Paris. The name is synonymous with love, beauty, art, culture … the list goes on. No matter the time of year, there’s a seemingly endless of festivals, parades, sporting events and cultural attractions to take in.
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If you’re planning a weekend getaway or (even better) an extended stay in Paris this year, be sure to check out these top five events for 2014!
Sunset in Paris, France © Moyan Brenn
#1: Six Nations Rugby (February/March)
Every year, France goes head-to-head with five other European nations (Italy, England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland) in the Six Nations Rugby international. At roughly 120 years old, this championship match series is officially the world’s oldest rugby tournament. What’s more, since its inception, France claims the title has the “most successful”, so it’s quite a treat to see the champs play on their home turf.
#2: Paris Carnival (March)
Since 1274, the time-honored Carnaval de Paris has been led by a real-live cow simply dubbed the Fat Cow. Throughout this single-day event, proud Parisians Рincluding musicians and boisterous trumpeters Рmarch through the city streets on the way to H̫tel de Ville (Town Hall). Check out www.frenchaffair.com.au for more information.
#3: Paris Marathon (April)
New York, London, Antarctica (!) … seemginly every corner of the globe offers an (in)famous annual marathon. But there’s just something so special about running the streets of France’s most popular city. While hailed by tens of thousands of spectators, runners enjoy the unique opportunity of racing past the city’s best known landmarks, including the Place de la Bastille and Champs-Élysées (among others). Kids are even invited to join in with a 1-mile breakfast run the day before the marathon, so it’s a true family event! You can register online at www.parismarathon.com.
#4: Jardin Shakespeare (June – September)
Every year, the city’s Bois de Boulogne hosts the annual Jardin Shakespeare. This open-air theater event features bards performing original Shakespeare works (as well as some from other playwrights) in both English and French language. The appropriately named concert takes its namesake from the five gardens that make up the event – every one named after a famous Shakespearean work – As You Like It, The Tempest, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth.
#5: High Heel Race (December)
And now for something truly unique (and bizarre) … Paris’s annual High Heel Race is about as strange as it gets. The gist is simple: teams of women run as fast as possible at various Parisian monuments. It’s actually part of a worldwide competition put on by Sarenza shoes. Sure, it’s basically one big marketing ploy. But it works!