Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles
The first international photography festival, every summer since 1970 in Arles
About Les Rencontres d'Arles
The world meeting place for photography since 1970
Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles were born in 1970 from the meeting of three personalities from Arles: photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier, and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette. What was initially just a modest gathering of enthusiasts has become, over the decades, the leading international photography festival, a major cultural event that attracts more than 100,000 visitors to the city of Arles each year.
A city transformed into an open-air gallery
Every summer, from July to the end of September, the Rencontres take over some thirty remarkable heritage sites in Arles: the Church of the Preaching Friars, the Cloister of Saint-Trophime, the Espace Van Gogh, the SNCF Workshops (a former railway depot converted into an exhibition space), the General Mechanics, the Montmajour Abbey, and many others. This dissemination throughout the urban fabric invites visitors to discover the city as much as the photographic works.
A program balancing heritage and avant-garde
The program of Les Rencontres d'Arles is distinguished by its ability to combine major names in photography with emerging discoveries. The festival remains at the forefront of image evolution, new approaches, and the use of new technologies. The Prix Decouverte, one of the most coveted in the photographic world, reveals new talents each year. The photography workshops led by renowned masters, conferences, and artist encounters complete a dense and demanding program.
The Opening Week, the festival's highlight
The Opening Week is the most intense period of the Rencontres, bringing together professionals, collectors, gallerists, publishers, and discerning amateurs from around the world. It is a time for vernissages, award ceremonies, night screenings, debates, and parties that animate Arles day and night. This inaugural week sets the tone for a summer of photography that extends into the autumn.
Exceptional photographic heritage
Beyond the summer festival, Les Rencontres d'Arles has built up a collection of nearly 3,500 photographic works by over 470 photographers since 1976. The media library and audiovisual archives preserve the living memory of more than half a century of photography. Educational programs and participatory memory projects demonstrate the festival's commitment to transmitting and making photography accessible.
Les Rencontres d'Arles — edition 2026
The 57th edition of Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles, from July 6 to October 4, 2026, on the theme « Worlds to Reread ». The oldest and most prestigious photography festival in the world takes over some forty heritage sites in Arles for an exceptional photographic summer, with a late-season highlight called « Le septembre des Rencontres », focused on the transmission and reading of images on the occasion of the bicentenary of photography.
57th edition: « Worlds to Reread »
The 57th edition of Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles takes place from July 6 to October 4, 2026, around the theme « Worlds to Reread ». From early July to late October, some forty exhibitions take over Arles' heritage and contemporary sites — chapels, a 12th-century cloister, former 19th-century industrial buildings, Abbaye de Montmajour — once again transforming the city into the world capital of photography.
An edition between rereading and transmission
The 2026 program gives ample space to the African continent (Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, South Africa) and hosts a retrospective dedicated to William Klein at the Museon Arlaten. The festival also offers an interpretation of the relationship between photography and living things (animals, flora) and inaugurates a new open-air exhibition venue in the hospital park. The end of the season, « Le septembre des Rencontres », emphasizes transmission and initiation to image reading, echoing the bicentenary of photography.
Opening Week
The Opening Week, from July 6 to 12, 2026, is the highlight of Les Rencontres: exhibition openings, award ceremonies, nocturnal screenings, debates, and meetings with artists bring together professionals, collectors, gallery owners, publishers, and enthusiasts from around the world.
Programme Les Rencontres d'Arles 2026
Opening Week — July 6 to 12, 2026
- Exhibition openings, nocturnal screenings, award ceremonies, and meetings with artists
- Photo Folio Review (portfolio reviews) and photography workshops
Main Exhibitions 2026 — « Worlds to Reread »
- « Ghana! Dreaming of Independence 1957-1976 » — Palais de l'Archevêché
- William Klein, retrospective on his American photography — Museon Arlaten
- Paul Kodjo — « Photoromance » — La Croisière
- Sammy Baloji — « Prism Landscape: A Katangan Journey » — Église des Trinitaires
- Katia Kameli — « The Algerian Novel (A New Chapter) » — Église Saint-Blaise
- Thato Toeba — « Everyone Can Be Lucifer » — Salle Henri Comte
- Exhibition dedicated to animal photography (Lucien Clergue, Martin Parr, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Sebastião Salgado)
- « Flora » section featuring Edward Steichen — Jardin d'été
- New open-air venue: hospital park (first exhibition edition on this site)
From July to October
- Some forty exhibitions spread across Arles' heritage sites, open daily
- « Le septembre des Rencontres »: late-season highlight focused on transmission and image reading (bicentenary of photography)
- Workshops, courses, and masterclasses led by recognized professionals
Highlights Les Rencontres d'Arles 2026
- 57th edition of the world's oldest photography festival
- From July 6 to October 4, 2026 — theme « Worlds to Reread »
- Some forty exhibitions in Arles' heritage sites
- William Klein retrospective at Museon Arlaten and a broad focus on Africa
- Opening Week from July 6 to 12, 2026
- « Le septembre des Rencontres »: late-season highlight
Prices Les Rencontres d'Arles 2026
Practical information — Les Rencontres d'Arles
Practical Information
Access
The exhibitions are spread across many sites in the historic center of Arles and its surroundings (Montmajour Abbey).
- By train: Arles SNCF station, served by TGV and TER from Marseille, Avignon, Nimes, and Montpellier.
- By car: Arles is accessible via the A54 (from Nimes or Salon-de-Provence) and the A7/A54 from Lyon or Marseille.
Opening Hours
- Exhibitions open daily from 10 am to 7:30 pm during the summer season.
- Opening Week: special events, evening shows, and night screenings.
Prices
- Rencontres Pass: from 35 euros (access to all exhibitions)
- Decouverte Pass: reduced rates available
- Reduced rates for students and job seekers
Contact
- Website: www.rencontres-arles.com
- Ticketing: billetterie.rencontres-arles.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 — Les Rencontres d'Arles
Divers lieux patrimoniaux d'Arles
34, rue du Docteur Fanton, 13200 Arles