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Fête de Ganesh in Paris 2026: A Colourful Parade Returns to the Capital on August 30

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Hindu festival

Fête de Ganesh in Paris 2026: A Colourful Parade Returns to the Capital on August 30

As every year, the Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam temple of Ganesh in Paris hosts the Fête de Ganesh, and this year the celebration returns to the capital on 30 August 2026. The festival marks the birthday of the child god whose father cut off his head and replaced it with an elephant's. Lord Ganesh is the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati. A symbol of love and knowledge, this elephant-headed child god is, for Hindus, at the origin of the world and of all life's events.

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His birthday is celebrated with a grand parade through the La Chapelle district. His statue travels the streets on a decorated chariot, followed by his brother Muruga. Legend has it that he bestows his blessing on everyone he passes!

The celebration takes place around the Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam temple, the largest Hindu temple in France. On the day of the festival, religious ceremonies precede the procession through the neighbourhood's streets.

At the head of the procession are flute, nageshvaram and drum players, and dancers carrying the great peacock-feather arch (kavadi) on their shoulders and clay pots of burning camphor on their heads. Along the route, coconuts are broken — the shell symbolises the world's illusion, the flesh individual karma, and the water the human ego; breaking the coconut offers one's heart to Ganesh. The water of hundreds of coconuts is poured onto the road as Ganesh's chariot passes. About five metres high and pulled by two long ropes of plant fibre (twenty metres each), the chariot houses the statue of the elephant-headed god, entirely covered in red and white cloth and decorated with garlands, fresh flowers, whole bunches of bananas, coconuts and areca leaves. Singers and musicians follow the chariot, and blessed offerings, sweets and cold drinks are handed out along the way.

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Practical information

Date: 30 August 2026, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Location: Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam temple, 17 Rue Pajol, 75018 Paris 18. Transport: Métro Marx Dormoy – La Chapelle; RER/SNCF/Eurostar: Gare du Nord; bus lines 48, 60, 65 and 350.

Price: free, suitable for all ages. Details at www.templeganesh.fr.

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