The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) will celebrate it 50th anniversary this summer in Paris, the city where it held its first meeting.

The WPA’s International Jubilee Congress, which will be held June 26 to 30, is a lively combination of the latest science and contemporary cultural experiences. It will begin on Monday, June 26, with an Opening Ceremony in the Grand Amphitheater of the Sorbonne in the heart of the Left Bank’s Latin Quarter, followed by a welcoming cocktail reception in the Sorbonne’s Grand Salon and the Salle Peristyle.

Participants can follow this by having dinner on a bateau mouche or visiting the newly restored Jacquemart-André Museum and dining at Le Fouquet’s on the Champs-Elysées.

On Tuesday, June 27, the opening session and scientific program begin at the Palais des Congrès (metro Porte de Maillot) on the border of the Bois de Boulogne and Neuilly-sur-Seine. That evening participants will be able to attend the horse races in the Bois de Vincennes or dine on a Mississippi riverboat.

The scientific program continues on Wednesday and Thursday, June 28 and 29, at the Palais des Congrès. On Wednesday evening registrants can again choose between a dinner cruise and a jazz boîte. On Thursday evening the choices once again include jazz or dinner on the banks of the Marne at a Guinguette or, most excitingly, a chance to see "Giselle" at the old opera house—the Palais Garnier, followed by dinner.

Finally, on Friday, June 30, the closing ceremony will take place.

In addition, a variety of tours is being offered, covering such venues as Versailles and EuroDisney outside the city and Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Left Bank inside, as well as other sites and themes associated with Paris, such as fashion, nightlife, and its incomparable museums.

American psychiatrists should note that there will be a meeting within the meeting to celebrate the third reunion of French and American psychiatrists.

Those interested in attending can find additional information, including registration forms, at the Congress’s Web site, <psydoc-fr.broca.inserm.fr>. Information on hotel reservations is available by sending an e-mail message to wpa. jubileecongress@mtv.fr.