Les Traversées du Marais
The free cultural festival of the Marais
2026
About Traversées du Marais
Launched in 2015 by the Marais Culture + network, Les Traversées du Marais is a free cultural trail held every year over a weekend in September across Paris's 3rd and 4th arrondissements. Around thirty venues—including museums, memorials, art centers, foreign cultural institutes, and galleries—open their doors to host performances, concerts, readings, screenings, workshops, and tours specifically curated for the event, all centered around a new theme each year.
Traversées du Marais — edition 2026
The 12th edition of Les Traversées du Marais takes place from Friday, September 4th to Sunday, September 6th, 2026, under the theme "Dialogue(s)." 27 cultural institutions and 5 satellite galleries are opening their doors for free throughout the Marais district, offering concerts, dance, readings, screenings, exhibitions, and workshops. Highlights include a dance battle in the garden of the Musée national Picasso-Paris and three days of jazz carte blanche at the Centre culturel suisse.
12th Edition — September 4th to 6th, 2026
The Les Traversées du Marais festival returns from Friday, September 4th to Sunday, September 6th, 2026, for its 12th edition. The Marais Culture + network has chosen the theme "Dialogue(s)" to explore the connections between disciplines, cultures, and generations.
27 cultural institutions and 5 satellite galleries are participating, including museums, memorials, art centers, foreign cultural institutes, and galleries. Dance and the body take center stage this year, featuring a battle at the Musée national Picasso-Paris, Egyptian street dance by Islam Elarabi at Le Carreau du Temple, open-air choreography in the garden of the Hôtel de Sully and on the Pont Louis-Philippe, and a circus-dance duo at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature. The music program ranges from jazz—with three days of carte blanche for the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation at the Centre culturel suisse—to classical, with a concert by the Conservatoire Mozart in the garden of the Maison de Victor Hugo. Ircam is participating for the first time with a sound walk at Place Stravinsky and immersive creations.
On Sunday, young artists from the Jeune Théâtre National will lead a roving reading performance across two routes through various festival venues, directed by Carole Thibaut.
This edition is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Paris and the Mairie de Paris Centre.
Highlights Traversées du Marais 2026
- "The Paname Battle": dance battle in the garden of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, Friday the 4th from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM, directed by Marion Motin
- Carte blanche to the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation at the Centre culturel suisse, all three days, featuring Erik Truffaz, Sophie Hunger & Faber, Murcof & Talvin Singh
- Ircam's first participation: sound walk at Place Stravinsky, youth workshops, and immersive creations, Saturday the 5th from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- "Just One Tile" by Islam Elarabi at Le Carreau du Temple, Saturday the 5th at 6:00 PM, preceded by a Mahraganat initiation workshop
- Roving reading by the Jeune Théâtre National across two routes, Sunday the 6th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Open-air Swedish cinema in the garden of the Institut suédois, Friday and Saturday at 9:00 PM
Programme Traversées du Marais 2026
Thursday, September 3rd, 2026 — Gallery Previews
- 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM — Opening of "extenSo, pilot edition" · Galerie 24b, 24 bis rue Saint-Roch (Paris 1st)
- 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM — Opening of the exhibition "Woven Frequencies" by the duo LoVid · Galerie Charlot, 47 rue Charlot (Paris 3rd)
Friday, September 4th, 2026
- 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Konstantina, "Birrung Ngura | Belonging to Country": guided tours of the exhibition by curator Stéphane Jacob-Langevin, 30 min · Arts d'Australie • Stéphane Jacob, 13 rue Chapon (Paris 3rd) — free, no reservation required
- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Exhibitions "extenSo, pilot edition" and "Edmond Vernassa, Light, movement and constraints" (with Galerie Parvillé) · Galerie 24b, 24 bis rue Saint-Roch (Paris 1st)
- 1:00 PM — Guided tour of the "Endless Summer" exhibition · Galerie dHD, 16 galerie Véro-Dodat (Paris 1st) — reservation recommended at [email protected]
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — "Everything is in Order," an exhibition blending art and fashion: creators Hodakova, LLL, Love is Shouty But Iconic, Our Legacy, Per Götesson; artists and designers Anton Alvarez, Simon Skinner, Anna Uddenberg, Klara Zetterholm · Institut suédois, 11 rue Payenne (Paris 3rd) — free admission, no reservation
- 3:00 PM — Meet the artists Barlet Sœurs, Constance Fulda, and Jeanne Giraud · Galerie dHD — reservation recommended
- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM — "Sculpted Dialogues, Cécile Raynal": exhibition, screening of the film "Sculpting Memory" by Jean-Marie Gigon followed by a meeting with the sculptor · Artistics, 16 rue de Turbigo, 4th floor (Paris 2nd) — free admission for the exhibition, reservation required for screenings at [email protected]
- 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM — "SHELTER, a cabin for the 10th anniversary of the MAIF Social Club": participatory installation by the Corps public company, performed readings by actors from the Jeune Théâtre National, drag show by the Les Paillettes collective, storytelling by Florence Desnouveaux and Violaine Robert, cello by Clara Germont · MAIF Social Club, 37 rue de Turenne (Paris 3rd) — free, no reservation
- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Lecture "Dialogue(s) with the Seine: spaces and imaginaries of Paris's construction around its river," by Carola Hein, Professor of History of Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology · Institut d'études avancées de Paris, Salle des Gardes, 1st floor of the Hôtel de Lauzun, 17 quai d'Anjou (Paris 4th) — free with mandatory registration, in-person only
- 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM — Carte blanche to the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation: musical brunch with refreshments, concert archive screenings, listening sessions, and concerts · Centre culturel suisse, 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois (Paris 3rd)
- 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM — "The Picasso Museum Hybrids: The Paname Battle," all-styles dance battle directed by Marion Motin, with MCs Maud Amour and Carmel Loanga and a jury of professional dancers · Garden of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, 5 rue de Thorigny (Paris 3rd) — free, open access
- 7:00 PM — "What War Does to Men": meeting with senior reporter Claude Guibal, interviewed by Fabrice Rousselot followed by a dialogue with the public, 1h15 · Maison de la Poésie, 157 rue Saint-Martin (Paris 3rd) — free, reservation recommended
- 7:00 PM — "Writings and Words, dialogues around the Spanish Civil War," theatrical reading with two voices by the Théâtre de l'Imprévu directed by Éric Cénat (texts by Dolores Ibárruri, George Orwell, André Malraux, Georges Bernanos, Frédéric Rossif), 1h · Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation, Square de l'Île-de-France, 7 quai de l'Archevêché (Paris 4th) — free with reservation, ages 10+
- 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM — Evening of short film screenings by artists and filmmakers in residence, spanning documentary, fiction, and experimental forms · Cité internationale des arts, 18 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville (Paris 4th) — free, open access
- 9:00 PM — Open-air cinema: "Kevlar Soul" by Maria Eriksson-Hecht, with Josef Kersh, Rio Svensson, and Adja Sise Stensson, 1h41, French subtitles · Garden of the Institut suédois, entrance via the gates at 10 rue Elzévir, opens at 8:30 PM — screening cancelled in case of rain
Saturday, September 5th, 2026
- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM — "Anankè; What the Shadow Mouth Says," olfactory installations by designers Lucas Huillet and Helwani Alexandre, as part of Paris Design Week · Garden of the Maison de Victor Hugo, 6 place des Vosges (Paris 4th)
- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM — "Traverse the Musée des Arts et Métiers as a family!": family workshops, demonstrations, and guided tours focusing on the dialogue between heritage and telecommunications · MuAM, 60 rue Réaumur (Paris 3rd)
- 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM — "SHELTER, a cabin for the 10th anniversary of the MAIF Social Club" · MAIF Social Club, 37 rue de Turenne (Paris 3rd)
- 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Konstantina: guided tours of the exhibition by Stéphane Jacob-Langevin, 30 min · Arts d'Australie • Stéphane Jacob
- 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM — "Sculpted Dialogues, Cécile Raynal": exhibition, film screening, and meeting with the artist · Artistics
- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Exhibitions "extenSo" and "Edmond Vernassa, Light, movement and constraints" · Galerie 24b
- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Exhibition "ARCANUM FORMAE" by Irish designer Joseph Walsh, with creations from the Tree Legacy Project, as part of Paris Design Week · Orangerie of the Hôtel de Sully, 62 rue Saint-Antoine (Paris 4th)
- 1:00 PM - 11:00 PM — Carte blanche to the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation for the festival's 60th anniversary: musical brunch, archive screenings, listening sessions of two remixes, followed by concerts by Erik Truffaz, Murcof & Talvin Singh, Stephan Rusconi & