Where to celebrate the Olympic Flame in Paris on July 14 and 15?

While the Olympic cauldron will not be lit until July 26 in Paris, the Flame will be in the French capital on July 14 and 15. Here's an overview of all the activities planned for these two days of festivities.

58.5 kilometres. That's the whole distance the Olympic Flame will travel on Sunday July 14 and Monday July 15 in Paris, before reaching Saint-Quentin and the department of Aisne. And as a bank holiday and a special day in the country as it's the Bastille Day, this is surely going to be a day of celebration.

After attracting more than 4 million spectators along the roads of France, the Olympic Torch Relay will set down its luggage in Paris for 48 hours to offer the curious a foretaste of what awaits the whole world in less than 2 weeks' time. The Flame will make its first appearance on the Champs-Élysées at 1pm, during the traditional military parade, before wandering through the capital's heart.

The full programme of the Relay for Sunday July 14

Still in the 8th arrondissement, the Flame will then move on to the Petit Palais, where the lyrical quartet D.I.V.A will perform on the museum steps, taking in the greatest arias of French opera.

After a stopover in the 7th arrondissement in front of the Assemblée nationale and the Place du Palais-Bourbon, head for Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in the 6th arrondissement, for a jazz concert given by singer and guitarist Thomas Curbillon. After a short visit to the Senate and the Luxembourg Gardens, we head for the 5th arrondissement.

At the Parvis du Panthéon, artist Yoann Bourgeois is planning a bespoke performance based around a moving circular stage. A few hundred metres further on, on the Parvis de l'Institut du Monde Arabe, another artist, Zepha, will be putting on a collaborative exhibition based on the meeting of alphabets.

When the Olympic Flame meets the Opéra Bastille

In the 4th arrondissement, at around 4pm, the Paris Fire Brigade will put on a spectacular show on the Parvis de Notre-Dame, while the Pont Notre-Dame will be taken over by performers on stilts from the Zizanie company, accompanied by giant flowers from artistic director Nicolas Vendroux. In the Marais, a giant drag bingo, presented by the ever-popular Mademoiselle Kiss, will be held to accompany the passage of the Flame.

On Place de la Bastille, in the 11th arrondissement, a giant dance class will be held at the Opéra national de Paris. Organised in conjunction with the Cultural Olympiad, this artistic proposal will bring together dancers from the ballet and young people benefiting from the Paris Opera's artistic and cultural education programmes.

A vibrant tribute will then be paid to the victims of the Bataclan attacks by the solo cello of the Garde républicaine, Arthur Lamarre, in front of the concert hall.

A brief visit to the Louvre Museum

Afterwards, head to the 10th arrondissement to admire the collaborative fresco organised by visual artist Mathilde Guégan in the Jardin Marielle-Franco, where a portrait in honour of Marielle Franco will also be unveiled for the occasion. A few hundred metres further on, a DJ set by Radio Cargo will be playing on the Place du Colonel Fabien as part of the Paris Pop Party.

After a stopover in the 9th arrondissement on Rue des Martyrs, where artist-painter Lorem and saxophonist Kazimir will be presenting a street art fresco and musical interludes respectively, the Olympic Torch Relay will head to the 1st arrondissement to attend a concert by young choristers from the Orchestre de Paris on Place Vendôme.

In the capital's centre, early in the evening, the Paris Roller team will be leading a large parade of soft mobility on Rue de Rivoli, before heading for the Louvre Museum and the Jardin Nelson-Mandela, where the company Sons of Wind and choreographer Lumi Sow will be putting on a hip-hop dance show. Finally, on the Parvis du Centre Pompidou, the poetic duo MOOVCELLO will be offering an interlude combining classical music and hip-hop dance.

A wonderful evening at the Hôtel de Ville

Because July 14 is a special day, spectators will be invited to follow the famous concert on the Parvis de l'Hôtel de Ville, starting at 8.45pm. The site, which is free and open to all, will open its doors at 5pm and will offer entertainment (with a host and DJ) throughout the evening.

At the end of the concert, the Flame will light the cauldron in front of the Hôtel de Ville, which will then lead to the fireworks display from the Eiffel Tower at the end of the evening.

