Paris Excitement
We are all familiar with the usual Paris tourist attractions. Most guides will direct you to the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the Champs Elysèes and the cute little Apartment in Paris and quaint hotels in Paris. While these are all great works of art, which undoubtedly deserve a visit if you are seeing Paris for the first time, you may be looking for something different to do if you are a regular visitor. I’ve heard so many people say “I’ve seen the main attractions of Paris, there’s nothing else there” that I decided to draw up a short list of annual, original attractions to visit while in the area.
The Pyrenean town of Bagnères-de-Luchon welcomes once again, the return of the flower festival and parade. This event will take place as usual on at the end of august; 22 - 24 August for this year. This event is a jolly day out and takes you back to the days when festivals were simple; the tradition for this event is to watch the dancing, the classic car show and the beauty pageant as well as the central floral parade, all stretched over a lovely weekend. The event was created by the famous author, Edmond Rostand and is one of the most looked forward to event of this area.
From the 12th to the 14th of September, L’hummanité, the French communist news paper, will be holding their annual party. This is an event where left-wingers from all over the country will join in the family fun in order to promote their politics. There will be numerous stalls dedicated to food, drink, crafts and games, all with a political twist. However, don’t be put off by the political side of this event as there is plenty of neutral fun to be had by all. There will be many activities held during the three day event, including a grand finale concert, including performances from big name bands like Babyshambles. This event is taking place in the Parc de la Courneuve in the centre of Paris and will cost everyone over 15, 17euros to get in. (under 15’s get in for free).
The last annual event on my list, and by far the best, is the Art Outsiders art festival. This must see festival will be taking place at the ‘Le Cube’ arts centre in Issy (a suburb of Paris) between the 24th of September and the 12th of October. The main theme of this years event will be ‘Art and the Environment’; a very suiting theme for a contemporary art exhibition. The main attraction will be projected by Slovenian artist Marko Peljhan. Following the success of his 2007-2008 International Polar Event, the artist will be exhibiting the Antarctica-based installation I-Tasc in order to promote awareness of environmental energy concerns. This event will get any creative mind going, so make sure to pop down for a visit.
There you have it; a shortlist of original activities that take place in and around Paris. Bet you didn’t even think about The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre or The Champs Elysèes. Paris is more than just a beautiful city with monuments and museums; it’s a way of life and an ongoing cultural event. This is why I recommend anyone to book their flights and their Paris accommodation and come on down to Paris; you will never run out of things to do.