Event Details
What is the Fête des Voisins?
The Fête des Voisins, meaning Neighbours' Day, is an annual community celebration held every last Friday of May across France. In 2027, it falls on 28 May 2027. Millions of people open their doors, push tables together and share food, drinks and conversation with the people they pass in the hallway every day. The idea is simple and powerful: reduce urban loneliness and build neighbourly solidarity at grassroots level.
History and Origins
The Fête des Voisins was created in 1999 in Paris by Atanase Périfan, then deputy mayor of the 17th arrondissement. The catalyst was a deeply affecting discovery: an elderly neighbour had died alone in her apartment and was found four months later. Périfan founded the association Paris d'Amis and launched an initiative to bring residents of the same building into contact. From 2000 onwards, the Association of French Mayors endorsed the idea, and it spread rapidly across the country. Today the event draws around 8 million participants and sees more than 130,000 celebrations organised each year.
Highlights
- Free participation for all neighbours
- Simultaneous celebrations in hundreds of thousands of courtyards, streets and shared spaces
- Shared apéritif or meal as the heart of the event
- Official communication kits available free of charge at fetedesvoisins.fr
- Support from municipalities, social housing providers and partners including Haribo and Century 21
- Companion event: Fête des Voisins au Travail for workplace colleagues
Program and Format
The Fête des Voisins has no single central program because it takes place wherever neighbours take the initiative. The classic format is a shared evening apéritif where everyone brings something, a dish, a bottle of wine or simply good company. Some neighbourhoods hold larger street parties with music. Official timing varies by location, but most gatherings begin between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM and continue into the late evening.
How to Take Part or Organise
- Download the free digital communication kit 2027 from fetedesvoisins.fr (posters, invitations, information materials).
- Invite neighbours in person or drop a note in their letterbox.
- Contact your local town hall if you plan to use public space.
- Agree together on who brings what: food, drinks, tables, chairs.
- Even a small gathering counts: an apéritif shared with two neighbours is already a success.
Visitor Tips
- If you are in a French city on 28 May 2027, take an evening stroll through residential neighbourhoods and look out for open courtyards.
- In Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other major cities the celebrations are often particularly lively.
- Participation is always free and open to everyone.
- The concept has spread to more than 40 countries, so wherever you are, you can take inspiration and start your own neighbourhood gathering.
