For the fifth year running, the Paris city council is helping out areas of the city who want to put up special illuminations for the holiday period. Here’s the list of all the streets with super special lighting this year!

photo by MicMacPics1 used under cc licence


All over France, it’s usually the authorities that pay for the Xmas lights. Everywhere, that is, except Paris – here, although the city council helps out, it’s the local shops that get together, pool their ressources and design their iluminations. Now in its fifth year, the Paris Illumine Paris event (Paris Lights Up Paris) has expanded from five, to twelve, to twenty different areas of the city.

There are now over 125 streets and squares illumintaed for the holiday period, with each arrondissement trying to outdo the others with original displays that will – hopefully – attract the Xmas shoppers. This year the theme is “Creation – Innovation – Energy Control”, with many low consumption bulbs being used.

We’ll be going down to the Champs Elysées very soon to take pictures of the lights there, switched on by Bertrand Delanoë and actrice Marion Cottillard. In the meantime, here’s our list of the areas that have made a special effort. The names sound enticing; I’ve tried to translate them as best as possible. Our prize for pretentious title of the year goes to the 19th arrondissement with “The Frozen Foam – The Golden Wave – The Fiery Ripple“! If you’re in town, try and see them all!

(The numbers are for the arrondissements)

1st & 2nd: rue Montorgueil, rue Tiquetonne – “Forest of Light”
3rd: rue de Bretagne, rue des Francs Bourgeois – “The Crowns of Bretagne”
4th: rue Rambuteau, rue du Temple – “Sparkles of Winter”
5th: rue Mouffetard, Place Église Saint Médard, Place de la Contre Escarpe – “Mouff’ Stars”
5th & 6th: Boulevard Saint Germain, Place Saint Germain des Prés – “Shining is the Night”
6th: rue de Rennes – “Twinkling Drape”
7th: rue du Bac, rue de Grenelle, rue Malar, rue Jean Nicot – “Shower of Crowns”
8th: Avenue Montaigne – “Organdy“
9th: rue Caumartin – “Canada Christmas”
10th: rue des Vinaigriers – “Ile of Light”
11th: rue Oberkampf – “Gold Disc”
12th: rue Marsoulan, Viaduc des Arts – “Starry Arches”
13th: Avenue des Gobelins, avenue d’Italie – “Setting Sun”
14th: rue d’Alésia, rue des Plantes, rue Daguerre – “In the Clouds of Alésia”
15th: rue Lecourbe, rue Cambronne, Village Saint Charles – “Balls of Stars”
16th: Village d’Auteuil – “Golden Sky in Auteuil”
17th: rue de Courcelles, rue Poncelet – “The Courcelles Jewels”
18th: Place et rue des Abbesses, rue Lepic, rue A. Bruant, rue Tholozé, rue de Maistre, rue Véron – “20.000 Lights in Montmartre”
19th: Quartier Jean-Jaurès – “The Frozen Foam – The Golden Wave – The Fiery Ripple”
20th: rue de Belleville, rue du Jourdain – “The Heart of the Village is Illuminated”

Paris Illumine Paris. 2th November – end of January 2009. Official site: www.parisillumineparis.fr

photo by MicMacPics1 used under cc licence