Christmas In Paris

Text: Aidan Mac Guill

Here at VINGT we've been feeling very Christmassy all week (the tree's been up for ages). So for those of you brave enough to get wrapped up and head out in the cold, we've decided to do a quick round-up of Christmas stuff happening around Paris! Altogether now, "Sleigh-bells riiiiing, are you listening.."

From Friday 17 the parvis of the Hotel De Ville will once again be transformed into a public ice rink. So you can skate serenely under the lights listening to music over the loud-speakers with your loved ones / cling desperately to the railings and try not to make eye-contact with anyone until a sufficient period has passed so that you can justifiably claim to have "tried ice-skating". It's free if you bring your own skates or a fiver to rent a pair for an hour. The rink will be there until 27 February. If you do suffer from the condition known as "bambi legs", there is a smaller section reserved for beginners and kids. Seems harsh on the poor kids but there it is.

Over at the CentQuatre, why not go for a ride on their gigantic surrealist carrousel? The Manège Carré Sénart is truly spectacular - 18 metres wide, 14 metres high, 300 m2 and weighing in at 40 tonnes! On board a maximum of 49 (49!) passengers can choose between 3 giant buffalos, 14 insects and 3 fish heads among a host of creatures, some of which are puppets which can be controlled as you ride around! It's been travelling around Europe and will be in Paris until February 27.

Many people's favourite part of Christmas is the markets. The largest is at the Champs-Elysées, stretching right down to Place de la Concorde. While you're there it's worth checking out the Maison de l'Alsace, a temporary boutique offering traditional Alsatian Christmas fun. The market at La Défense has over 350 stands. According to VINGT sources the foie gras sandwiches and steins of vin chaud are highly recommended. At Trocadero there's an ice-rink and snow villages for the kids, plus bonus views of the Eiffel Tower. There's a whole Santa's village at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and the Saint-Sulpice market is just a short walk away. You'll also find festive fair at Montparnasse Tower and Nation, while one of the best markets of all is up at Abbesses.

Meanwhile the Marie have been counting the cost of having your city be known as the 'City Of Lights' as, recession be damned, they've rolled out 200,000 metres of Christmas lights. 200 kilometres of streets have been festively pimped, with illuminated routes in every arrondissement. You can upload your photos of the twinkliness here, creating a giant online album for Paris' collective families back home to be vaguely bored by.

Elsewhere, the Cirque Eloize plays at the Theatre du Rond-Point until January 15. L'Ideal Club is at Theatre Silvia Monfort, and Le Noel Magique is the big Christmas musical at the l'Alahambra, playing right through Christmas Day.

ICE SKATING
Parvis de Hotel de Ville, M: Hotel De Ville / Chatelet, €5, 12h-22h, 9h-22h weekends. ID required.

CAROUSEL AT 104
€4/€3, 14h-18h, 14h-20h Friday & Saturday

CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Generally open until about 20h
M: Champs Elysées-Clemenceau / Concorde
M: La Défense
M: Trocadero
M: Saint-Sulpice
M: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
M: Montparnasse Bienvenue
M: Nation
M: Abbesses