Festival d'Avignon
International festival of theatre and performing arts
About Festival Avignon
The Festival d'Avignon: cradle of living theatre since 1947
Founded in 1947 by actor and director Jean Vilar, the Festival d'Avignon was born from a deep conviction: that theatre should be accessible to all, and that the stage can transform society. During the first edition, Vilar presented three plays in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes with actors like Gérard Philipe, under the Provençal July stars. This artistic and popular gamble would become one of the most famous festivals in the world.
For nearly eighty years, the Festival d'Avignon has continuously reinvented itself while remaining true to its foundations: artistic excellence, diversity of forms, and cultural democratization. It hosts around fifty shows each year, from plays to multidisciplinary performances, including dance, circus arts, and hybrid forms from international contemporary creation.
The Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes: a unique venue in the world
At the heart of the festival is the legendary Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes, a monumental open-air stage inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. With its high golden walls bathed in light, this space of nearly 2,000 seats offers an incomparable architectural setting for the most ambitious creations. Every July evening, it becomes the stage for a unique encounter between artists, the public, and the millennia-old history of Avignon.
Beyond the Cour d'Honneur, a dozen venues scattered throughout the city — La FabricA, Opéra Grand Avignon, the gymnasium of Lycée Saint-Joseph, the Cloître des Carmes — complete the festival's map and accommodate more intimate or experimental forms.
An engaged artistic direction
Since 2014, Olivier Py led the festival with a committed vision, making the stage a space for poetic and political resistance. In 2022, Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues succeeded him, bringing a new transnational sensibility and a strong taste for participatory forms and shared dramaturgy. Under his direction, the festival explores contemporary issues — migration, identity, memory — with a resolute openness to artists from the global South.
A multidisciplinary and international festival
While theatre remains the heart of the Festival d'Avignon, its program embraces all forms of performing arts. Contemporary dance, circus, music, performance, and visual arts coexist in a program that hosts artists from over twenty nationalities each year. Specific programs like "Première fois" facilitate access for newcomers, while the Café des idées offers meetings and debates with artists every morning.
The festival, which mobilizes over 3,000 accredited participants and welcomes around 130,000 spectators each year, generates considerable economic impact for the city of Avignon and the entire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is recognized as one of the main drivers of cultural tourism in France.
Support and education programs
For several decades, the festival has developed programs to provide access to works for audiences distant from culture:
- J'y suis, j'en suis: immersive stays of 3-4 days for young people aged 11 to 25, with workshops and artist meetings
- Artiste complice: resident artists who share their creative process with local groups
- Transmission impossible: intergenerational artist transmission program
- Territoires cinématographiques: screenings related to the theatrical program
Global reach and strategic partnerships
In November 2025, the Festival d'Avignon announced its first trilateral partnership with the Edinburgh International Festival and the Holland Festival, three of the world's largest performing arts festivals. This strategic alliance marks a new stage in international cooperation around contemporary creation.
Each year, journalists, programmers, and producers from around the world travel to Avignon to discover new creations, making the festival an essential showcase for the global artistic scene and a starting point for international tours of shows.
Festival Avignon — edition 2026
The 80th edition of the Festival d'Avignon will take place from July 4 to 25, 2026. For this major anniversary, the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes opens on July 4 with Maldoror by Julien Gosselin, a theatrical and literary fresco based on Lautréamont and Roberto Bolaño. Under the direction of Tiago Rodrigues, this edition brings together 47 creations and nearly 300 performances, with Korean as the guest language and, for the first time, a majority of women in direction (27 women, 16 men, 6 collectives).
80th Edition — July 4 to 25, 2026
The 2026 edition of the Festival d'Avignon marks a historic turning point: the 80th edition of one of the oldest and most famous theater festivals in the world. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, the festival will celebrate its eightieth anniversary in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes, from July 4 to 25, 2026. Under the direction of Tiago Rodrigues, this anniversary edition aims to be a «celebration of questions,» rooted in the future and projected towards the next eighty years.
The 80th edition brings together 47 creations and approximately 300 performances, with an international program (12 countries represented) spread across the Palais des Papes, La FabricA, the Opéra Grand Avignon, the Cloître des Carmes, the Cloître des Célestins, and the Carrière de Boulbon. Korean is the guest language of this edition, with several proposals notably around Nobel laureate Han Kang. A significant fact: 67% of the invited artists are programmed for the first time, and for the first time, the direction is predominantly female (27 women, 16 men, 6 collectives).
