Last Updated on 30th January 2024 by Sophie Nadeau
For a few select days each Autumn, visitors to the 18th arrondissement of Paris will be delighted to discover that you can actually visit the city’s most exclusive vineyard during the annual Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival. A unique way to experience the district, not to mention learn all about how the French vin is made, here’s your ultimate guide to everything you should know about the Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre!
In 2024, the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival will take place from the 9th October – 13th October
The event takes place in the evenings of the Saturday and Sunday, as well as during the day time on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s completely free to visit, making it one of the best things to do in Paris in October.
When the event closes, the area of the market stalls is evacuated in a rather prompt manner and so be sure to head to the harvest festival earlier than later so as avoid disappointment.
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A history of the Fête des vendanges de Montmartre
The secret Parisian vineyard is hidden behind the Musée de Montmartre and close to the oh-so-famous Lapin Agile 19th-century Cabaret House.
Once upon a time, Montmartre was a village outside of the city limits of Paris and was only actually absorbed into the fabric of the French capital itself until the mid-19th-century.
Prior to this time, the ‘French village’ was populated by many a windmill (just a few of which survive to this day) and plenty of farmland.
Thanks to its rural nature, vines have been attested to have been grown on the Butte Montmartre since at least 944, and perhaps even earlier (though some records suggest that the first vines weren’t planted until the ecclesiastical women of the Abbey of Montmartre in the 12th-century).
Whatever the date, the rich history of the Clos Montmartre has undoubtedly contributed to the ‘village vibe’ the 18th arrondissement enjoys now. The vineyard you see today was actually created by the City of Paris in 1933 as a way of stopping real estate developers from purchasing the land.
Prior to the creation of Clos Montmartre, the 0.15 hectares of land had been used as both a children’s playground and as a dumping ground, among other things. Once created, the new green space was more than welcomed in a city which was quickly developing.
The very first ‘Harvest Festival’ of Montmartre was held just one year later in 1934. With this being said, the newly planted vines had not yet produced any grapes! Nevertheless, the tradition has carried on for many a decade and regularly draws in crowds from Paris and beyond.
What happens at the grape harvest festival?
One of the biggest questions that many people wonder about prior to visiting the Montmartre festival is ‘what events are happening in Montmartre during the grape festival?’ The first thing to note is that, by the time of the festival, the grapes have already been harvested!
The first thing that occurs during the entire event is a pop up market of little white open-front tents which are similar to those found in brocantes. These sell everything from speciality food (including a red wine sorbet) to wines produced across France.
The other main event is the possibility to visit the vineyard. In 2022, I actually managed to go to one of the free visits which only take place for a couple of days during the grape harvest festival. These visits last for about an hour, are organised by the town hall of the 18th arrondissement, and are only in French.
An alternative way to visit the vineyard (and test the wine at the same time) is by buying a specific ticket to visit the Musée de Montmartre which also includes a wine tasting and guided tour of the vineyard. In 2024, these tickets cost at least €39 per person. Find more details here.
These tents are placed in the streets around the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and sell everything from cups of champagne to oysters to market food similar to the kind of eats found at Christmas markets.
The streets that the market takes place on are Rue Saint-Éleuthère, Rue du Mont-Cenis, Rue Azaïs, the Parvis du Sacré-Coeur, and Rue du Cardinal Guibert. Thou this area is cordoned off and you’ll have to pass through security checks to visit (namely a bag check), it remains free to visit and is by far the busiest area.
After all, it’s in this area that, not only the market takes place, but also live performers sing various songs, particularly during the evenings. The rest of the district of Montmartre (including the area around the vineyard) remains open to visit and is significantly less busy than the grape harvest Montmatre market.
How to visit the Montmartre Grape Harvest festival
Unfortunately, the Montmartre vineyard remains closed for much of the year, allowing for the vines to thrive and the grapes to grow. With this being said, the nature of the wire railings surrounding the picturesque spot mean that the secret spot is still pretty visible, especially from the location right beside the entrance gate to the ‘clos’ (which itself features an ever so adorable miniature handle shaped like a wine bottle).
Known in French as the Fête des vendanges de Montmartre and organised by the Mairie (town hall) of the 18th arrondissement, the festival is now in its 88th edition and is well worth a visit if you’re in town when it occurs.
During this time, parades take place and local people from all walks of life (schools, wine vendors, viticulturists, artists, and others) are invited to take part. Since 1934, the Fête des vendanges de Montmartre has taken place annually during the second weekend of October.
The event is free to visit, though some specific performances and visits are paid extras. Typically, the weekend consists of plenty of different types of celebrations; during the course of three days, there are talks, dances, concerts, market stalls, and guided walks.
There’s even an impressive fireworks display during the Festival (usually on the Saturday night), as well as a ‘Not Getting Married Ceremony/ Ball’ (which typically takes place on Sunday).
Visit the Grape Harvest of Montmartre today and you’ll be frequenting one of the most visited events in Paris, third only to the Paris-Plage and the Nuit Blanche. All in all, some 400,000 people enjoy the Fête des vendanges de Montmartre each year.
During this festival, it’s also worth noting that there is an auction of the wine produced. Around 1000 bottles are produced in the vineyard and the bottles are auctioned off, with the proceeds going to local charity projects.
The wine is often noted to not be of the best quality but instead purchased to support local projects and for the chance to sample wine that has been created within intra-muros Paris itself!
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Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A Francophile at heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as much as she can! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.