10 free things during Paris Fashion Week

Fashion Week (28 September – 6 October 2026) can be lived without an invitation and without a budget. Ten verified free plans — three of them good for one day only.

1. Le Défilé L'Oréal Paris (Monday 28 September, 9pm)

The official opening event of the week. Recent editions were open to the public with free registration, within capacity (2025: outside the Hôtel de Ville; 2024: place de l'Opéra). The 2026 venue is not yet announced — watch for it in September. No seat? There is the livestream and the street spectacle.

2. Maison Michel's hats at the Galerie du 19M

"Métamorphoses", 23 September to 13 December at Chanel's artisan hub (2 place Skanderbeg, 19th, tram T3b): free, workshops and demonstrations included.

3. "Tout est en ordre" at the Institut suédois — until 4 October

Contemporary art meets clothing (Per Götesson, Anton Alvarez, Anna Uddenberg), 11 rue Payenne, in the heart of the Marais. Free, no booking — last day Sunday 4 October.

4. Lady Gaga's gown, from the pavement

The Sofitel Le Faubourg (15 rue Boissy d'Anglas, 8th) displays On Aura Tout Vu couture pieces — including a feathered gown worn by Lady Gaga — in its street-facing windows. Viewable without entering, until 6 October.

5. Street style outside the Palais de Tokyo

The SPHERE showroom for emerging designers moves in from 30 September to 6 October — a sure crossing point of the week. Round out the circuit with the crowd's free-to-browse haunts: the Ofr. bookstore (3rd) and Dover Street Market (4th).

6. Friday 2 October: the Louvre free from 6pm

First Friday of the month: free entry for all from 6pm, museum open to 9pm. For context, the normal ticket costs 22 EUR (32 EUR outside the EEA).

7. Sunday 4 October: the national museums go free

First Sunday of the month: Picasso, Cluny, Guimet, Arts et Métiers and the Cité de l'architecture are free with no booking; Orsay, the Orangerie and the Quai Branly are free with online booking. Two traps: the fashion museums do not take part, and the Panthéon and Arc de triomphe free Sundays only run November to March.

8. The Musée d'Art Moderne, free every day

Its permanent collections are always free — and it shares a building with the Palais de Tokyo, steps from the Palais Galliera: the free stop between two hot spots of the week.

9. Petit Palais and Carnavalet, the other free pair

Free permanent collections year-round: the Petit Palais beside the Grand Palais and the golden triangle, the Musée Carnavalet in the heart of the Marais.

10. Boulevard Haussmann: the Galeries Lafayette windows and rooftop

The Haussmann store's fashion-season window displays traditionally run through the whole period (in 2025 they were handed to writer Sophie Fontanel from 5 September to 16 October), and the 8th-floor rooftop terrace — a 360-degree view — stays free, no booking. One warning: the Friday fashion show inside the store has been paid since 2017 (25 EUR) — do not trust old posts calling it free.

Two calendar markers. The Journées du patrimoine (19-20 September) fall on the weekend before the week, not during it. And for free events announced late, the city's official "Que faire à Paris" agenda remains the best lookout.

For the rest: our Fashion Week guide, the fashion exhibitions and the real sample-sale calendar.