Carnaval Tropical de Paris, France

Carnaval Tropical de Paris is one of the liveliest street festivals in Paris. Created in 2001 and run by the Fédération du Carnaval Tropical de Paris with the City of Paris, it celebrates the cultures of the French Caribbean, Réunion, French Guiana and other overseas territories, together with carnival traditions from Latin America and Africa. Once a year, dancers, musicians and costumed troupes take over the Champs-Élysées for a whole afternoon.

The parade brings together nearly 30 carnival groups and several thousand participants: samba schools, steel bands, drummers, brass bands and dancers in feathers, sequins and masks, many of them with roots in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Brazil or Trinidad and Tobago. Each edition has its own theme – in 2026 it was “Paris V’Îles Lumières”, which imagined Paris as an archipelago of islands – and the groups compete in front of a jury at the end of the route.

Visitor Information

The carnival is usually held on the first Sunday of July, so the next edition is expected on 4 July 2027; the City of Paris announces the exact date closer to the summer. The troupes gather from noon near the Place de la Concorde, and at around 13:00 the parade sets off up the Champs-Élysées to the George V metro station, then turns back for the finale between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, which ends by about 19:00. In 2024 the parade was moved to October because of the Olympic Games.

Watching the parade is free and needs no ticket. Arrive early to get a place at the barriers, especially near the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées and around the finale by the Grand Palais, where each group performs for the jury. The sun can be strong in July, so bring water and a hat; the parade also goes ahead in the rain, as it did in 2025.

The nearest metro stations are Concorde (lines 1, 8 and 12), Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau (lines 1 and 13), Franklin D. Roosevelt (lines 1 and 9) and George V (line 1); some exits may be closed on the day, so allow extra time. From Charles de Gaulle Airport, the RER B train and a change to the metro take about an hour to the city centre.