This Sunday, March 2, as well as enjoying free museums, Parisians can take part in the festive Carnaval de Paris. And as spring approaches, another popular festival will be making its return to the capital: the Carnaval des Femmes, commonly known as La Fête des Blanchisseuses .
La Fête des Blanchisseuses in Paris
On Sunday April 6, from 1pm onwards, take part in the Mi-Carême fête des Reines des Blanchisseuses! For this 15th Carnaval des Femmes in Paris, a colorful parade will be held in the Marais district, as usual. But just where does this tradition come from? In reality, the Mi-Carême festival is a popular gathering that dates back at least to the 18th century. At that time, laundresses and washerwomen were numerous in the capital. Laundry mistresses, these workers were hard at work and distinguished themselves by their feminine solidarity. Every year at Mi-Carême, the washerwomen elect a queen and assign her a squire. Escorted by her squire, the queen of the day enters the washboat and opens the ball. Afterwards, the washerwomen joyfully parade through the streets of Paris, dressed in costume. In those days, the festivities continued in a guinguette well into the night.
To revive this tradition of yesteryear, the “Fête des Blanchisseuses”, also known as the Carnaval des femmes, has been organized in Paris for some years now. While women are invited to dress in their finest queens’ finery, men are not excluded from the festivities. There’s just one condition: come dressed as a woman! A procession where everyone is welcome, free of charge and with no registration required, to bring good cheer to the streets of Paris!
Itinerary:
Meet at 1pm on the central median of Place du Châtelet. Departure at 3 p.m. on the following route:
- Departure at 3:00 pm from Place du Châtelet
- Boulevard de Sébastopol
- Rue Pernelle
- Rue Saint-Martin
- Rue Saint-Merri
- Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie
- Rue des Archives
- Rue des Francs-Bourgeois
- Rue Vieille-du-Temple
- Rue des Rosiers
- Rue Pavée
- Rue de Rivoli
- Rue de la Coutellerie
- Avenue Victoria
- Place du Châtelet
Dismissal at 6pm.
Practical information:
Fête des Reines des Blanchisseuses de la Mi-Carême. Sunday April 6, 2025