If you’re planning a trip to Paris between June and August 2026, get ready for a slightly unexpected scene right in the heart of the city: a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a hall of mirrors, and the smell of sweet crepes in the air—all just steps from the Louvre Museum. This is the Fête des Tuileries, the traditional amusement park that takes over the Jardin des Tuileries during the European summer. For anyone visiting Paris at this time, it can become a memory as unforgettable as any classic postcard of the city.

What Is the Fête des Tuileries?

The Fête des Tuileries is a fête foraine, or traveling amusement park, that sets up every year in the Jardin des Tuileries, between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It’s not a new attraction—Parisians look forward to it the way they wait for summer to arrive—but the 2026 edition has a detail worth knowing about before you pack your bags.

The park brings together around 60 attractions, mixing thrill rides (roller coasters, free-fall towers, simulators) with calmer, even nostalgic options, like the wooden carousel that dates back to 1900. There are also classic fair games: chamboule-tout (the can knockdown game), duck fishing, shooting galleries, bumper cars, and the famous hall of mirrors, which always delivers laughs (and photos) for the whole family.

When Does the Fête des Tuileries 2026 Take Place?

The 2026 edition runs from June 20 to August 23, every day from 11:00 AM to 11:30 PM. That means you can easily fit it in for a late afternoon visit after a full day of museums, or enjoy it at night when the park’s lights blend with the Parisian sunset—which in the middle of summer doesn’t happen until nearly 10:00 PM.

This is one of those details no tourist expects to find on their itinerary: arriving tired from an afternoon at the Louvre and stumbling upon colorful lights, music, and the smell of popcorn right at the museum’s exit.

The 2026 Highlight: The Big Wheel Next to the Olympic Basin

A Little Piece of the Paris 2024 Games That Stayed

One of the coolest things about this year’s edition is that the Grande Roue de Paris (the Big Wheel) will be set up right next to the basin used during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, installed in the Tuileries Garden as part of the Olympic legacy. For anyone who followed the Olympics on TV, it’s a chance to see up close (and from above, atop the Ferris wheel) a scene that until recently only existed in sports broadcasts.

From the top of the Ferris wheel, the view includes the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower in the distance, the Seine River, and Paris’s iconic rooftops—one of those moments when it’s worth putting the phone down for a few seconds and just soaking it all in.

How Much Does It Cost to Enter the Fête des Tuileries?

The great news is that entry to the park is free. You can stroll between the stalls, soak up the fairground atmosphere, grab a bite to eat, and simply wander around without spending a dime. What you do pay for are the individual attractions—each ride has its own price, usually charged via tokens or reloadable cards sold at ticket booths scattered throughout the park.

A tip for families: it’s worth agreeing with the kids on how many rides they’ll pick before you go in, because it’s easy to get carried away and have the costs add up fast. Prices vary by ride—the more thrilling ones and the Ferris wheel tend to be the priciest, while the skill games and the historic carousel are much more affordable.

How to Get to the Jardin des Tuileries

The location is, without exaggeration, one of the most central in Paris. The garden sits between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, so any itinerary that already includes these two spots practically passes right through it without any detour.

By metro, the closest stations are Tuileries (line 1) and Concorde (lines 1, 8, and 12). If you’re staying near the Champs-Élysées, the Opéra, or the Marais, you can easily walk or hop on the metro for just a few minutes.

Practical Tips for Making the Most of Your Visit

A few things that really help when planning your visit:

• Go in the late afternoon, especially on hot days—the strong Parisian summer sun (between June and August) can make waiting in lines pretty uncomfortable during the day.
• If the Ferris wheel is your main goal, aim for early evening: the view of the city lit up at night is worth any wait.
• Bring cash or a card for the tokens—payment terminals generally accept international cards, but it’s always good to have some cash as a backup.
• Combine your visit with a daytime stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries itself, which has sculptures, fountains, and quiet spots to relax—and at night, it becomes the park’s backdrop.
• Keep an eye out for special events in the area during this period, like the Fête de la Musique (June 21), which fills Paris’s streets with free live music.

What Else to Do Nearby

Since the garden is practically right next to some of Paris’s most visited spots, you can easily put together a full-day itinerary. In the morning, the Louvre Museum (be sure to book tickets in advance); in the afternoon, a walk along Rue de Rivoli with its shops and arcades; and as night falls, the Fête des Tuileries as the perfect end to the day, before heading to dinner at a local bistro.

If you enjoy walking, you can also head from the garden to the Place de la Concorde and from there watch the Champs-Élysées open up toward the Arc de Triomphe—one of the city’s most famous landmarks, and even more beautiful at sunset.

Is It Worth Adding to Your Itinerary?

For first-time visitors to Paris, the Fête des Tuileries obviously doesn’t replace the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower. But it’s exactly the kind of experience that breaks away from the obvious and shows a more laid-back side of the city—that neighborhood fair vibe, just with the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. For those who already know Paris and are looking for something different on a return trip, it’s a great reason to plan your visit between June and August.

If you’re organizing your trip to Paris during this period, definitely consider adding the Fête des Tuileries to your itinerary—preferably on a late afternoon, with plenty of free time and no rush. And since the European summer is the busiest time of year, start researching flights, accommodation, and tickets for the main attractions well in advance to lock in the best prices and avoid unnecessary lines.