From roundtables to festivals, and from author presentations to the Olympics, Paris in 2024 offers a plethora of events for the intellectually and culturally curious. Below is just a small sampling of events to consider, both on AUP’s campus and off, to consider, if you are visiting or reside in Paris during 2024.
Syria Round Table: The Struggle Against Impunity in Syria
January 31
Join AUP’s George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention for a roundtable exploring Syria’s fragmentation, occupation and destruction. The discussion, moderated by AUP professor Ziad Majed, will feature attorney Clémence Bectarte and researcher Annsar Shahoud. A second event is scheduled for April, with Jaber Baker and Uğur Ümit Üngör visiting UAG to talk about their new book, Syrian Gulag.
Paris Fashion Week
February 26–March 5
The fashion world descends on Paris, where high-end designers will showcase their Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024–2025 lines.
March 14–17
At the Paris Parc Expo near the Porte de Versailles, over 200 exhibitors will share their culture, food, dance performances, and tourism opportunities with enthralled visitors.
March 22–31
Watch a variety of French and international documentary and experimental films at the Centre Pompidou for the 45th annual Festival International du Film Documentaire.
Festival du Livre de Paris
April 12–14
The largest book fair in France features writers, authors, and publishers at the Grand Palais Ephémère. Entry is free for those under 25!
Fashion Communication for Socio-Ecological Transformation Symposium
April 20
AUP and the London College of Fashion are co-hosting the Symposium on Fashion Communication for Socio-Ecological Transformation at AUP. This symposium aims to create connections in an emerging field that sits at the intersection of education, the third sector and the fashion industry.
AUP Alumni Weekend
April 26–28
For three days, alumni are invited to return to AUP's campus to reunite with faculty and friends, participate in cultural activities, strengthen professional connections and raise a glass in celebration of AUP’s vibrant, international community.
Media Aesthetics Workshop
May 2–3
A joint initiative between Northwestern University’'s Center for Global Communication and Culture and the AUP Center for Media, Communication and Global Change, this workshop and series of events, Media Aesthetics: New Cultural Politics of Personhood and Belonging, draws from a global network of centers and scholars to ask, “What does it really matter to people themselves that they are always on their phones or online?”
Africa Business and Entrepreneurship Research Society
May 24–25
The Africa Business and Entrepreneurship Research Society will hold its annual conference on AUP’s campus.
May 27–29
The Royal Studies Network’s 13th annual Kings and Queens Conference: Gift-Giving and Communication Networks. The 2024 conference will be held at AUP to mark the 5th centenary of the death of Queen Claude de France, with the final day of the conference held at the Châteaudun castle in the Loire Valley.
“Caring Futures: Contradictions, Transformation, and Revolutionary Possibilities” Conference
May 28 –31
This hybrid conference on AUP’s campus will bring together artists, activists and scholars to examine the social and economic contradictions of care, engage with questions of power, and propose ways to revolutionize the way we care.
French Open Tennis Championship
May 20–June 9
For tennis fans, this Grand Slam tournament played at the Stade Roland Garros stadium is not to be missed.
June 3–July 23
Immerse yourself in French culture and history while earning transferable credits towards your degree in the U.S. university system – or audit classes as part of your continuing education – at AUP Summer School. Whether intensive programs in French language or creative writing, or exploring the fields of art history or fashion, AUP Summer School combines the best of our academic programs with engaging excursions and events around Paris.
“Decolonizing the Avant-Garde” Conference
June 12–13
American University of Paris Art History professor Iveta Slavkova and two colleagues in her field will host “Decolonizing the Avant-Garde,” for three days of invited talks given by major scholars working on the decentering and decolonization of the history of the avant-gardes.
“Acts of Witnessing on Film” Conference
June 17–18
At the intersection of trauma studies, Holocaust and genocide studies, memory and media studies, and the history of cinema, this multidisciplinary conference hosted by AUP’s Schaeffer Center reflects on the on the act of witnessing testifying on film and the role of documentary filmmakers in the writing of history.
July 26–August 11
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games – the biggest event ever organized in France – boasts 329 events held across 41 venues in the city, and will include 4 new sport categories: breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing (taking place in Tahiti). Following closely behindTaking place shortly after are the Paralympic Games, from August 28–September 8.
Baldwin Centenary
September, date TBD
On August 2nd, 2024, James Baldwin would have turned 100. Join The American University of Paris for a celebration of one of the most impactful writers of the 20th century.
Paris Fashion Week
September 23–October 1
The second Paris Fashion Week of the year features Womenswear Spring/Summer 2025 lines from the biggest names in global fashion – and their muses.
October 28–30
The International Society for the Study of Surrealism will hold its 11th annual interdisciplinary Surrealisms congress on the campus of AUP’s campus. The event will features academic sessions, round tables, film screenings, poetryic readings and a visit to the exhibition on surrealism at the National Museum of Modern Art – Center Pompidou.
November 7–10
Head to the Grand Palais exhibition hall and museum complex to enjoy the 27th edition of Paris Photo, the largest international art fair dedicated to photography.