The 2026 Parsons Paris Commencement celebration will take place on Friday, May 22, 2026 at the historic Le Grand Rex theatre located at 1 Bd Poissonnière, 75002 Paris.
The ceremony will take place in the Grande Salle auditorium at 11:00 am, immediately followed by a champagne toast with salty and savory appetizers on the orchestra, mezzanine and balcony levels until 2:00 pm.
Access to the venue is via metro lines 8 and 9, stop Bonne Nouvelle, or via bus lines 20, 32 and 39, stop Poissonière-Bonne Nouvelle.
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We look forward to seeing our graduates and their guests to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 at this important milestone!
Each student may invite up to 7 guests.Â
Tickets are free of charge and will be available online via Eventbrite. Students will receive specific instructions on how to register closer to the date.
Each ticket is nominative with a QR code that will be read at the door. Guests can print out their tickets or present them on their phone. Only ticketed guests will be admitted to the venue.
Parsons Paris regalia is provided to you at no charge and is for you to keep.Â
The kits which include a cap, tassel, gown, hood and stole will be available to you in the dressing rooms of the venue on the day of graduation. Each package is nominative. Regalia colors correspond to the diploma you will receive.
Please respond immediately when Student Success asks you for your gown size. Late orders are not possible.
The stairs up to and down from the stage are steep and can be slippery. A staff member will be on hand to help you. We suggest you wear shoes that you have previously worn and know are comfortable. You can bring an alternative pair and benefit from the rehearsal to do a test walk.
Each program will have their own dressing room. A Parsons Paris staff member will guide you on how to wear your regalia.Â
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Access to the dressing room area is limited to graduating students and Parsons Paris staff who are organizing the event.Â
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A security guard will be located at the technical entrance at all times. If you have something of particular value, you may still want to have one of your guests hold it.
Le Grand Rex does not allow outside food and beverages into the venue. The security agent will be told that you may bring a small water bottle.
From 9:00 am, coffee, tea, water and light snacks will be provided to students in the common area next to the dressing rooms. There is a Starbucks next door where you may have a coffee external to the venue before or after the ceremony rehearsal.Â
Consumption of alcoholic beverages, other than the champagne served at the toast after the ceremony, is strictly prohibited inside the building and on the sidewalk around the venue. Students will be subject to security checks at the technical entrance. Alcoholic beverages will be removed and discarded. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Le Grand Rex is a public venue. Please adhere to policies that would apply if you were entering a museum or theatre performance.
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Projectiles or objects that could constitute a weapon or pose a risk to public safety along with alcoholic beverages and illicit drugs are strictly forbidden. Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside the venue.Â
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Please do not bring noise-makers such as whistles, horns, bells, confetti, silly string or signs which may disrupt the ceremony.Â
Graduate seating is in the section to the right when facing the stage. In the front rows will be BFA AMT students, followed in the rows behind by BFA FD, BBA SDM, MFA FDA, and MA FS.
You will be seated in alphabetical order within your group as this is the order you will be called to the stage.
Reserved seating for the Parsons Paris Dean, Florence Leclerc, our guest speaker Randy Winston, program directors, etc. will be seated in the first rows of the right center section nearest the stage. Other guest seating is open.
Parsons Paris has privatized the space until 3:00 pm. Organizing staff will make every effort to collect items left in the dressing rooms, the auditorium and the foyers.Â
If you realize you have left something behind, please contact studentsuccess@newschool.edu to inquire.Â
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As soon as we leave the venue, it returns to the general public for an evening show.Â
The only way to inquire about a lost item is to use the contact form on the website of The Grand Rex.
Please do not return to the theatre. There is no lost and found on site and theatre staff will not be able to assist you.
Tickets are free of charge and will be available online via Eventbrite. Students will receive specific instructions on how to register closer to the date.
Each ticket is nominative with a QR code that will be read at the door. Guests can print out their tickets or present them on their phone.
Only ticketed guests will be admitted to the venue.
Le Grand Rex does not allow outside food and beverages into the venue. Parsons Paris will request an allowance for one small water bottle only.
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If you have a health or nutritional requirement, or if you are attending with a small child, please contact studentsuccess@newschool.edu so that we may accommodate you in advance.
Graduate seating is in the section to the right when facing the stage. In the front rows will be BFA AMT students, followed in the rows behind by BFA FD, BBA SDM, MFA FDA, and MA FS.
Students will be seated in alphabetical order within their major as this is the order they will be called to the stage.
Reserved seating for the Parsons Paris Dean, Florence Leclerc, our guest speaker Randy Winston, program directors, etc. will be seated in the first rows of the right center section nearest the stage. Other guest seating is open.
There are wonderful florist shops all over Paris. Ask at your hotel for a suggestion.
The closest shops to Le Grand Rex are below.
We recommend ordering flowers ahead of time or purchasing a bouquet on Thursday afternoon to avoid a morning rush.
Aunque & Vaun Artisan Fleuriste
30 rue de Cléry, 75002 Paris
Monceau Fleurs110 rue Réaumur, 75002 Paris
Tel: + (33) 1 42 60 31 19
Chikako77 rue Aboukir, 75002 Paris
Tel: + (33) 1 44 82 04 08
The entrance is almost flat (step 0 to 2 cm). The doors are manual. Security staff will be on hand to assist.Â
The ceremony takes place on the orchestra level of the auditorium where 9 PRM seats are located near an emergency exit.
The Minister of Culture has classified Le Grand Rex as a national heritage site. Although it was the first European theatre to install an escalator in 1957 (up only), it does not have an elevator to the 2 upper floors.
Not to worry because the buffet refreshments are the same on each level.
Le Grand Rex is a public venue. Please adhere to policies that would apply if you were entering a museum or theatre performance.
Â
Projectiles or objects that could constitute a weapon or pose a risk to public safety along with alcoholic beverages and illicit drugs are strictly forbidden. Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside the venue.Â
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Please do not bring noise-makers such as whistles, horns, bells, confetti, silly string or signs which may disrupt the ceremony.Â
Please address further requests to studentsuccess@newschool.edu
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