Paris is the world’s most striking city. The chic Marais and St. Germain, the romantic stairway streets of Montmartre, the majestic grandeur that sweeps west from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower shining brightly as ever. But the magic is dispersing, especially to the north and east of the Bastille. The student and artistic types are infusing new vivacity into old working-class quarters, turning a disused train station into a club, a hardware store into a bar, a railroad into a garden walkway, old workshops into atmospheric restaurants.

Paris offers abundance choice and a wide variety of lively festivals. Among these are the free, city-wide Fête de la Musique which is held on 21 June, then the the Festival du Film de Paris held in early April and the biennial Festival d’Automne held during September to December which comprises of contemporary dance event. One can also visit free concerts which are held within the city’s churches, during the Festival d’Art Sacré in the weeks preceding Christmas. Classical concerts are listed in the monthly Le Monde de la Musique.

The Paris Autumn Festival was fashioned in 1972 by Michel Guy, Georges Pompidou's Minister of Culture. The Festival d'Automne quickly became a junction for avant-garde and forward-looking artistic creation. The Festival draws large audiences and motivates wide public interest.

Festival de Saint-Denis is a festival of a rich and varied program of standard classical works. The festival has commissioned a new work entitled Tentation d’Istanbul by Turkish musician Mercan Dede. Created specially for the Saint-Denis Basilica, Tentation d’Istanbul was inspired by Fatih Akin's film Crossing the bridge.

Anyone planning a visit to Paris, and wanting to take in city or local festivals, would do well to check for schedules pertaining to the time of their trip. There is a wide variety of events to satisfy almost any taste, at almost any time of the year.

“Singin' In Paris” is a 62-hour series of musical presentations in a luxurious 17th century mansion in the Marais district. There is a wide variety of programs focusing on songs about Paris as well as featuring songs in French that are famous around the world.

Parisians also commemorate the impending summer season on a grand scale, usually in the latter part of June. The Fête de la Musique has its official schedule of events usually a free concert generally held on the Place de République, also including a public spirited plethora of improvised shows and concerts that take place in venues large and small.

Paris has its portion of parades like the French Mardi Gras type, Techno Parade. This sparkling, costumed variety of techno music winds its way through the east section of Paris, generally in mid-September. The participants and audience are generally of the younger generation.

In Paris the Film Festival takes place in spring; it showcases more than a hundred films over six Parisian cinemas. The whole festival includes premierès, press awards, public awards, and film novel prizes. Another ongoing occasion for tourists to get off their feet and enjoy some fine French cinema is a visit to the Forum des Images video library. Visual arts celebrations are abundant, and one should be able to find something going on at almost any time one visit.

Anil Gupta
http://www.bookings.fr/city/fr/paris.html?aid=305255
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Picture: Paris Festivals