Paris’s Grand Salon du Chocolat 2026

If you’re anywhere near Paris at the end of October, the Salon du Chocolat is worth rearranging your schedule for. It’s the world’s largest chocolate event, and for five days it turns a stretch of the Porte de Versailles exhibition center into something between a trade show, a museum, and a very elaborate candy shop.

2026 dates

The 2026 edition runs Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Pavilion 5. This is the 31st edition, a year after the show’s 30th-anniversary celebration in 2025, so while there’s no landmark anniversary this time around, organizers are still promising a new twist on the signature chocolate fashion show as the headline attraction.

What’s there

Over 500 exhibitors from around 60 countries take part: master chocolatiers, pastry chefs, confectioners, major chocolate brands, and cocoa producers, with representation from France, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and dozens of other countries. It’s a genuinely global cross-section of how different cultures approach cocoa, from single-origin beans to elaborate finished creations.

• The Chocolate Fashion Show: the event’s signature moment, reimagined this year as a new musical performance, with costumes built entirely from chocolate paraded through a live show. Expect theatrical staging rather than a straightforward runway.
• Masterclasses: sessions led by well-known pastry chefs covering techniques and recipes, popular enough that it’s worth booking ahead if a specific class catches your eye.
• Bar à Chocolat tastings: guided tastings run by the Confédération des chocolatiers et confiseurs de France, focused on single-origin chocolates and the flavor differences between them.
• Competitions: including the World Chocolate Masters, where chefs and chocolatiers compete for one of the field’s most prestigious titles.
• Family programming: a dedicated kids’ area with gourmet demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and a junior pastry show, plus a Santa’s House display that leans into the approaching holiday season.
• Chocolate sculpture displays: monumental sculptures and an “Allée de l’Inspiration” showcasing chocolate costume replicas and thematic artworks, more art installation than confectionery at this scale.

Practical details

The show typically runs from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily. It draws close to 100,000 visitors over the five days, so buying tickets online in advance is genuinely worth it rather than risking the line on-site. Workshops and masterclasses usually require a separate booking and fee on top of general admission.

Getting there: take Metro Line 12 to Porte de Versailles, or the T3 tram to the Porte de Versailles – Parc des Expositions stop.

If a trip built around French food and craftsmanship sounds appealing, Exoticca’s France tours can help you plan a visit around the Salon du Chocolat and the rest of the city’s autumn calendar.