Culturissimo Festival

Culture for All, Free and Accessible

Born from the desire of E.Leclerc Cultural Spaces to make culture accessible to everyone, the Culturissimo Festival is a national event that takes place each year in dozens of French cities, from mid-April to the end of June. In Troyes, in the Aube department, the festival takes over the Théâtre de la Madeleine, a conventioned stage located on rue Jules Lebocey, to offer entirely free readings, concerts, and literary encounters. This cultural event, in its 12th edition in 2025, attracts a diverse audience, curious about literature and live performance.

Artists from the Comédie-Française and Renowned Writers

Culturissimo's programming is distinguished by the exceptional quality of its participants. Each edition brings together members of the Comédie-Française — such as Denis Podalydès, Dominique Blanc, Laurent Stocker, and Guillaume Gallienne — who come to read literary texts in an intimate and captivating vocal performance. Renowned contemporary writers also participate: David Foenkinos, Gaël Faye (Renaudot Prize), Miguel Bonnefoy (Femina Prize), Philippe Besson, Melissa Da Costa, and Agnès Martin-Lugand are among the festival's regular guests.

Musical Readings and Concerts: When Literature Meets Music

One of Culturissimo's original features is its musical readings, a hybrid format where an actor or writer reads a text accompanied by a musician, creating a unique artistic experience at the crossroads of genres. Concerts complete the program, with artists such as Camille et Julie Berthollet bringing a classical and popular musical dimension to the festival. In 2025, Denis Podalydès read L'ami de la famille, a unique portrait of the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, at the Théâtre de la Madeleine in Troyes, offering the audience a memorable evening of living literature.

A Festival Rooted in the Troyes Region

While Culturissimo is a national festival, its roots in Troyes are particularly significant. The E.Leclerc Cultural Space in Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres, in the Troyes agglomeration, is the local relay for the event and coordinates the program in partnership with the Théâtre de la Madeleine. The free nature of the shows and the diversity of offerings — from contemporary literature to classical music, including theater — make Culturissimo a valued vector of cultural democratization in the Aube region, allowing audiences distant from culture to access top-tier artists.