Gaillac Youth and Teen Book Festival

The 31st edition, themed "At a Child's Height," features an original set design with giant furniture that immerses visitors in the world of childhood. The official poster was created by our guest of honor, illustrator Jérôme Pelissier. 25 authors and illustrators will be on hand for signings and meet-and-greets. All events are free to attend.

Before the weekend

• Wednesday, 3 PM & 5 PM — Pleine nuit, a dance performance by Cie L'hélice (choreography by Myriam Naisy, dancers Salima Nouidé and Nicolas Maye), based on the 2025-2026 early childhood picture book by Antoine Guilloppe · Au Balcon, performance hall · Ages 3+, 35 min, free with reservation (online ticketing)
• Friday, 7 PM — Une chose formidable, a show by and featuring Rebecca Dautremer, with Nils Le Thanh (drums) and Nicolas Almosni (accordion) · Au Balcon, performance hall · Ages 6+, 45 min, free with reservation
• Friday, 6:30 PM — Inauguration of the Lentajou community garden, featuring a photo booth illustrated by artist Béatrice Rodriguez

Saturday, October 3, 2026

• 11 AM — Loupé, a performance by storyteller Gilles Bizouerne and cellist Elsa Guiet · Auditorium Dom Vayssette · Ages 5-8, 50 min, free with reservation
• 10:30 AM — Storytelling session with Guillaume Bracquemond (Ça alors, Moi Moi Moi !, Pas Moi Pas Moi Pas Moi !) · Reading tent · Ages 1-5, 35 min, free with reservation
• 10:30 AM — Illustrated photo booth with Béatrice Rodriguez · "Photomaton" tent · Ages 5+, ongoing
• 2:30 PM — "Thaumatrope: The Magic of Optical Illusions" workshop with Caroline Hüe · Activity tent · Ages 6+, 60 min, registration required
• 3 PM — "Mind-Blowing Experiments" workshop with Sophie Blitman, featuring Anatole Latuile · Festival Lab · Ages 8+, 60 min, registration required
• 6 PM — Les carnets de Cerise, a performance by Cie Improjection, featuring Aurélie Neyret · Au Balcon · Ages 8+, 60 min, free with reservation

Sunday, October 4, 2026

• 10:30 AM — "Tric tric, cot cot, Cocotte Tricote" workshop with Christine Beigel · Activity tent · Ages 3-5, 45 min
• 10:30 AM — Cache toi Arsène, a live illustrated concert by and featuring Ronan Badel and Marion Le Berre (piano) · Auditorium Dom Vayssette · Ages 6+, 50 min, free with reservation
• 2 PM — "Mélie Maginaire" escape game with Noémie Buissonnière · Activity tent · Ages 7+, 60 min
• 3 PM — Bâtardes, a dance-reading based on the novel by Rachel Corenblit, featuring dancer Inès Pereira and guitarist Sylvain Souza · Reading tent · Ages 13+, 45 min, open access
• 3:30 PM — Zero-waste creative workshop with Bénédicte Solle Bazaille (based on 40 activités zéro déchet) · Activity tent · Ages 6-13, 45 min, registration required
• 4 PM — Illustrated reading of Le magicien d'Os, by Éric Sanvoisin and Gilles Francescano, with music by Cédric Hamon · Auditorium Dom Vayssette · Ages 8+, 1h20
• 4:45 PM — Rotary Club of Gaillac raffle drawing · Animation Bar
• 5 PM — Birdy Melody, a comic-strip circus show by Cie Perluette based on the silent graphic novel by David Perimony · Au Balcon, performance hall · Ages 6+, 40 min, free with reservation

Ongoing activities (both days at the Animation Bar)

• Temporary tattoo stand inspired by festival characters
• Festival Micro-Folie: an interactive digital space exploring the worlds of various authors (Loly Axmann, Gilles Bizouerne, Sophie Blitman, Christine Beigel, etc.)
• Paper-cut tunnel book inspired by the world of Rebecca Dautremer · Ages 7+
• Board game area, including "Giant Guess Who?" featuring festival authors and illustrators · Ages 5+
• LEGO workshop "Architecture in Lego," inspired by the world of Max Ducos, by La Rue'Briques · Ages 2+
• "A Book as Big as Me!" giant book-making workshop · Ages 5+
• Small library: open reading corner for all ages
• Little Ears Corner: Bookinou audio stories in a teepee · Ages 4+
• Read and Encourage Reading: readings by senior volunteers · Ages 3-8, registration required
• "From Page to Book" workshop (traditional bookbinding) with the Rotary Club of Gaillac, plus a comic book restoration demonstration · Ages 9+, 1h30, registration required

Exhibitions

• September 25 to October 4, 2026 — Billy Symphony, based on the album by David Perimony and the comic-concert by Cie Perluette · Gaillac Media Library, 74 place d'Hautpoul
• During the festival weekend — Volubilis, a retrospective of 25 original works by Max Ducos (2006-2026), in partnership with Sarbacane Publishing · Main Festival Hall

Full program published by the City of Gaillac on August 18, 2026 (source: gaillac.fr, Calaméo brochure). All events are free to attend; some shows and workshops require online or on-site reservation.