Paris and Île-de-France host events from October 23-25, 2026
Paris and the Île-de-France region feature a diverse schedule of contemporary art fairs, gaming conventions, major sporting events, and Halloween-themed autumn attractions running from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Contemporary Art Fairs and Museum Installations Take Over the Capital
The fifth Paris edition of the international contemporary art fair Art Basel Paris opens at the Grand Palais alongside outdoor monumental installations scattered across the city through October 25, 2026. Concurrently, the Moderne Art Fair runs on the Place de la Concorde through October 25, showcasing modern art and design galleries. Design Miami Paris occupies the former residence of Karl Lagerfeld at the Hôtel de Maisons in the 7th arrondissement through October 25, presenting rare furniture and contemporary creations.
Museums across the city add temporary exhibitions to the weekend calendar. The Musée d’Orsay hosts “J’ai vu,” a light-based exhibition by Jenny Holzer featuring LED installations and text projections running through February 21, 2027. The Fondation Cartier presents a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring artist Ibrahim Mahama and fellow Ghanaian artists from October 22, 2026, to February 28, 2027. At the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the retrospective exhibition “Look, 40 ans de mode au musée” displays forty iconic silhouettes tracing four decades of style.
Gaming, Professional Sports, and Autumn Seasonal Events
The Paris Games Week exhibition returns to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles through October 25, 2026, offering public game testing at Nintendo and Sega booths alongside demonstrations of Marvel’s Wolverine and esports competitions. In sports entertainment, the Zénith de Paris hosts Hexagone MMA on October 24, featuring ten bouts and a title fight between Samba Sima and Léopold Goi. The Stade de France prepares to host its first regular-season National Football League game on Sunday, October 25.
Halloween-themed events continue across the region, including the Parc Astérix opening of its open-air haunted forest trail, “La Forêt sans Retour,” running through November 8, 2026. The Château de Vincennes hosts its second digital and light art festival, “Nuits de Lumière,” through November 8. Other regional events include the “Parc de l’Étrange” at Parc André-Citroën through October 31, a Day of the Dead celebration at the Jardin d’Acclimatation through November 1, and vampire-themed carriage tours and underground installations at the Château de Dampierre.
Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.