Christmas lights and window displays in Paris Region
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- Christmas lights and window displays in Paris Region
As the end of the year approaches… You’ve dug out your playlist of Christmas songs and that kitsch jumper with pompoms, and are now trying to resist the urge to festoon your interior with gadgets and fairy lights… You’re under the spell of the magic of Christmas. Now that your home looks like a wonderland, it’s time to seek out the fabulous surprises that Paris Region has in store. The Christmas lights that brighten up the different neighbourhoods of Île-de-France will plunge you and your delighted children irresistibly into the world of Father Christmas. This is also the best time of year to go window shopping and admire the highly original Christmas displays to be seen everywhere, from quirky boutiques to major stores. Between enormous Christmas trees and magical decorations, explore Paris and the surrounding region by night to soak up the feel-good atmosphere and let your troubles melt away… Christmas is coming !
Christmas magic in the window displays of Paris Region’s department stores
Christmas in Paris wouldn’t really be Christmas without the windows of Parisian department stores. In front of the animated scenes, parents savour the joys of yesteryear while children dream of enchanted worlds. Whether you’re a shopaholic, a gourmet or a fan of unusual decorations, get ready. From the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann to the Samaritaine, Paris’s most illustrious shops are pulling out all the stops over the festive season to amaze you time and time again.
Aboard the Christmas Express at Printemps Haussmann
For almost 160 years, the department stores’ Le Printemps Haussmann has been a French reference in the creation of Christmas window displays.
This year, it’s no exception, telling passers-by and customers a fabulous and exquisite Christmas tale. From 7 November to 31 December 2024, take your seat aboard the Printemps Express and set off on an extraordinary journey. From a station teeming with passengers, their arms full of presents, the Christmas train takes you through forests and snow-capped mountains. Salivate over the fabulous feast on offer in the restaurant carriage, be enchanted by the splendour of the Hausmann Suite, the most elegant carriage on the Christmas train, before discovering the golden Christmas tree in the gift carriage. Some 132 characters** created from recycled materials are once again bringing the windows of the Parisian department store to life. And it’s been going on for 100 years!
Find out more about Le Printemps Haussamnn.
A luminous Christmas to celebrate Galeries Lafayette's 130th anniversary
At Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, rediscover your childlike spirit in the company of young Swiss designer Kevin Germanier, who is revisiting from 8 November to 31 December 2024 the tradition of Christmas while infusing it with a dose of modernity.
He made a worldwide name for himself with his creation of the Golden Voyager costume for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games of Paris 2024.
Drawing on the archives of the department store, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, the couturier and designer has given free rein to his imagination, with one watchword: to dazzle. From the shop windows of Boulevard Haussmann to the indisputable Christmas tree that can be admired on every floor of the department stores’, he has created a whimsical universe tinged with a unique touch of upcycled glamour. His decorations are a blend of the present, the past and the future, and the promise of a simply enchanted Christmas.
Wild Christmas at the Samaritaine
From 8 November 2024 to 5 January 2025**, la Samaritaine is joining forces with Thoiry Lumières Sauvages to transform itself into an enchanted kingdom where nature reigns supreme.
Inspired by the ivy and chestnut leaves that line the building’s Art Nouveau walls, six artists set their poetic imaginations free. Their works, like magnificent exotic plants, are displayed in the windows of the department stores’, from the Pensiflora Mobilea by Juliette Berthonneau to the Macula Proliferum by Manon Daviet, which winds like a liana. **Giant snails, butterflies and magical mushrooms await you as you stroll down the aisles. A veritable urban jungle hides among the magical foliage, under the eye of the magnificent peacock, the site’s emblem, which proudly displays its feathers on the fresco on the 5th floor
Find out more about La Samaritaine.
A very Parisian Christmas at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche
For more than 170 years, le Bon Marché has been celebrating Christmas and bringing you magic and enchantment in its great department shop on the Left Bank. Window displays and staging never cease to amaze young and old alike.
And this year, the department stores’ is inviting you to a very Parisian Christmas. The four window displays come to life from 8 November to 31 December 2024 under a multitude of Eiffel Towers, in a white and gold décor. The little iron ladies will accompany you as you discover the City of Light, from its typical rooftops to the cobbled alleys and behind the Haussmannian facades where pretty, colourful and poetic creatures are getting ready for the festivities.
Once Le Bon Marché has closed, if you want to venture into the shop’s aisles for a unique experience, book a ticket for the show ‘Entre Chiens et Louves ’, by the Cirque Le Roux company. A unique experience.
Creative Christmas at BHV Marais
Opposite the Hôtel de Ville, where the Christmas market comes to life every year, a fabulous bazaar is taking place.
The BHVMarais is getting ready to celebrate Christmas in the prettiest of ways by taking you into the colourful and poetic world of French illustrator Limistic**. She is transforming the Paris department stores’ into an enchanted house, inhabited by mischievous elves, to the delight of passers-by. The windows will come to life from 6 November during a sound and light show that the BHV is renowned for and will be on display until 31 December 2024. And to prolong the pleasure, there’s a programme dedicated to the end-of-year festivities, with workshops and events for all.
Find out more about BHV Marais.
The magic of Christmas lights in Paris Region
As a new year approaches, the magic of Christmas spreads to every little corner of Paris. The city’s iconic districts are lit up in elegant style, while other neighbourhoods go for something more original, with colourful garlands and wonderfully original decorations.
Stylish illuminations in Paris Region
Like every year, the Avenue des Champs-Elysées displays its colourfully festive look. For a few fabulous weeks, the world’s most beautiful avenue is decorated in soothing golden lights from the Arc de triomphe all the way to Place de la Concorde. Switched on this year by Gilles Lellouche and the Petits Princes association, the Champs-Elysées Christmas lights are among the first to kick off Paris Region’s illuminations. Style is also the watchword at Place Vendôme where, as in previous years, the prestigious façades are exalted by majestic Christmas trees and garlands of fairy lights.
Family-friendly illuminations and culinary delights in Paris Region
This year, Bercy Village is celebrating your favourite Christmas treats. Christmas logs, delicious pastries and sweets from your childhood… With its grand alleyway festooned with candy canes, its trees decorated with lights and its musical parades, Bercy Village promises a ‘delightful Christmas’. When it comes to more original illuminations, the Rue des Martyrs, a stone’s throw from Montmartre, has a little experience in the field. For another consecutive year, it’s all about bubbles! With the help of the Nicolas Feuillate champagne house, the Rue des Bulles offers children and adults the magical sight of garlands and mountains of white and gold balloons. A levitating experience to celebrate the festive season.
An alternative tour of Paris Region’s illuminations
Many other districts of Paris Region light up to celebrate Christmas. This amazing sight is for all to see, just by walking through the streets. Alternatively, you can take a ride in a Citroen 2 CV or even a sidecar. For a higher view, board a Tootbus Paris open-top, double-decker bus for a tour of the most beautiful festive lights of Paris. For a vintage experience, 4 roues sous 1 parapluie invites you to see the capital’s most picturesque sights under the sparkle of the fairy lights.
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- Copyright image: © PBDSC