The Foire de Paris is the survivor of a nineteenth-century form, the general exhibition where everything is sold to everybody: fitted kitchens, conservatories, mattresses, saucepans demonstrated by men with headset microphones, a world crafts hall of rugs and jewellery, a wine and food section, and a pavilion of inventors showing devices they hope somebody will license.
It opened in 1904 and has run at Porte de Versailles for most of its life, outlasting the trade fairs that specialised. Its persistence is commercial: for French home-improvement brands it remains a genuine selling event rather than a branding one, and deals are closed on the stand.
The organiser reported around 400,000 visitors for the 2026 edition, a ticketed-entry figure given as an approximation rather than a turnstile count.
It straddles the 1 May holiday, which is its heaviest day and the one to avoid. Tickets are cheaper bought online, and the fair is large enough that a half-day covers only one hall.
PlanningSeasonal window spanning the May Day holiday, when it is busiest.