Highlights in the Cour d'Honneur
The Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes hosts the opening with Maldoror by Julien Gosselin (July 4-12), a grand fresco based on Lautréamont and Roberto Bolaño. This is followed by Oiseau, a reading-performance bringing together Korean author Han Kang and actress Isabelle Huppert (July 15-16), the unique concert by Benjamin Clementine (July 19), Le Pas du monde by Collectif XY (contemporary circus, July 22-25), and the closing vigil L'Aube des questions at dawn on July 26.
An Anniversary Serving the Future
This jubilee edition aims to look towards the future as much as celebrate the past. Tiago Rodrigues continues Jean Vilar's ideal — theater for all — by questioning the place of live performance in a fragmented world. The edition also aligns with the trilateral partnership announced at the end of 2025 with the Edinburgh International Festival and the Holland Festival, strengthening the international circulation of works. Approximately 130,000 spectators are expected, with 15,000 additional tickets put on sale compared to previous editions.
Programme Festival Avignon 2026
Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes
- July 4 - 12 (no performance on the 7th) — Maldoror, directed by Julien Gosselin · theatrical and literary fresco based on Lautréamont and Roberto Bolaño (opening show)
- July 15 - 16 — Oiseau, with Han Kang (author), Isabelle Huppert and Lee Hye-young · reading-performance created for the Cour d'Honneur
- July 19 — Benjamin Clementine · concert (unique date)
- July 22 - 25 — Le Pas du monde, Collectif XY · contemporary circus
- July 26, 5 AM — L'Aube des questions · closing vigil at dawn
Other Creations and Highlights (multiple venues)
- July 4, 11 AM — L'hors-présence, Tiphaine Raffier · La FabricA
- July 4 - 12 — La Parabole du seum, Rébecca Chaillon
- July 11 - 23 — Un procès, après l'ennemi du peuple, Christiane Jatahy, with Wagner Moura
- July 19 - 25 — CAPRA (une chèvre), Jeanne Candel
- Two versions of Hamlet: itinerant version for three actors (Thibault Perrenoud) and The Last Hamlet (Ben Duke)
Among the artists of this 80th edition: Isabelle Huppert, Valérie Dréville, Denis Podalydès, Éric Ruf, Boris Charmatz, Mathilde Monnier, Marion Siéfert, Andrea Jiménez. Venues: Cour d'Honneur du Palais des Papes, La FabricA, Opéra Grand Avignon, Cloître des Carmes, Cloître des Célestins, Carrière de Boulbon. Full program and by date on festival-avignon.com.
Highlights Festival Avignon 2026
- 80th anniversary edition, July 4 to 25, 2026
- 47 creations and approximately 300 performances
- Korean, guest language — proposals around Nobel laureate Han Kang
- Opening in the Cour d'Honneur with Maldoror by Julien Gosselin
- For the first time, a majority of women in direction
- Headliners: Isabelle Huppert, Benjamin Clementine, Christiane Jatahy
Prices Festival Avignon 2026
Practical information — Festival Avignon
Practical Information
Access
By car: Avignon is accessible from the A7 motorway (Paris-Marseille), exit Avignon-Nord or Avignon-Sud. Parking near the Palais des Papes (parking des Italiens, parking de la Gare).
By train: Avignon TGV station (Paris-Marseille line, 2h40 from Paris). Free shuttle between the TGV station and the city center during the festival. Avignon Centre station accessible from Marseille and Nîmes.
By plane: Marseille-Provence Airport (70 km) or Avignon-Caumont Airport.
Ticketing
Online booking on festival-avignon.com from the opening of ticket sales in spring. On-site ticketing at La FabricA (priority access in the morning from 10 am). Discounted tickets are available 45 minutes before each performance for holders of the beneficiary card (Carte IN).
Prices
- Full price: from 10 to 45 EUR depending on the shows
- Reduced price: from 7 to 25 EUR (under 26s, job seekers, RSA beneficiaries)
- Last minute price: discounted tickets 45 minutes before performances
Contact
Festival d'Avignon
Espace Saint-Louis, 20 rue du Portail Boquier, 84000 Avignon
Tel: +33 (0)4 90 14 14 14
Website: festival-avignon.com
Festival-goer photos
No photo yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Vous avez repéré une erreur ou une information manquante ?
Aidez-nous à garder cette fiche à jour. Toute proposition est relue par notre équipe avant publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No review yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community
Where does it take place — Festival Avignon
Cour d'Honneur du Palais des Papes
Palais des Papes, Place du Palais, 84000 Avignon