Food and drinks
Start the month with a French language happy hour. On Oct 2nd and Oct 16th, meet up at Habenero Blues in Manhattan for some language practice over drinks and making new friends!
On Oct 9th, treat yourself to lunch. Chef David Bouley cooks with French master charcuterie artisans Christophe Tourneux from Normandy, and Olivier Ruellan from Brittany, a Five-Course Charcuterie Lunch with an optional 4 pairing wine tasting to accompany the meal in Bouley Test Kitchen. If you are interested in knowing more about French wines, on Oct 12 Le Grand Triage offers a class to help you make the difference between the various regions, appellations, and winemaking laws that comprise the French viticultural tradition. On Oct 16th why not participate in a Cheese Workshop? Learn about the main categories of French cheeses and the particularities of the various terroirs where they originated. On Oct 27th Corkbuzz restaurant offers their comprehensive wine class, A Tour de France, in which you'll learn about and taste the most representative French wines.
Movies and Theater
Throughout the month of October, watch Isabelle Adjani on screen. The series, Magnetic Gaze will screen 10 of her films by 10 different directors, spanning 5 decades, from "Adèle H"(1975) to "The World is Yours" (2018). On Oct 2nd, attend a conversation with Film director Bertrand Bonello, in the morning and watch the movie "the Freshmen" at The Lycée Français in the evening. If you haven't had the chance to see Mr Klein with Alain Delon in September, an extra screening was added, don't miss it on Oct 4th at the Film Forum.
On Oct 10th, the documentary " Tous au Larzarc" (Leasersheep) recounts how the Larzac became the birthplace of the anti-globalisation movement in France. Yet they did not use weapons to defend themselves, only tractors and sheep. Until Oct 12th, "Crossing The Line Festival" will show innovative works by French, Francophone and Americans artists. Different art forms such as theater, dance, radio live, performance will be represented.
Books: Events and Releases
Visit the bookstore Albertine for a discussion on Proust in Black (Proust en Noir), an essay/fictional work by Fanny Daubigny, on Oct 1st and also for a morning of discovery around two of the most iconic French children’s books, My Valley by Claude Ponti and Philippe Fix’s Seraphin, on oct 6th. On oct 14th, French Historian and mass violence expert Jacques Sémelin and historian Robert O. Paxton discuss Semlin’s new book, "The Survival of the Jews in France, 1940-1944" and on Oct 19th Anthony Lacoudre explains the incredible story of how over 25,000 French words infiltrated the English language throughout history. For more events, talks and lectures visit the Albertine website. On Oct 28th, Elaine Sciolino will present her new book "The Seine, the River that made Paris" at the French Heritage Society.
Click here for the books in French released in September and those coming in October.
Art: Expo
The exhibition Pierre Cardin: The Future of Fashion is still on view until January 22nd. It is the first New York retrospective in forty years to focus on the legendary couturier. Drawn primarily from Pierre Cardin’s archive, the exhibition traverses the designer’s decades-long career at the forefront of fashion invention. Brooklyn Museum. On Oct 18th, Paris Capital of Symposium, is a one-day event at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Come and explore what it means for a city to be deemed a “fashion capital”.
Music: Concerts and the playlist of the month
On Oct 3rd, Acclaimed French pianist Hélène Tysman and the ensemble les Percussions Claviers de Lyon will interpret a selection of compositions by Maurice Ravel at the Lycée Français
Zaz, the French singer-songwriter who mixes jazzy styles, French variety, soul and acoustic will play on Oct 6th at The Beacon Theater. Also on Oct 6th, Stéphane Wrembel, the French jazz guitarist who performs Gypsy jazz but is also influenced by world music, will play at Barbès. On Oct 11th, a night of French Touch, French House, Disco House and more, at the knitting Factory Brooklyn, free til midnight with RSVP
On Oct 17th listen to greatest French songs of the post-war years with PARIS ! THE SHOW, presenting a repertoire of the greatest songs of Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Lucienne Boyer, Charles Trenet, Josephine Baker, Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel.
The playlist of the month: All the songs in this playlist have been released in September. The selection is almost entirely pop, not necessarily by choice but because it seems to be the flavor of September. Maybe October will see the release of more hip hop and chansons françaises.
In the bustling streets of New York barber shop echo with timeless traditions. It's more than a place to get a haircut; it's a cultural journey, a nod to the classic barbershop ambiance that continues to thrive in the modern heartbeat of the city.