Undoubtedly, the highlight of the French calendar for 2024 will be the Paris Olympics, with outdoor sporting competitions set against iconic Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River.

However, there are several other noteworthy events, anniversaries, and openings to consider if you plan to visit France in 2024. These include a major art festival celebrating one of the most transformative movements in art history, the reopening of an 860-year-old landmark, and the debut of a five-star hotel designed for pint-sized princes and princesses.

For art lovers

Impressionism Festival in Normandy

The year 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the Impressionist movement in France, a revolutionary art movement led by artists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Cézanne, who sought to break free from classical painting techniques in favor of artistic independence. To celebrate this milestone, more than 150 events are scheduled across Normandy from March 22 to September 22, offering an in-depth exploration of the movement and its lasting impact on the art world. The festival’s marquee events will also highlight the contributions of two American artists to Impressionism.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts of Rouen will host an exhibition dedicated to American painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), showcasing his works alongside those of his Impressionist contemporaries. Additionally, experimental stage director and artist Robert Wilson has created a new sound and light show at Rouen Cathedral, a monument that inspired Monet to paint it over 30 times throughout his career. Details can be found in the festival program.

In Paris, the Musée d’Orsay will also celebrate this anniversary with the exhibition “Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism,” running from March 26 to July 14. Featuring 130 works by Cézanne, Degas, Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley, the culture minister Rima Abdul Malak described it as an “exhibition of unrivalled scope.”

Europe’s First Museum for Women’s Art

In a small town near Cannes in the south of France, Europe’s first museum dedicated entirely to women’s art is set to open. Former commodities trader turned private art collector Christian Levett originally opened the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in Mougins in 2011 to showcase his collection of antiquities, neoclassicist masterpieces, and ancient arms and armor. The museum attracted 250,000 visitors annually.

In June 2024, the museum will undergo a dramatic transformation and reopen as FAMM: Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins (Female Artists of the Mougins Museum). This new direction will honor the works of contemporary female artists, including Tracey Emin, Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning, and Cecily Brown, among many others.

For history buffs

80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings

From June 1 to June 16, Normandy will host a series of events to commemorate and honor the 160,000 Allied troops who landed on its beaches during WWII in the largest air, land, and sea invasion in military history. The D-Day Festival will feature over 100 events along the Normandy coastline, including fireworks displays over the five landing beaches on June 1. An official international ceremony will take place on June 6 at Omaha Beach, drawing heads of state and veterans, although this event will not be open to the public. The official program will be posted and updated on the Mobilier National website.

Notre-Dame de Paris Resurrected

Though the historic landmark’s reopening will miss the Olympics by a few months, Notre-Dame de Paris is set to be resurrected in time for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. A replica of the spire, which fell dramatically during the April 15, 2019 fire, has already been mounted and will be visible against the Parisian skyline during the Summer Olympic Games. In the meantime, some of the 860-year-old cathedral’s relics, paintings, and treasures are on display at various museums across the city, including the Louvre (until January 24, 2024), Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine (until June 2, 2024), and the Mobilier National (April 24–July 28, 2024).

For sports fans

Paris 2024 Olympics

The most anticipated event of the year will undoubtedly be the Olympic Games, where Paris will host 10,500 of the world’s top athletes for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. From July 26 to August 11, the city’s iconic landmarks will transform into stunning and sometimes surprising sporting venues. For instance, the park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower will become an outdoor arena hosting beach volleyball and blind football.

The Seine river will serve as the venue for the swimming marathon, triathlon, para triathlon, and cycling time trials. Place de la Concorde will turn into an open-air venue for events like BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding, and 3X3 basketball. Additionally, the Games will extend to cities across France, with football, handball, and basketball tournaments held in stadiums in Bordeaux, Nantes, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nice, Lille, and Marseille. The surfing competition will take place in Tahiti. A new batch of 400,000 tickets was released on November 30 on a first-come, first-served basis.

For families

Disney’s Most Luxurious Hotel to Open at Disneyland Paris

After three years of renovations, the Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris is set to reopen in January as Disney’s first and only five-star hotel. Embracing a royal theme, the hotel features sparkling chandeliers, gilded rooms, and opulently decorated suites that evoke the grandeur of Versailles. All 487 rooms pay homage to Disney royalty, with the suites themed after beloved tales such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Frozen, offering theater-set-like interiors that bring these fairy tales to life.

In addition to a buffet, the hotel boasts a fine dining experience at La Table de Lumière, themed after the ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast, which was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Guests can also enjoy kid-friendly paddling pools and reserve spa treatments at the Clarins spa. The Disneyland Hotel will officially open its doors on January 25.