The Parc de la Villette
Leisure activities, culture, entertainment…
Extending over 55 hectares, the Parc de La Villette offers a wide range of cultural and leisure activities.
Events throughout the year
The Parc de la Villette is designed to promote links between art, culture and society. Key features of its programme include:
- a revival of popular arts: circus, cabaret, street performance, cinema and puppet shows are presented in a contemporary way
- recognition of new forms of expression: hip-hop (dance, rap), graffiti art, slam, etc.
- a focus on issues affecting society, especially through exhibitions on topics such as intolerance, war or the environment
- relations between tradition and modernity, and presentation of other cultures through their creative arts (painting, sculpture, music, theatre, etc.) – and their creators.
Greenery…
Trees galore
Some 2,750 trees flourish in the park's 35 hectares of greenery:
• over 30 species de bamboo, in the Jardin des Bambous and Jardin du Conservatoire
• maidenhair trees (gingkos) near the Cité des Sciences
• vines in the Jardin de la Treille
• blue spruces and birches in the Jardin des Frayeurs Enfantines
• trees with changing colours in the Jardin des Équilibres.
Other gardens in the park contain wild, edible, aquatic and aromatic plants. Six gardeners – more at certain times of the year – look after the park's lush vegetation.
Far from the crowd…
The grass areas are dotted with people on sunny days, but you can always find hidden havens of peace in the park:
• the Jardins Passagers
• the terraced lawns dropping down to ornamental ponds close to the Cité des Sciences, an ideal spot for a siesta
• the Jardin des Îles and the shaded area behind it (Cité des Sciences side).
La Villette at night
At night the park is lit in a highly creative way. Architectural forms and materials are highlighted, coloured lights create ethereal effects, and visitors are guided by lines on the ground and along the edges of buildings. Definitely worth a stroll!
Make sure you see the Jardin des Îles, the Jardin des Ombres and the Jardin des Équilibres, where the lighting is a key feature of their design.
