Louvre Late Openings by Season: Dark at 9pm or Not

The Louvre closes at 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays all year, but whether 9pm is night depends on the month. From October to March you walk out into the dark with the Pyramid lit; from April to August you walk out in daylight. Here is the year, season by season, for anyone choosing when to book Louvre small-group night tours or an evening alone.

Is it dark when the Louvre closes at 9pm?

From late September to March, yes. Mid-month sunset in Paris is about 7:00pm in October and 4:55pm in December, so by closing the sky has been dark for an hour or more. In April the sun sets about 8:40pm, and you leave at dusk.

From May to August the sun sets after closing, as late as 9:55pm in June. You come out into daylight, and the Pyramid is not lit yet. These times are approximate, computed for the middle of each month.

If a photo of the lit Pyramid is what you are after, the dark months give you the whole evening for it. The courtyard stays open until 9pm, so you can take it on your way out.

What is an autumn evening like?

If you can choose, choose autumn. You leave in the dark from October, and you have the fullest exhibition calendar of the year to choose from. The Zurbarán retrospective opens on 7 October 2026 and runs to 25 January 2027, with Sculpting Colour beside it in the Hall Napoléon.

The concert season opens the same night, 7 October, at 8pm in the auditorium. If you like photography, Louvre Photo follows on 4 November. The Wednesday or Friday question matters most now, when both evenings are full.

Are winter evenings the darkest and quietest?

The darkest, certainly: the sun sets before 5pm in December, so even a 5:30pm start puts you inside after sunset. The museum publishes no visitor figures by month, so nobody can promise you a quiet room.

Watch the calendar before you book. Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, and the museum is closed. New Year's Day 2027 is also a Friday, and also closed, which is why January has no free first Friday. The Zurbarán show closes on 25 January.

When does the light come back in spring?

In March the sun sets about 6:55pm, still well before closing. The clocks change at the end of March, and by mid-April sunset has moved to about 8:40pm. From then on you come out at dusk rather than in the dark, and you have the late light in the courtyard.

Primeval Waters closes on 15 March 2027 and Louvre Photo on 3 May. The museum has not yet announced its exhibitions for later in 2027, so check again before a spring or summer evening.

Why is summer the one season you leave in daylight?

Because the sun sets after the museum closes. In June and July it sets about 9:55pm and 9:50pm. If you book a night tour in summer, you get an evening visit in daylight: no worse for the paintings, but no view of the lit Pyramid.

Summer has no free first Friday: the museum excludes July and August. The Tuileries stay open until 11pm from June to August, so the garden is where the evening goes on after 9pm.

Which exhibitions can you see on a late night?

All of them: the exhibitions keep the museum's hours, so they stay open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. A few details change which evening you pick.

• The autumn retrospective and Sculpting Colour share the Hall Napoléon until 25 January 2027. Your ticket covers them, but you book a separate time slot.
• Primeval Waters runs until 15 March 2027 in the Near Eastern rooms. Rooms 227 to 230 may close on Wednesdays, so choose a Friday for it.
• Affinities, the Islamic art shown among the decorative arts, ends on 31 December 2026. Its rooms may also close on a Wednesday.
• Hosts at the Louvre ends on 14 December 2026, and the Lacoste silver, a one-room detour in Sully, on 11 January 2027.
• Louvre Photo runs from 4 November 2026 to 3 May 2027. The museum warns of a queue, so go early in the evening.

Rooms, times and the rest are on the exhibitions page.

When is the concert season?

The winter concerts start at 8pm, on a Wednesday or a Friday late night, so you can see the galleries first. The season runs 7 October, 25 November, 4 December 2026, then 13 January and 22 January 2027. A concert needs its own ticket, and the evening events page has each programme.

Which first Fridays are free, month by month?

Entry is free for everyone after 6pm on the first Friday of the month, except July and August. The dates for the season ahead are 2 October, 6 November, 4 December 2026, then 5 February, 5 March, 2 April, 7 May, 4 June 2027.

On 4 December 2026 a concert falls on the same evening. Free evenings bring the biggest crowds of the month, so pick another Friday or a Wednesday if you want room to see. The evening events page lists every date.

Which days is the museum closed?

Every Tuesday, and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. On other public holidays it opens as usual, unless the holiday falls on a Tuesday.

In the season ahead, two of those closed days land on a late night: Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027.

What does 14 July bring?

On Bastille Day, 14 July, entry is free for everyone. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday, so the museum is open late and free on the same evening. Expect a crowd.

If you are in Paris that week and want a calmer evening, take the Friday before or the Wednesday after instead. If free entry is the point, book a time slot anyway: the museum asks free visitors to reserve one too. In July it is still light at 9pm, so you walk out into the long evening rather than the dark.

How do you pick your evening once you know the month?

• If you want the lit Pyramid, book October to March, and allow a minute in the courtyard when you come out.
• If you want a walk after, book June to August, when the Tuileries stay open until 11pm.
• If you want music, check the concert dates first; each starts at 8pm, so you see the galleries before it.
• If you want to pay nothing, pick a first Friday and arrive after 6pm, ready to queue.
• If you want room to see, avoid the first Friday and 14 July.
• If you want a big exhibition, book before 25 January 2027, when the autumn shows close.

Whichever you choose, book a Wednesday or Friday slot, and check the week's room list the day before you go.

Which season suits which tour?

• Autumn and winter: any tour. The three-hour private evening starts at 6pm and ends in the dark from October to March.
• A dark start for children: the family evening starts at 5:30pm, after sunset from November to January.
• Spring and summer: the tours that end inside, so you can stay until the rooms clear and step out into the long evening light.
• Any month, on a budget: the group of six from the metro exit, at $175.22 a person.

Each kind is set out on the Louvre private night tours and Louvre small-group night tours pages.

The year at a glance

The months from October 2026, with sunset, the free first Fridays and the number of exhibitions on in the middle of each month.

Dates change and new shows are added through the year. For the hours of every day, see the visitor guide to the late openings; for what to expect on the night, see what to expect on the night.

Frequently asked questions

Evenings for the dark months

Private tour Louvre By night

Three private hours from 6:00pm at the foot of the arch facing the Pyramid, through the Sully, Denon and Richelieu wings and back out as the museum closes. Two travellers minimum; the timed ticket is in the fare.

From $336 per person For a party of two; the per-person fare falls as your group grows

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Night at the Louvre: Guided Museum Tour | Max 6-Guests

Two hours with a licensed guide and five other guests at most, from the metro exit on rue de Rivoli. The museum ticket and every booking fee are in the fare.

From $175 per person

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Louvre Private Tour by Night for Kids

A private family evening from 5:30pm at the arch, with games and quizzes for the children along the way. Under-18s enter free, and the guide leaves you inside to keep exploring.

From $360 per person Quoted for two adults and one child; children 6 to 17 book at a lower rate

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