WHEN THE YEAR OF THE
FIRE HORSE CELEBRATION TOOK
OVER THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES

WHEN THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE CELEBRATION TOOK OVER THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES Rain, drums, and dragons transform the Champs-Élysées as Paris welcomes the Year of the Fire Horse in a powerful Chinese New Year parade.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées comes alive not quietly, but in a surge of movement, colour, and emotion. Despite the rain, despite the winter chill, the world’s most iconic avenue pulses with life as Paris celebrates the Chinese New Year. Marking the farewell of the Year of the Snake and welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse, the avenue transforms into a vibrant stage of rhythm, motion, and cultural dialogue.

The celebration begins at the legendary Fouquet’s Paris, where we are graciously invited to a lunch ahead of the festivities. Organisers welcome members of the Chinese and French communities, cultural leaders, and diplomats for the fourth edition of the Happy Spring Festival Parade — a symbolic and joyful prelude to what is about to unfold outside.

Then, the avenue ignites.

Once every sixty years, the Year of the Fire Horse returns — a rare convergence of intensity, vitality, and forward momentum. In Chinese philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fire is the most yang of the Five Elements. It governs warmth, circulation, consciousness, and the capacity for joy. Paired with the Horse, a symbol of independence, strength, and unstoppable motion, the year heralds transformation, resilience, and purposeful movement. Passion meets clarity. Energy meets direction.

And Paris feels it.

The parade sets off beside Fouquet’s and advances triumphantly towards the Arc de Triomphe, transforming the Avenue des Champs-Élysées into a living stage. More than 500 artists, including many children, take over the avenue in an extraordinary display of unity and craftsmanship. Associations from across communities work together to create a procession that is vibrant, disciplined, and deeply moving.

At the heart of the avenue, performers dance in perfect choreography. On both sides, crowds gather — families, children, elders, visitors from near and far — undeterred by the rain. Faces glow with fascination. Phones are lowered. Eyes widen. The energy is undeniable.

A sea of red and gold floods the avenue. Majestic lion and dragon dances ripple through the crowd, animated by beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs. The lions leap, bow, and roar with precision and spirit, symbolising the warding off of evil and the calling in of good fortune. The dragons glide sinuously, their bodies undulating like living flames, amplifying the fiery essence of the year.

Traditional Hanfu parades, ceremonial costumes, and the powerful Yingge folk dance add layers of heritage and elegance, echoing stories of history, unity, and transmission across generations. Tai chi performances introduce moments of serenity amid the spectacle. An unexpected futuristic note then emerges as two robots make a striking debut, engaging playfully with the crowd. Tradition meets innovation, creating a poetic dialogue between ancestral rituals and tomorrow’s technologies.

It is this contrast — heritage and innovation, discipline and joy, ritual and spectacle — that makes the celebration unforgettable.

Chinese New Year parades in Paris are always a highlight, but this edition feels different. Stronger. More charged. The Fire Horse is not only celebrated; it is embodied. In every step, every drumbeat, every soaked yet smiling spectator, the message is clear: movement is life, and joy is resistance.

For a few electrifying hours, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées becomes more than an avenue.

It becomes a shared heartbeat, alive with culture, connection, and the promise of a bold year ahead.

Organisers: Barrière Group, LWS Pak Mei, Agency BORUI, Agency Codecom, ACDECF Association, Altervip Supporters: Bank of China, France China Foundation, CCICF Institutional backing: Chinese Embassy in France, City of Paris, Mayor’s Office of the 8th Arrondissement

With sincere thanks to Mr Marc Lin of the ACDECF Association for his kind invitation and continued dedication to fostering cultural dialogue.