Time to wise up on your cultcha! Over two days, the 27th and 28th September, down by the Seine near the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, this outdoor festival allows you to meet theatre companies, exhibition organisers and musicians to show what’s in store for your entertainment these next few months in Paris.

Plus, you’ll also be able to benefit from special prices and reductions ! Read on…


It’s called “Spectaculaire, la fête des sorties culturelles,” it’s completely free, and it’s your chance to discover what the region’s has lined up in the next few months in theatre, concerts, opera, dance, museums and tourism. Many free concerts, extract of show and debates are planned.

There will be:

– 3 villages open to the public (theatre/dance, museums/foreign culture institutes/tourism, classical music/opera/modern music;
– 1 village for culture professionals;
– 11 stages (9 barges and the 2 auditoria of the BnF);

and 100,000 visitors are expected!

The 2-day event is organised by the people who founded Zurban a now defunct weekly listings magazine along the lines of Time Out.

So what caught our eye in the programme?

Saturday

Indian music on the Boer II barge starting at 10.30am with a homage to Ravi Shankar, followed by a talk about the influence of Indian music on the French scene (hope your language skills are up to scratch!), and a demonstration on Indian dance at 12.30pm
A concert by Le Tone at 2.30pm in the Grand Auditorium of the BNF.

Sunday

Lots of kids’ stuff (not sure how good they will be), like the 30-minute painting workshop on the Boer II barge at midday and 1pm
Ludor Citrik, a “trash clown” (???) at 5pm on the Nix Nox barge
and an extract of the show “Des Aventures de Bébé Lilly” at 1pm in the Grand Auditorium of the BNF.

All the details, alas in French, are on the official site here. You can download the full programme and details of each show/concert on offer.

Here’s all the essential information for “Spectaculaire, la fête des sorties culturelles”

When: 27th & 28th September 2008
Where: on the quayside just next to the BNF in the 13th arrondissement
Opening hours: roughly 10am – 6pm
How to get there: Métro Quai-de-la-Gare (line 6) or Bibliothèque François Mitterand (line 14 / RER C). Bus n°s 63, 132, 64, 89, 325 (the stop is “Bibliothèque François Mitterand”)
How much: nothing! Make the most of it!

Bigger map here