Kids

Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain
January 31 - February 3
This festival was first established in the late 1970s, when the French circus world, faced with growing disinterest from the public, was slowly reinventing itself: It swept away hackneyed routines and pathetic clowns, exchanged one-act-after-the-other rhythms for story telling, and left the animals in peace. The Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain has since grown international, bringing together the finest from the best schools and circus families of Russia, China, Tanzania, Brazil… This year, the 29th season, performers from 16 countries test their skills in the four-day competition. The “guest” country happens to be France, so the top French young clowns, acrobats and jugglers will have one whole afternoon to demonstrate their mastery. The promise of the best performers draws amateurs and professionals alike to the big top. It is a great chance to catch a gaggle of future stars under one roof.

Passers-by on the rue saint Paul beware. Above the doorway to number 11 a disembodied arm stretches out a hand in greeting, whilst an enchanted pen hovers above, scratching out a single command: “Entrez.” Obey and you’ll find an intriguing cavern of curiosities awaits at the foot of the red-carpeted stairs: The Musée de la Magie.

Ouch! Kids are always getting into scrapes. Now they can investigate the science behind their cuts and bruises.

Tucked away in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, lies the Ferme Georges-Ville, better known as the Ferme de Paris, a publicly-owned organic farm, complete with an orchard, wheat fields and sunflower fields, as well as the usual barnyard animals.
Only 10 acres, the site, run by a dedicated couple, is more like a miniature reconstruction of a rural environment than an actual farm. But for Arnaud, 3½, the farm’s small size makes it no less exciting: “Look maman! A tractor!” he points happily, tugging on his mother’s sleeve. The next minute, he has run off to watch the goats being milked.

How about a place where your kids have fun and simultaneously you and a friend can enjoy quiet conversation? Café Zoïde offers just that. Located by the romantic and trendy Canal de l’Ourq, this unique two-story café welcomes both parents and children, from tots to 16-year olds. The ground floor, decorated with the little ones’ masterpieces, is dotted with miniature tables and chairs. It features a library packed with children’s books and a colorful computer. Up the pink stairs, a bigger wooden floored room, filled with light and funky homemade furniture, awaits the kids.

By Hannah Holtzman

Looking for a truly Parisian way to celebrate Halloween? Consider the Catacombs for a spectacularly spooky option. And not just for kids. At the start of the 83-step descent—20 meters below the city, under the metro and the sewer systems—a sign warns: “Tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition.” (Not to mention the lack of toilets along the 1.7km hike through the tunnels.) Be prepared for face-to-face encounters with skulls and artful arrangements of shinbones and femurs.

The network of subterranean tunnels and rooms is located in what were Roman-era limestone quarries. Near the end of the 18th century, as churchyard cemeteries overflowed epidemics and disease overran the city, the quarries were discretely converted into a mass tomb.

Meet the Parisians

By Anna Krzyzanowska

Hanging in the window of the workshop is the macabre sight of a naked broken doll: no foot, no knee, no arm and, more disturbingly, no face. The inside of the skull of this once-beautiful doll is exposed, revealing a metal pole that keeps the staring eyeballs in place. It’s hard to imagine this was once the pride and joy of some little girl, or that it may one day be coveted by a collector.

Located under the Viaduc des Arts, a long row of artisan ateliers under the arches of the Promenade Plantée, “Automates et Poupées” is home to a vast array of antique dolls, automatons (mechanical dolls), teddy bears, and musical boxes. Here, for more than 10 years, Sylviane Dugas and Camille Guillebert have been buying, selling, and restoring dolls.

On repair © A. Krzyzanowska