End of July Champs Elysees At the end of July stage 21 of the greatest cycle race on earth battles up the Champs Elysees. Stand with groups of flag waving supporters to watch the yellow jerseyed rider claim their win. One of the world's great sporting moments http://www.letour.com

14th July On July 14th the storming of the Bastille is celebrated throughout France in style. In Paris there are fireworks over the Eiffel Tower and fire stations throughout the city open their doors to the public for dancing along with numerous other parades and events. http://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/major-events/paris-celebrates-july-14th

Domaine National de Saint-Cloud 22-24 August Three days around €120 Paris' biggest rock and alternative music festival welcomes well over 100 000 spectators to the Andre le Notre designed gardens west of Paris. Lineups of previous years have included Arctic Monkeys, Odd Future Wu Lyf, Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem amongst many others. http://www.rockenseine.com/en/

Grande Halle de La Villette 31 Oct - 2 Nov Three days around €120 Welcome to Paris' coolest festival. The event is held annually in the Grande Halle in Parc de La Villette by online music magazine Pitchfork. Thousands of hipsters pack into the venue to watch some of the world's best, less mainstream, bands amid vintage fairs and craft food stalls. Previous years have included Hot Chip, Danny Brown, Disclosure, Blood Orange, James Blake and Grizzly Bear. http://pitchforkmusicfestival.fr/

Mid-September – December 31 The Paris Autumn Festival celebrates contemporary art over forty events. Attracting over 100000 people and international companies to venues throughout the city www.festival-automne.com