Festival Pour les Oiseaux
Experimental and improvisation music festival in Le Havre
2026
About Pour les Oiseaux
Pour les Oiseaux — edition 2026
The Festival Pour les Oiseaux takes place from Wednesday, September 30th to Sunday, October 4th, 2026, in Le Havre. Featuring fifteen experimental music and improvisation events across PiedNu at the Fort de Tourneville, the MuMa, and the Conservatoire Arthur Honegger: concerts, a sound fair by the COAX collective, two guided sound walks through the city with Xavière Fertin, a live 16mm film screening, and a percussion concert suitable for ages 3 months and up.
2026 Edition
The full program has been available online since August 10th, 2026, on the PiedNu website. The five-day festival is spread across three venues in Le Havre: the PiedNu hall at the Fort de Tourneville, the MuMa, and the Conservatoire Arthur Honegger.
Schedule
The festival opens on September 30th at the MuMa with a MuMaBoX session: Gaëlle Rouard and Lê Quan Ninh perform Silver Sillon, featuring live 16mm film projection and percussion. The following two evenings take place at PiedNu, featuring the duos AUTOREVERSE (Nina Garcia and Arnaud Rivière) and POULAIN JAR (Léa Monteix and Fabien Rimbaud) on October 1st, followed by solos from Alexandra Grimal and Frédéric Tentelier on the 2nd, co-programmed with the Ouïe Cyclette festival. Two free concerts will be held that same Friday at the Conservatoire Arthur Honegger: Greg Malcolm at 12:00 PM and Clara Lévy at 6:00 PM.
Saturday and Sunday host ten of the fifteen events. The COAX Fair takes over the Fort de Tourneville both afternoons from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM: sound booths, games, and interactive objects set up by the COAX collective, open for all ages to explore freely. The MuMa is hosting three midday concerts, including a percussion performance by Philippe Foch suitable for babies from 3 months old. Xavière Fertin will lead two sound walks through the streets of Le Havre, clarinet in hand, on Saturday at 6:00 PM and Sunday at 4:00 PM. Michel Doneda and Lê Quan Ninh will close the festival on Sunday, October 4th, at 6:00 PM at PiedNu.
Good to know
As of mid-August, two details are still pending from the organizers: the ticket prices for the three MuMa events and the starting points for the two sound walks. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door; credit cards are accepted. A bar and light refreshments will be available at the Fort throughout the weekend.
Highlights Pour les Oiseaux 2026
- COAX Fair, Saturday, October 3rd and Sunday, October 4th from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Fort de Tourneville: sound booths and interactive objects, free
- Alexandra Grimal solo saxophone performance, Friday, October 2nd at 8:00 PM at PiedNu, co-programmed with the Ouïe Cyclette festival
- Michel Doneda and Lê Quan Ninh closing concert, Sunday, October 4th at 6:00 PM at PiedNu, free
- Two sound walks through Le Havre with clarinetist Xavière Fertin, Saturday at 6:00 PM and Sunday at 4:00 PM, free
- Philippe Foch, percussion for ages 3 months and up, Saturday, October 3rd at 11:00 AM at the MuMa
- MuMaBoX x PLO opening session, live 16mm film and percussion by Gaëlle Rouard and Lê Quan Ninh, Wednesday, September 30th at 6:00 PM at the MuMa, free
Programme Pour les Oiseaux 2026
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
- 6:00 PM — MuMaBoX x PLO Session: Silver Sillon, Gaëlle Rouard and Lê Quan Ninh, live 16mm film and percussion · MuMa · free
Thursday, October 1st, 2026
- 8:00 PM — Evening at PiedNu, Fort de Tourneville · €10/€6 · two duos: AUTOREVERSE (Nina Garcia and Arnaud Rivière, electric guitar, objects, electronics) and POULAIN JAR (Léa Monteix and Fabien Rimbaud, cello, percussion, voice and text)
Friday, October 2nd, 2026
- 12:00 PM — Greg Malcolm, guitar · Conservatoire Arthur Honegger · free
- 6:00 PM — Clara Lévy, violin · Conservatoire Arthur Honegger · free
- 8:00 PM — Evening at PiedNu, Fort de Tourneville · €10/€6 · Alexandra Grimal (solo saxophone) and Frédéric Tentelier (Fender Rhodes), co-programmed with the Ouïe Cyclette festival
Saturday, October 3rd, 2026
- 11:00 AM — Philippe Foch, percussion, for ages 3 months and up · MuMa · price to be announced
- 12:00 PM — Michel Doneda and Beñat Achiary, soprano saxophone and vocals · MuMa · price to be announced