A 31-kilometre journey through the streets of Paris for the Flame, which will be watched from the Salle Saint-Jean from 12.30am to 5am, before setting off again for 27.5 kilometres the next day.

The Terrasse des Jeux, the best deal in Paris' heart

Located on the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville, the Terrasse des Jeux is set to become your summer meeting point! This Club 2024 has a unique programme, as it is both a competition venue and, above all, a festivities venue, enabling all visitors to celebrate the Games together, free of charge. It opens its doors on July 14 and 15, to welcome the Olympic Flame, and then from July 20 to September 8 non-stop!

Everything you need to enjoy yourself

The Terrasse des Jeux offers the ideal setting to feel the Olympic and Paralympic thrill: a raised terrace dedicated to relaxation and catering, a privileged view over Paris, two giant screens for live broadcasts of the competitions, seven sports and para-sports practice areas, a main stage to watch sports, musical and cultural performances every day... Here, all publics are welcome: there will be a special children's area, physical activities for people with disabilities, and activities for senior citizens. A number of French and international athletes and ambassadors will even be joining in the fun!

The full programme of the Relay for Monday July 15

Because, on Monday, there's no time to rest! The Olympic Flame is back in action at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, from 8.15am in the 18th arrondissement, where an exhibition of portraits of female athletes by illustrator Clémence Gouy will be on show.

Also in the 18th arrondissement, on the Parvis du Sacré-Cœur, Sadeck Berrabah's company Murmuration will be performing a dance show for the general public, before the artists from the Moulin-Rouge perform a brand new French Cancan on Place Blanche.

After passing in front of the Louis Vuitton Foundation in the 16th arrondissement, then again facing the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées, the public will return to the 16th arrondissement with visits to the Place du Trocadéro and the Stade Roland-Garros, two emblematic venues that will be hosting the world's best athletes during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Thrills or loud music, take your pick (or not)!

Visiting the Jardin Solitude in the 17th arrondissement to pay tribute to the Guadeloupean heroine Solitude, with an orchestra of kas (drums) accompanied by Conques (Caribbean shellfish) blowers, the Flame will then move on to the 15th arrondissement Town Hall to enjoy some Double Dutch, performed by the group The RopesStylers. At the same time, a roller dance party open to all will keep the party going on Rue de Vaugirard.

Following on from this, in the Place de Catalunya in the 14th arrondissement, the ParisLack association will be organising an introduction to and demonstration of slacklining, a balancing sport in which the goal is to walk while balancing on an elastic strap stretched between two points. With fewer thrills but just as many emotions, the orchestra La Sirène will be bringing its fanfare to the Place Denfert-Rochereau.

After the 14th arrondissement, it's on to the 13th, with a huge village festival organised at Butte-aux-Cailles, featuring petanque competitions, music and a ball. In a completely different vein, discover vertical dance in the Street Art Open-Air Museum, thanks to an original performance by the KAFIG dance company. An introduction to climbing will also be on offer, to get spectators involved in the event.

A grand finale

The Olympic Flame will then have the honour of passing in front of the INSEP, a major French sports facility (as it's the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance), before heading back towards the centre of Paris and the Pont de l'Arsenal. There, a kite show put on by the "Portée par le vent" company will await you. To celebrate, there will be a popular dance organised by the guinguette orchestra Les Balochiens in the 11th arrondissement, on Place Léon Blum.

Taking a detour into the 20th arrondissement, the "Envie de chanter" choir will be giving a concert in Place Edith Piaf in honour of the famous French singer. It's in the 19th arrondissement that the flame will make its final visits, first for a giant picnic organised by the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, where there will also be performances, then for a parade of Asian (by the Elite Lion Dance collective), Brazilian (by the Badaue collective) and Malian (by the VL Prod collective) percussion and dance in the Rue de Belleville.

To round off these two exceptional days in style, there's nothing quite like a huge concert - free of charge - to salute the passing of the Olympic Torch Relay, on Place de la République, with renowned artists such as Jain, Ofenbach and Mentissa.