In October, France offers a wide range of cultural and artistic events across the country, with Paris at the center of the action. The city will host its annual art week from October 23 to 25, coinciding with the Art Basel Paris fair. This event will include satellite exhibitions and fairs across the city, such as Prune Nourry at the Petit Palais and Jenny Holzer at the Orsay Museum. Major exhibitions will also be on display at institutions like the Jacquemart-André Museum, which will feature works by Tintoret, the Grand Palais showcasing Cezanne, and the Orangerie displaying Monet’s famous Water Lilies series. The Vuitton Foundation will host a solo show by Gustave Fayet. Outside of Paris, cities of all sizes are hosting a variety of festivals and events. In Saint-Malo, the Quai des Bulles festival from October 9 to 11 will bring together 900 authors and is expected to attract 35,000 visitors. The festival will feature a mix of drawn concerts, author meetings, film screenings, and a book fair with nearly 120 stands. In Châlons-en-Champagne, the War on Screen festival from October 5 to 11 will explore the theme of conflict in cinema and video games, with films such as Fatherland (2026) by Pawel Pawlikowski and EO (2022) by Jerzy Skolimowski on the program. The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud in Maine-et-Loire will host the Contretemps interdisciplinary meeting on October 10 and 11, focusing on the theme of confinement and freedom. The event will include a range of activities, such as coffee-conferences, workshops, film screenings, and a children’s program featuring a large-scale game, a philosophy workshop, and the screening of Chicken Run (2000). Meanwhile, in Marseille, the actoral festival will continue until October 10, 2026, despite the loss of public funding, offering a diverse program of readings, performances, and theatrical shows with artists like Laura Vazquez and Adèle Haenel. Other notable events include the Nuits de lumière festival at the Château de Vincennes, running from October 15 to November 8, which will feature light and digital installations by fifteen artists and international studios. In Paris, the Et maintenant ? festival returns on October 16 and 17 at the Gaîté Lyrique, offering a mix of performances, exhibitions, and discussions. The French Cinémathèque will also celebrate its 90th anniversary with a retrospective of 180 films, including classics like The Birds and The Leopard. Meanwhile, the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles will host the Performissima mini-festival on October 18, featuring continuous performances across all disciplines by 50 artists from eighteen different countries. The villa Noailles in Hyères will host the Hyères festival from October 15 to 18, with a new look under the direction of Hugo Lucchino and new jury presidents for its fashion, photography, and accessories competitions.