Summer music festivals are an occasion to appreciate different musicians all at once in one relaxed setting. Our selection includes open-air concerts, some of them for free and all of them accessible by metro or other forms of mass transportation. As the choice is vast this summer 2018 in Paris at hiphophostels we wanted to simplify your choice and we made an easy reference list of classified by theme. (Pop/Rock, Jazz festivals, Classical Music) which you can keep and use to consult all summer. It’s on the house!

Festivals Pop & Rock

Rock en Seine – from August 24th to the 26th, 2018 at the National Park Reserve, Parc de Saint-Cloud. Rock en Seine has become, since its inception in 2003, one of the major festivals in all of Europe. The best of Rock will be featured with a vast program. Appearing: Justice, Cigarettes After Sex, Bonobo, Macklemore, PNL, Post Malone, Thirty Second to Mars, Anna Calvi, and many others.

Solidays – from June 22nd to the 24th, 2018 at the Hippodrome Longchamp. For its 20th edition, Iam, David Guetta, Camille, Amadou & Mariam and other underground singers will be performing with Solidays.  

Lollapalooza – July 21st and 22th, 2018 at the Hippodrome de Longchamp A Rock/Electro program with Depeche Mode, and also the Stereophonics, The Killers, Diplo, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Old grudges forgotten of the Britpop of the nineties: the former group of Blur (Gorillaz) will share the scene with et d’Oasis (Noel Gallagher)… A moment in history!

Pop and rock as well…

We Love Green 2018 – June 2nd and 3rd, 2018, outdoors in the Bois de Vincennes. Numerous groups – including Beck and the singer Charlotte Gainsbourg – will be performing with a special guest star appearance of de Björk! Take a look at the program.

Download Festival Paris 2018 – from June 15th to the 18th, 2018: The RER will wisk you off to the airbase 217 of Brétigny-sur-Orge where during four days  top stars of the nineties will perform the best live: les Foo Fighters, The Offspring, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson,  Guns N’Roses and also Ghost, The Hives or Ultra Vomit.

Jazz Festivals

Unwind with a glass of rosé at one of the different jazz festivals of note this summer in Paris. A list of some the best:

Paris Jazz Festival 2018 – from June 30th to July 22nd,  2018 at the Parc Floral. Worth the visit in of itself, The Parc Floral, a huge park in the East of Paris with magnificent landscapes (entrance fee to the park is a mere, 2,50€ for adults). Ideal for picnics, getting a tan or to enjoy the fragrance of the thousands of species of flowers planted in gardens of Japanese inspiration. Top off the experience with summer time jazz concerts ; you can’t go wrong.

Défense Jazz Festival 2018 – from June 25th to July 1st, 2018 at La Defense. At the foot of the towers which make up the financial district La Defense, situated in the North-west of Paris, here are several live concerts to get summer off to a great start. Not only are the concerts free but they are accessible by metro as well… The complete program here.

Jazz à La Villette 2018 – from August 30st to September 9th, 2018. The summer will end on a high note with the Villette Jazz Festival featuring, among others, Avishai Cohen, Salif Keita, Janelle Monáe, an many others. The classical jazz lovers among you will appreciate the concerts in homage to Nina Simone, John Coltrane et Jimi Hendrix.  

Not to forget…

Festival All Stars 2018 – from June 25th to August 3rd, 2018 at the New Morning, where you can hear Avishai Cohen playing with a new band, “Big vicious”, for this European tour and many others.

Festival Django Reinhardt 2018  – June 30th, 2018 at Samois-sur-Seine and July 5th to July 8th  2018 in the Parc du Château of Fontainebleau. The June 30th concert is free so take advantage of it! An unlimited pass allows you to attend the rest of the festival (4 days – 99 euros).

Fnac Live Festival Paris 2018 – from July 5th to the 7th, 2018 on the esplanade in front of the Hôtel de Ville. In the middle of Paris, with Asaf Avidan, Petit Biscuit and Dominique A.

Classical Music

Classical Music is not left out this summer.

Festival de Saint-Denis 2018 – from May 31st to July 5th, 2018 at Saint-Denis. The Festival de Saint-Denis hosts classical music in the immense Basilica of Saint-Denis with its impressive acoustics. Renowned conductors and musicians will mark the 50 year anniversary of this festival. On the program, Bach, Fauré, Ravel, and even a concert in homage to David Bowie’s 4 feminine voices.

Classique au vert (free concerts at the  Parc Floral). Every week-end from August 11th to September 2nd, 2018, classical music is in the spotlight at the Parc Floral for 8 outdoor concerts. What will we be listening to? Ravel, Debussy, as well as american musical composers like Gershwin and Bernstein. A very special program for free (there is an admission fee for entry into the  Parc Floral).

A great musical summer to all!