L'été du canal

For over a month this summer, the area in and around the river in north-eastern Paris will be the place to be. Below is an outline of the event programme to help you make the most of the summer.

On the water, river cruise boats welcome you for shuttle rides to reach the different festival venues between the parc de la Poudrerie and the bassin de La Villette in Paris.

A number of pop-up activity and entertainment areas are back this summer. Musicians, guinguettes (open-air dance cafés) and refreshment stalls will set up to get you dancing and to ensure a vibrant atmosphere under the sun and the parasols. Open-air parties, workshops for young people, picnics and dance battles, all free of charge, await you in disused urban industrial sites such as the Cité Fertile. If you enjoy concerts you’ll have plenty of choice throughout the season with the Scènes Nomaades, the Glaz’art beach, the Kilomètre 25 or the 6b. The banks of the canal are being transformed into a dance floor with balls, electro DJ sets, live acoustic sessions and world music concerts.

A cultural summer

And the cultural programme is just as enticing.
Discover the beauty of the waterways of north-east Paris on a cultural cruise, a street art cruise, boat rides during the day, or at night a cruise for lovers, a cruise with your family or one with friends. About fifteen outings to various destinations (the Seine, the Canal Saint-Martin, Lagny-sur-Marne, old Paris), with varied and original themes (Olympic canal, architecture, street-art, hip-hop, urban culture) await you for unforgettable moments combining relaxation and discovery.

Embark on a cinema cruise and enjoy a trip on the water followed by a screening of one of the festival’s films at the La Villette Open-air Cinema. As an added bonus, you can even take up the option of a packed lunch to enjoy in front of the screen.

For those who don’t have their sea legs and prefer to keep their feet firmly on dry land, thematic walking tours are also organised with Ciné Balade featuring the theme of the cinematographic arts from yesterday to today. You can also take a journey back in time to the origins 200 years ago of the construction of the Ourcq Canal along its former towpaths.
Street art walks also provide an opportunity to admire the work of artists who have chosen to use walls and street furniture as the canvas for their constantly renewed creations.

A sporting summer

Are you more of sporty energetic type? Don’t miss the Rando’Kayak on the Ourcq Canal. Accompanied by a professional guide and in a single or two-seater kayak, explore the canal’s green and invigorating banks to discover its wildlife, which includes many species of birds. And in the Parc de la Poudrerie, you can go exploring on foot, by bike or in a pedal boat. Fancy a swim? Enjoy the cool and refreshing waters of the open-air swimming pool at the Bassin de la Villette, which will be back for the 2023 edition of Paris Plages.

A programme guaranteed to keep you busy all summer long under the warm sun of the Paris Region!

Take the opportunity to discover Pantin and the banks of the Ourcq Canal in our guide From Pantin to Romainville, discover the Brooklyn of Eastern Paris.