- 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM — COAX Fair: sound booths, games, interactive objects, and performances by the COAX collective, open access, all ages · Le Fort! (PiedNu / La Halle, Fort de Tourneville) · free
- 6:00 PM — Sound walk with Xavière Fertin, clarinet, through the streets of Le Havre · starting point to be announced · free
- 6:00 PM — Liz Rácz, amplified drawing · PiedNu, Fort de Tourneville · free
- 8:00 PM — Evening at PiedNu, Fort de Tourneville · €10/€6 · Raphaël Loher (piano) and the duo Éric Brochard / Nicolas Lelièvre (bass, percussion)
Sunday, October 4th, 2026
- 12:00 PM — Lê Quan Ninh and Rie Nakajima, percussion and object performance · MuMa · price to be announced
- 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM — COAX Fair: sound booths, games, and interactive objects by the COAX collective, open access, all ages · Le Fort! (PiedNu / La Halle, Fort de Tourneville) · free
- 4:00 PM — Sound walk with Xavière Fertin, clarinet · starting point to be announced · free
- 6:00 PM — Michel Doneda and Lê Quan Ninh, soprano saxophone and percussion, closing concert · PiedNu, Fort de Tourneville · free
Ongoing
- Bar and light refreshments at the Fort de Tourneville throughout the weekend
Venues
- PiedNu / La Halle — Fort de Tourneville, 55 rue du 329e R.I.
- MuMa, musée d'art moderne André Malraux — 2 boulevard Clemenceau
- Conservatoire Arthur Honegger — 70 cours de la République
Prices Pour les Oiseaux 2026
Practical information — Pour les Oiseaux
Practical Information
Dates
Five days in early October (Wednesday to Sunday).
Venues
- PiedNu — Fort de Tourneville: 55, rue du 329e RI, 76600 Le Havre (main venue)
- MuMa — Musée d'art moderne André Malraux
- Le Havre University Library
- Conservatoire Arthur Honegger
Prices
- Adult concerts: 5 to 10 EUR
- Many events are free (family workshops, listening walks, some concerts)
Access
By bus: Bus line from Le Havre city center to Fort de Tourneville.
By car: Free parking at Fort de Tourneville.
Contact
PiedNu Association
Fort de Tourneville, 55 rue du 329e RI, 76600 Le Havre
Website: www.piednu.fr
Festival Pour les Oiseaux: twenty years of experimental music in Le Havre
Created in 2005 by the PiedNu association, the Festival Pour les Oiseaux (PLO) is one of the most unique events on the French music scene. Dedicated to experimental music, improvisation, and innovative sound forms, this festival offers a demanding and curious program every October, going against the grain, in a warm and intimate atmosphere.
PiedNu: a venue and an association dedicated to sound experimentation
The PiedNu association is based at the Fort de Tourneville, a former military structure perched on the heights of Le Havre, repurposed as a venue for the creation and dissemination of experimental music. Throughout the year, PiedNu organizes concerts, artist residencies, and music practice workshops. The Festival Pour les Oiseaux is the annual highlight of this activity, bringing together artists from around the world around a common passion for sound exploration.
A program balancing demands and accessibility
Concerts and performances
Each edition of the PLO features around twenty concerts and performances, mixing instrumental and vocal improvisation, electroacoustic music, prepared harp, experimental guitar, unconventional clarinet and violin, vocal performances, and spatialized setups. Internationally renowned artists — such as Sophie Agnel, John Butcher, Julien Desprez, or Biliana Voutchkova — share the stage with emerging creators in a non-hierarchical program.
Unique formats and family workshops
The festival stands out for the diversity of its offerings: sonic massages (immersive listening sessions), experimental cinema in partnership with the MuMa (MuMaBOX), listening walks in the city, circuit games with sound marbles for families, and concerts for toddlers from 18 months old. These varied formats reach a wide audience, far beyond just the initiated.
Strong territorial roots
The Festival Pour les Oiseaux is supported by the City of Le Havre, the DRAC Normandie, the Department of Seine-Maritime, and the Normandy Region. Its partnerships with the MuMa, the university library, and the Conservatoire Arthur Honegger make it an event deeply rooted in Le Havre's cultural fabric, contributing to the city's influence as a hub for contemporary music creation.
Where does it take place — Pour les Oiseaux
Pour les Oiseaux in brief
History of Pour les Oiseaux
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