The Night When Art and Culture Reign Until Dawn

I cannot believe it. I have officially been living in Paris for one month. My goodness, does time fly! This past month has been one heck of a roller coaster ride, that is for sure. Having to move three times living out of my suitcase for almost three weeks, (don't ask) changing my classes at the Sorbonne several times, long and late nights out, meeting all of these new wonderful people, living the hectic life of fashion week running from show to show, and the list goes on and on. I have had second thoughts and wondered why I was here and what I was doing, but hearing the wisdom of some of my most respected and idolized role models guided me in the right direction. There was no other better way to celebrate my one month anniversary of living in Paris than venturing the late night life of Nuit Blanche. First launched in 2002, Paris Nuit Blanche (White Night) has become a hotly-anticipated annual celebration of all things art and culture in the city of light. Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, Nuit Blanche sees countless Paris galleries, museums, city halls, and even swimming pools open their doors all night to visitors-- with free entry. Elaborate light installations, edgy performances, concerts, and unclassifiable happenings of all sorts await. If you want to taste the continued dynamism of the Parisian arts scene, don't miss out on Nuit Blanche, which is always the first of October each year. Much like the annual Paris Music Festival (Fête de la Musique), Nuit Blanche is best experienced by ambling. I choose a couple must-see events and left the remainder of the evening to chance. Treat Nuit Blanche with the avant garde spirit it represents, and remember, you, too, are part of the happening. Nuit Blanche 2011 was clustered around four main areas in Paris, with installations, video, and performances in close reach of each other centered around Hôtel de Ville. For those from the Central Pennsylvania area, Nuit Blanche is very similar to First Friday. Today, for me, the day after Nuit Blanche is being spent lounging watching Fashion TV and washing 4 weeks worth of laundry. How are you spending your Sunday?