In depth · Christmas & New Year
Christmas in Paris: the lights, the windows and the music
In Advent, Paris dresses its boulevards in light, its department stores in theatrical windows, and its churches and concert halls in music. We add the 2026 dates for the lights and the markets as soon as the organisers publish them.
Updated October 2026
The windows and the dome
Each year the department stores of the boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, dress their windows for Christmas, and a great tree rises under the stained-glass dome of Galeries Lafayette. Go on a weekday morning to avoid the crowds, and see the dome from the upper galleries.
The lights of the Champs-Élysées
The plane trees of the Champs-Élysées are lit for the season, from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. Walk up from the Concorde at dusk, then climb the Arc de Triomphe for the view down the lit avenue (book on its own website).
Advent and Christmas music
The Opéra national de Paris, at the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, and the Philharmonie de Paris publish their December programmes on their own websites; book early. Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024, lists its services and concerts on its official website.
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
The palace hotels and the great restaurants serve special menus on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve; they are published, and booked, on each restaurant’s own website, often weeks ahead.
Questions and answers
When do the Christmas lights go on in Paris?
Usually in late November. We add the confirmed 2026 date as soon as it is announced.
Dates change from year to year: check each organiser’s website before you go.