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The Internet is already making 2023 out to be less about resolutions, and more about revolutions. That means croissants not CrossFit, dry whites not a dry January, and soirées over savings, every day. So, leave the baggage of the last year behind and indulge in your favorite activities with these French events throughout the US this January.
Jazz, Literature, and Animation in NYC
Jazz lovers, rejoice! The French Quarter Jazz Fest is coming to NYC from Thursday, January 12, through Monday, January 16. Created by Paris Jazz Club to promote the French jazz scene in the US, the festival will host 19 showcases and 40 musicians across four New York venues: Le Poisson Rouge, Bitter End, Zinc Bar, and Smalls Jazz Club. Live out your Parisian jazz bar dreams while enjoying the impressive diversity of styles in French jazz.
Various Venues (see website above for full program)
Bookworms, enjoy the last few weeks of The Little Prince: Taking Flight exhibit at the Morgan Library in New York, which closes on Sunday, January 15. Photographs, portraits, non-fiction writing, and personal effects will contextualize Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic book for children, the original manuscript of which resides at the Morgan.
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
From Friday, January 27 through Sunday, January 29, the Animation First festival will return to Alliance Française New York. This is the only U.S. festival dedicated to French animated film and it is a rare opportunity to enjoy a curated selection of works from the top French animators, overseen by guest of honor, Romanian director Anca Damian. Seven feature-length films and over 65 short films will be shown over the course of the weekend, many of them for the first time in the U.S. There will also be discussions, student short film competitions, virtual reality experiences, and an “animation jam.”
FIAF Manhattan
22 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
Monet’s Garden The Immersive Experience, a hugely popular immersive art installation of the Impressionist’s work, has been extended through February 26. Tickets available here.
30 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Architecture & History in NOLA
In honor of the third anniversary of the Notre-Dame Fire, architecture fans are flocking to the Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition at The Historic New Orleans Collection through March 1. Curated by the French start-up Histovery, in collaboration with the public institution in charge of the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, the exhibit covers the entirety of the cathedral’s 850-year history, from the first stones to the marriage of Henri IV, the coronation of Napoleon, and the current restoration effort.
The Historic New Orleans Collection
520 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 7013
Dancing, Book Clubs, and Fashion in California
Time to dance 2022 out of your system. Daft Disko in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 21, is a French house party featuring the music of artists like Daft Punk, Stardust, Phoenix, DJ Mehdi, and more. (Entrance is free before 10pm, and $15 after.)
1720 East 16th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Are you just getting around to reading Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel Les Années? Join the AF Pasadena for a Book Club discussion in French over Zoom on Tuesday, January 17.
More interested in fashion than literature? AF Pasadena has another event for you on Thursday, January 26. From Chanel Paris to California, which will take place both in-person and on Zoom, is a discussion with French fashion designer Orelie Varnier, a former seamstress at Chanel and Dior in Paris.
Online and at AF Pasadena
232 N Lake Ave #105
Pasadena, CA 91101
Galette des Rois & French Film in DC
Throughout the months of January and February, Villa Albertine has teamed up with Filmfest DC to offer a slate of French films including Le Sens de la Fête (January 6), Joueuse (January 17), and Intouchables (January 31), all shown at the French Embassy in Washington, DC.
On Saturday, January 21, the Embassy is hosting a Galette des Rois and Champagne event to celebrate the New Year and the holiday of Epiphany (usually celebrated on January 6). A French wine open bar, hors-d’oeuvres, and live music will help get you in the holiday spirit!
The following week, on Friday, January 27, check out the 60th Anniversary World Tour performance of Piaf! The Show, a musical which tells the story of legendary French singer Édith Piaf through her own music.
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20007
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Catherine Rickman is a writer and professional francophile who has lived in Paris, New York, and Berlin. She is currently somewhere in Brooklyn with a fork in one hand and a pen in the other, and you can follow her adventures on Instagram @catrickman.
