Les Accroche-Cœurs
The street arts festival in Angers
2026
About Accroche-Cœurs
Accroche-Cœurs — edition 2026
The 26th edition of Les Accroche-Cœurs will take place from Friday, September 11th to Sunday, September 13th, 2026, in the heart of Angers, spanning both banks of the Maine river. The City of Angers has announced 49 shows and over 110 free performances, featuring around forty companies centered on the theme of travel and escapism. The festival kicks off at the Place du Ralliement on Friday at 8:00 PM with Moon Music, an aerial performance.
26th Edition — September 11th to 13th, 2026
Les Accroche-Cœurs returns from Friday, September 11th to Sunday, September 13th, 2026, in the center of Angers, along both banks of the Maine. The City of Angers is hosting 49 shows with around forty local, national, and international companies, totaling over 110 performances including street theater, contemporary circus, dance, music, brass bands, balls, magic, roving acts, immersive and participatory installations, and shows for young audiences.
Escapism as the central theme
The 2026 theme is travel and escapism, inspired by the worlds of Gulliver, Moby Dick, and Jules Verne. The festival poster features a large heart at its center, surrounded by postage stamps from around the globe. There is also a dress code for this edition: festival-goers are encouraged to wear headgear, from panamas and sombreros to berets and bucket hats.
Three shows featuring local residents
Every year, residents of Angers take to the stage alongside the professional companies. Three shows will feature local participants in 2026: Moon Music, where 10 residents play the role of "barons" during the opening ceremony; Facile à danser by the La Halte-Garderie company, featuring 40 amateur dancers and inclusive of people with disabilities; and Gulliver, voyage en absurdie by Les Plasticiens Volants, involving 12 local performers and 10 operators of the flying structures. All participant lists are now full and registration is closed.
Dining
The Village des saveurs brings together eight stalls run by local Angers associations, with all proceeds going toward funding their projects. Food is available for takeaway or to be enjoyed on-site, using reusable tableware.
Highlights Accroche-Cœurs 2026
- Opening ceremony on Friday, September 11th at 8:00 PM at Place du Ralliement with Moon Music: a dancer and musicians suspended in the air
- Gulliver, voyage en absurdie by Les Plasticiens Volants: giant flying puppets, on Friday the 11th at 10:30 PM and Sunday the 13th at 5:00 PM
- Facile à danser by the La Halte-Garderie company: four performances on Saturday and Sunday, inclusive of people with disabilities
- 49 shows and over 110 free performances, around forty companies, themed around travel and escapism
- "Headgear" dress code for all three days, from panamas to bucket hats
- Village des saveurs: Friday the 11th from 7:00 PM to midnight, Saturday the 12th from 11:00 AM to midnight, Sunday the 13th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Programme Accroche-Cœurs 2026
Current program details
On July 7th, 2026, the City of Angers unveiled the first details of the 26th edition: 49 shows, around forty companies, and over 110 performances. The full schedule for each show is not yet online as of mid-August; the "program" section on angers.fr, which provided individual pages for each show in 2025, is currently empty for 2026. The times listed below are those published by the City on its "Participate in Les Accroche-cœurs" and "Village des saveurs" pages.
Friday, September 11th, 2026
- 7:00 PM to midnight — Village des saveurs · eight food stalls run by local Angers associations
- 8:00 PM — Moon Music · Place du Ralliement — opening ceremony. A dancer and musicians suspended in the air soar above the audience, with 10 residents acting as "barons"
- 10:30 PM — Gulliver, voyage en absurdie · Les Plasticiens Volants company — an XXL show featuring giant flying puppets, loosely inspired by Gulliver's Travels
Saturday, September 12th, 2026
- 11:00 AM to midnight — Village des saveurs
- 2:30 PM — Facile à danser · La Halte-Garderie company — improvised dance with 40 local residents, a show open to everyone, including people with disabilities
- 6:30 PM — Facile à danser · La Halte-Garderie company
Sunday, September 13th, 2026
- 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM — Village des saveurs
- 11:30 AM — Facile à danser · La Halte-Garderie company
- 3:00 PM — Facile à danser · La Halte-Garderie company
- 5:00 PM — Gulliver, voyage en absurdie · Les Plasticiens Volants company
The City notes that the Village des saveurs hours may change if there are updates to the program. Details for other shows, including locations and times, will be announced soon on angers.fr.
Prices Accroche-Cœurs 2026
Practical information — Accroche-Cœurs
Practical Information
Location
Angers city centre: Place du Ralliement, pedestrian streets, squares and gardens of the historic centre, spanning both banks of the Maine river.
Getting there
By tram: Line A, Ralliement or Place Ney stops.
By bus: Irigo network, numerous lines serve the city centre.
By train: Angers Saint-Laud station is a 10-minute walk from the centre.
By car: Ralliement, Marengo or République car parks. Traffic is restricted in the city centre during the festival.
Admission
The festival is free. All shows and activities are open to the public.
Schedule
In 2026, the opening show will take place on Friday, September 11th at 8:00 pm at Place du Ralliement, with the festival continuing throughout the weekend.
Food and Drink
Village des saveurs: eight stalls run by local Angers associations, open Friday from 7:00 pm to midnight, Saturday from 11:00 am to midnight, and Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Contact
Ville d'Angers — Direction de la Culture
Website: Official festival page on angers.fr
Les Accroche-Cœurs: The Street Celebration in Angers
Since 1999, the Les Accroche-Cœurs festival has transformed the city center of Angers into a huge open-air theater every year. Organized by the City of Angers, this street arts festival has become one of the major cultural events in the Pays de la Loire region, attracting tens of thousands of spectators over three days in September.
From Humble Beginnings to a Major Festival
The first edition, in 1999, featured twenty shows with eight companies and forty fanfare performances. The following year, in 2000, the festival grew with forty-five shows and seventeen companies. Since then, Les Accroche-Cœurs has continued to grow to become a must-attend event on the Angers cultural calendar. Each edition is built around a unifying theme that inspires the entire program and invites spectators to dress up.
A Rich and Free Program
The Accroche-Cœurs program offers over 125 performances each year: large parades and processions through the streets, XXL shows in the squares, interactive artistic installations, circus performances, popular balls, concerts, and events for younger audiences. The festival is entirely free and accessible to all audiences, making culture a shared asset.
The 25th Edition: A Journey Through Time
In 2025, Les Accroche-Cœurs celebrated their 25th anniversary with a resolutely festive theme: a journey through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Parties, fairs, amusement parks, pop culture, and cult TV shows inspired a program focused on happiness and joyful nostalgia. The "colorful and flashy" dress code invited the public to revisit these legendary decades.
A Festival Rooted in the City
Les Accroche-Cœurs takes over the historic heart of Angers: the Place du Ralliement, the starting point of the festivities, but also the pedestrian streets, squares, gardens, and the banks of the Maine river. This spread throughout the city center makes Les Accroche-Cœurs a truly urban and popular festival, where the entire city becomes a stage.
Where does it take place — Accroche-Cœurs
Accroche-Cœurs in brief
History of Accroche-Cœurs
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Angers
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