CHRISTMAS AT THE PARIS OPERA: 2026 TICKETS TO GIVE AS A GIFT

 

What if this year, the most beautiful Christmas gift were hidden behind a red velvet curtain? In 2026, the Paris National Opera presents a remarkable season, crafted to captivate audiences with music, dance and unforgettable moments. Discover our curated selection of must-see performances for 2026 — and, above all, the perfect gifts to place under the Christmas tree.

 

 

 

 

 

OPÉRA GARNIER, 
just steps away from Hotel Edouard 7 

EUGENE ONEGIN - THE GREAT LYRIC EVENING OF WINTER

Dates : January 26 to February 27, 2026​ – Opéra Garnier

It is hard to imagine a better way to begin the year at the Palais Garnier. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, inspired by Pushkin’s verse novel, is one of those works that resonates as deeply through its music as through its story: unfulfilled love, missed encounters, restrained emotions — all carried by a score of exquisite elegance.

In 2026, this new production boasts a major highlight: it marks Ralph Fiennes’ debut as an opera director for the Paris Opera. The result is a cornerstone of the repertoire revisited through a cinematic lens, featuring a superb cast on the stage of the Palais Garnier.

LE PARC – A CONTEMPORARY BALLET OF SEDUCTION​

Dates : February 3 to 25, 2026 – Opéra Garnier

For a Christmas gift focused on dance, Le Parc by Angelin Preljocaj is an obvious choice. Created for the Paris Opera in 1994, this ballet has become a contemporary classic — a meditation on love, seduction and power games, set in a French formal garden where the codes of the Grand Siècle meet modern questions.

Returning to the Palais Garnier in February 2026, Le Parc promises a poetic scenography, somewhere between a leafy labyrinth and an elegant salon.
 

LA DAME AUX CAMÉLIAS - SPRING'S GREAT LOVE STORY

Dates : May 5 to 23, 202​6 – Opéra Garnier

For those drawn to grand love stories, La Dame aux camélias by John Neumeier is one of the masterpieces of the Paris Opera Ballet. Inspired by Alexandre Dumas fils’ novel and set to the music of Chopin, this ballet tells the tragic passion of Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval with rare dramatic intensity.

In May 2026, the Palais Garnier will host a new run of this iconic ballet:

• 2 hours and 50 minutes of narrative ballet, with two intermissions
• some of the most moving pas de deux in the repertoire
• sumptuous costumes and an exquisitely refined staging
   

VIBRATIONS - A CONTEMPORARY EVENING FOR CONNOISSEURS

Dates : May 5 to 23, 2026 – Opéra Garnier

For lovers of contemporary creation, Vibrations is a key date in the 2026 calendar.

This programme brings together three major choreographic voices:

• Micaela Taylor, making her debut at the Paris Opera with Dreams This Way, featuring an athletic and expressive movement language
• Mats Ek, an essential figure in contemporary dance
• Crystal Pite, the acclaimed Canadian choreographer known for her powerful, visually striking works

Presented at the Palais Garnier from late June to mid-July 2026, Vibrations promises an evening where classical vocabulary is challenged, dance engages with light and scenography, and audiences discover another side of the Paris Opera Ballet.

© Le Parc - Opéra National de Paris
 

MUST-SEE PERFORMANCES
at Opéra Bastille 

Because the Paris National Opera is not only the magic of the Palais Garnier, but also the vast modern stage of the Opéra Bastille, home to monumental lyric frescoes.
 

LA TRAVIATA - AN ETERNAL PASSION

Dates : June 4 to July 13, 2026 – Opéra Bastille

La Traviata is one of those operas we think we know — until a new production reminds us just how powerfully Verdi captured human emotion.

Between social decadence, impossible love and absolute sacrifice, Violetta’s story remains a pinnacle of operatic drama. At Bastille, the work takes on a spectacular scale: a full orchestra, expansive stage perspectives and overwhelming dramatic force.
 

CARMEN - PASSION IN ITS PUREST FORM

Dates : February 7 to March 19, 2026 – Opéra Bastille

No mention of Opéra Bastille would be complete without Carmen. With its fiery music, powerful choruses and universally known arias, Carmen remains a quintessential operatic experience. It is the perfect opera to give to someone new to the genre: spectacular, immediate and utterly captivating.
 

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA - GRAND ITALIAN OPERA AT ITS FINEST

Dates : January 27 to February 26, 2026 – Opéra Bastille

Drama, politics, passion and conspiracy… Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera brings together everything we love about grand Italian opera. With its theatrical situations, magnificent vocal ensembles and ever-accelerating intrigue leading to the final scene, it is a generous, powerful work — ideal for those who enjoy intense evenings at the opera.
 

ROMÉO AND JULIET - A LUMINOUS TRAGEDY

Dates : April 2 to May 12, 2026 – Opéra Bastille

The world’s most famous love story finds a grand setting at Opéra Bastille. In Gounod’s version, Roméo and Juliet becomes a luminous, delicate score, almost suspended in time. The staging, often focused on purity of gesture and dramatic tension, highlights the youth of the two lovers and the fragility of their passion. With exalted duets, powerful choruses and large-scale sets, this production stands as one of the most moving operatic highlights of spring.

© Carmen - Opéra National de Paris

A TWO-PART
gift

Ideally located just steps from the Palais Garnier, Hotel Edouard 7 is the perfect place to extend the evening. A dinner at the restaurant, a night in a haute couture-inspired setting… an opportunity to offer a complete experience, where the magic of the Opera continues in the heart of a Parisian house.