that “the event was designed so that it can be held in the rain (…) It may be a bit different. We will adapt. 

“But some people who are used to filming say that rain also adds an atmosphere that looks great on camera. We’ll see tonight,” he added.

The Olympics boss also told another French radio channel, Bonjour! La Matinale TF1 in a separate interview on Thursday that even if it rains, “on the whole, we’re going to get through it. We’re going to adapt, and it’s going to be a great moment.”

How to watch the ceremony

If you want to stay indoors, you can always watch on TV or online. The opening ceremony will be screened on France TV (France 2, 3 and 4) and the paid channel Eurosport from 7.30pm to 11pm on Friday, July 26th.

You can also watch the ceremony live online via the France TV website.

For those outside of France, you can find the list of TV channels across the world who will show the Olympics and opening ceremony live HERE.

Naturally the French coverage will be in French. If you want to watch with English commentary you can head to France 24 which will be providing some coverage, or watch some of the foreign broadcasters (subject to rights and accessibility) such as the UK’s BBC, Ireland’s RTE or the USA’s NBC.

READ MORE: How to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on TV in France

Fan zones 

For those planning to enjoy the ceremony in a fan zone, keep in mind that many in Paris will be outdoor, either in parks, athletic centres or in front of town halls. As such, you may want to pack your rain jacket. You can see the full list of fan zones here.

You can also see an interactive map to find fan zones and other free, celebration areas near you by scrolling down on the Paris.Fr website.

For those looking to avoid the rain, you may consider watching the ceremony in a bar or restaurant. You can find a list of those who plan to screen events HERE.

This includes the popular food court, La Felicita, in the 13th arrondissement, which will offer 1,000 seats for people looking to watch the ceremony.

On top of that, several Paris bars have promised to remain open for 24 hours on Friday-Saturday.

READ MORE: Where to watch the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

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