Constellations de Metz
International digital art and video mapping festival in Metz
About Constellations
An open-air digital art festival
Since 2017, the Constellations de Metz festival has established itself as one of the major digital art events in France. Free and accessible to all, it transforms the city of Metz into an open-air art gallery every summer, where ancient heritage and contemporary creation dialogue in spectacular harmony. For more than two months, the medieval facades, historic squares, and gardens of the city become the canvas for ephemeral works designed by artists from around the world.
Three artistic trails
Pierres Numériques – The nocturnal trail
The festival's flagship circuit comes alive at nightfall. The facades of the Saint-Étienne Cathedral, the Opéra-Théâtre, the Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church, and other emblematic monuments are transformed into giant screens through video mapping. Immersive audiovisual installations, laser scenographies, and interactive devices mark the trail, inviting spectators to rediscover the city from a new perspective. An international mapping competition brings together creative teams from around the world each year.
Art & Gardens – The daytime trail
During the day, the festival takes over Metz's parks and gardens with visual artworks, monumental sculptures, and land art installations. This trail connects the city's green spaces while showcasing creations that explore the relationship between art, nature, and urbanity. The works, often designed specifically for their locations, blend harmoniously into the Metz landscape.
Urban Art
The street art component of the festival permanently enriches Metz's urban landscape. Mural paintings, trompe-l'œil, and graphic interventions are created by renowned artists on the city's walls. These creations, designed in conjunction with the existing architecture, endure well beyond the festival period and constitute a true permanent open-air museum.
International reach
A member of the International Light Festivals Organisation (ILO), Constellations de Metz is part of a global network of light festivals. The event attracts several hundred thousand visitors each year, making Metz a leading summer cultural destination in the Grand Est region. The artistic quality of the programming and the originality of the concept have earned the festival national and international recognition.
A unifying and free event
One of Constellations' major assets is its complete freeness. Organized by the City of Metz with the support of the Eurométropole de Metz and numerous institutional and private partners, the festival aims to be a popular and unifying event. The trails are freely accessible, day and night, allowing everyone to engage with the city and its heritage through the lens of contemporary creation.
Constellations — edition 2026
10th edition of the Constellations de Metz festival, from June 25th to September 5th, 2026. For this anniversary, the international digital art festival of the City of Metz explores the theme « Data-scapes », which questions the interplay between data and landscapes. Three free routes take over the historic city center: the nocturnal route Digital Stones (video mapping and light installations on the facades of Metz's heritage), the daytime route Art & Gardens (contemporary works in dialogue with parks and waterfronts), and the urban art route (frescoes and permanent interventions).
10th edition — anniversary of an unmissable festival
In 2026, the Constellations de Metz festival celebrates its 10th edition. For more than two months, from Thursday, June 25th to Saturday, September 5th, 2026, the City of Metz will once again transform into an open-air digital art gallery, accessible for free day and night.
2026 Theme: « Data-scapes »
For this anniversary edition, the festival explores the notion of « Data-scapes » — a portmanteau word combining data and landscapes. Invited artists are called upon to question, divert, and re-enchant the data flows that make up our digital daily lives, confronting their creations with Metz's architectural and landscape heritage. The official poster for this edition is signed by Virgile Bordin (Studio vébé).
Three routes, three temporalities
Digital Stones — nocturnal route
The festival's flagship circuit comes alive at nightfall. The emblematic facades of Metz — Saint-Étienne Cathedral, Opéra-Théâtre, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church, and other monuments — become the canvases for monumental video mapping, immersive audiovisual installations, and luminous scenographies signed by French and international artists.
Art & Gardens — daytime route
During the day, the festival takes over Metz's parks, gardens, and waterfronts with monumental sculptures, land art installations, and plastic works specifically designed for these locations. This route fosters a dialogue between contemporary creation and the urban environment.
Urban Art
The street art component permanently enriches the Metz landscape with murals and graphic interventions signed by renowned artists, conceived in relation to existing architecture and lasting beyond the festival.
Detailed Program
The complete list of artists and works for each route will be gradually unveiled by the organizer in the weeks leading up to the opening. The full program will be available online on the official website constellations-metz.fr and relayed on the festival's Facebook page.
Highlights Constellations 2026
- 10th anniversary edition — a symbolic milestone for Metz's digital art festival
- « Data-scapes » theme — data and landscapes reinvented by artists
- Over two months of programming, from June 25th to September 5th, 2026
- Three free routes: Digital Stones (night), Art & Gardens (day), Urban Art (permanent)
- Monumental mapping on Saint-Étienne Cathedral and Metz's historic facades
- Poster signed by Virgile Bordin (Studio vébé)
Prices Constellations 2026
Practical information — Constellations
Access
The Constellations de Metz festival unfolds throughout the historic city center of Metz, easily accessible by all modes of transport.
- By train: Metz-Ville station, served by TGV from Paris (1h20), Strasbourg (1h30), Luxembourg (50 min), and major cities in the Grand Est. The station is a 10-minute walk from the start of the trails.
- By car: A31 motorway (Paris/Luxembourg axis) and A4 motorway (Strasbourg/Paris axis). Several underground parking lots in the city center: Cathédrale parking, Saint-Jacques parking, République parking. Expect significant crowds on summer weekend evenings.
- By bus/tram: The LE MET' network serves the entire festival route. Mettis bus lines A and B serve the main points of interest of the festival. Extended evening service during the festival period.
- By bike: VélOstan'lib stations (self-service bikes) available throughout the city center. Bicycle racks near the installations.
Routes and circuits
The three festival circuits are marked with dedicated signage and are freely accessible. Detailed maps are available free of charge at the Metz Tourist Office, Place d'Armes, in the lobbies of partner hotels, and for download on the festival's website. A mobile application allows you to follow the routes with information on each artwork. The nocturnal trail is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. Guided tours are offered on certain evenings of the week.
Hours
The nocturnal "Pierres Numériques" trail is accessible every evening from nightfall (around 10:30 PM in June-July, 9:30 PM in August) until 1 AM. The "Art & Gardens" trail is accessible during the day according to the opening hours of municipal parks and gardens, generally from 7:30 AM to 9 PM in summer. The urban art trail is visible permanently, 24/7.
Prices
The entire festival is free and open access, no reservation required.
Food and services
Numerous restaurants, cafes, and terraces in the city center are open throughout the festival. Food trucks and temporary food stalls are set up near the main installations of the nocturnal trail. Public restrooms are available in the city center.
Practical advice
Wear comfortable shoes for walking. The complete nocturnal trail takes about 2 to 3 hours to walk. In case of high summer heat, favor the daytime trails early in the morning and the nocturnal trail in the evening.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Metz Tourist Office: 03 87 39 00 00
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Where does it take place — Constellations
Centre-ville historique de Metz
Centre-ville de Metz, 57000 Metz