Christmas at Hôtel de Ville – Ville de Paris

December in Paris is dominated by Christmas, with markets in neighborhood squares, lights along the Champs-Elysées and Avenue Montaigne, and elaborate holiday windows at the grands magasins. Christmas concerts fill historic churches, and Salon du Cheval opens the month with three days of equestrian competition and performances.

After Christmas Day, the Festival du Merveilleux opens the Musée des Arts Forains for nine days of antique carousels, performers, music, and magic. December ends with New Year's Eve celebrations on the Champs-Elysées, Seine dinner cruises, cabarets, concerts, and late dinners on December 31.

Our Guide to Christmas in Paris →

Christmas Markets In Paris

Christmas market in Saint-Germain-des-Prés – Ville de Paris

Christmas markets open across Paris from late November through December, filling wooden chalets with ornaments, gifts, regional foods, hot chocolate, and vin chaud. The largest gathers dozens of stalls at La Défense, with smaller markets near Notre-Dame, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and Gare de l'Est.

The Alsatian Christmas Market at Gare de l'Est specializes in foods from eastern France, including gingerbread, kougelhopf, Munster cheese, charcuterie, and Alsatian wines. Near Notre-Dame, artisans sell ceramics, jewelry, textiles, and other French-made gifts in Square René Viviani.

• Late November through December 2026
• Multiple locations in Paris
• Christmas Markets In Paris →

Christmas Lights In Paris

Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysées

Christmas lights illuminate grand avenues and squares in Paris from late November into January. Hundreds of trees line the Champs-Elysées in lights from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, with another elaborate display along Avenue Montaigne and its luxury boutiques.

Place Vendôme is decorated with illuminated trees, column and classical façades surrounding the square. Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Bercy Village, and streets in Montmartre add their own displays, with decorations and lighting changing from one Christmas season to the next.

• Late November 2026 to early January 2027
• Champs-Elysées, Avenue Montaigne, Place Vendôme & other locations
• Christmas In Paris →

Christmas Windows At The Grands Magasins

Christmas windows at Galeries Lafayette – Flickr, Hotels-HPRG

Paris department stores — the grands magasins — unveil elaborate Christmas windows each November, with animated scenes, miniature sets, fashion, toys, and decorations continuing through December. Galeries Lafayette and Printemps create displays along Boulevard Haussmann, accompanied by the enormous Christmas tree beneath the glass dome at Galeries Lafayette.

Le Bon Marché, Samaritaine, and BHV Marais produce their own seasonal windows and interior decorations. Each store develops a new theme every year, turning the displays into an annual Paris Christmas tradition.

• November through December 2026
• Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Le Bon Marché, Samaritaine & BHV Marais
• Christmas In Paris →

Salon du Cheval de Paris

Performance at Salon du Cheval – Cavaletti Mag

Salon du Cheval de Paris puts horses and riders at the center of three days of show jumping, dressage, western riding, vaulting, demonstrations, and equestrian performances at Porte de Versailles. Competition arenas run throughout the weekend, with different breeds of horses, riding disciplines, and demonstrations appearing on the program.

La Nuit du Cheval — Night of the Horse — turns the arena into an evening spectacle of horsemanship, choreography, costumes, music, and theatrical lighting. Elsewhere, riders demonstrate everything from classical dressage to western techniques, with competitions and performances scheduled throughout the three-day show.

• December 4 to 6, 2026
• Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 15th Arrondissement
• Information →

Christmas Concerts In Paris

Christmas concerts fill historic Paris churches with classical and sacred music throughout December. Sainte-Chapelle stages evening concerts beneath its stained-glass windows, while La Madeleine and Saint-Eustache host orchestras, choirs, soloists, and organ performances in two of the city's largest churches.

Programs range from Vivaldi and Mozart to Bach, Handel, Christmas carols, and traditional music. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day add holiday performances, with concerts continuing through the final week of December and into New Year's Eve.

• Throughout December 2026
• Sainte-Chapelle, La Madeleine, Saint-Eustache & other churches
• Classical Concerts In Paris →

Festival du Merveilleux

Antique carousels turn, fairground games come to life, and performers fill the museum's rooms during the Festival du Merveilleux, a nine-day celebration held after Christmas at the Musée des Arts Forains. Magicians, musicians, acrobats, and dancers perform among mechanical music machines, theatrical sets, and a collection of 19th- and early-20th-century fairground attractions.

The Musée des Arts Forains — Museum of Fairground Arts — occupies the former wine warehouses of the Pavillons de Bercy. During the festival, visitors can explore the decorated rooms, gardens, and courtyards, with short performances taking place throughout the day.

• December 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027
• Musée des Arts Forains, Pavillons de Bercy, 12th Arrondissement

New Year's Eve In Paris

December ends with New Year's Eve celebrations on the Champs-Elysées, where crowds gather for the midnight countdown near the Arc de Triomphe. Elsewhere, Seine dinner cruises serve multi-course dinners with champagne at midnight, cabarets stage special performances, and restaurants prepare December 31 menus.

• December 31, 2026
• Locations throughout Paris
• New Year's Eve In Paris →

More Things To Do In Paris In December

A Seine dinner cruise takes in Paris illuminated for Christmas, from Notre-Dame and the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, with dinner served as the boat travels through the city. Our December guide also recommends guided tours of Versailles and the Louvre, food and wine experiences, and day trips beyond Paris.

Things To Do In Paris In December →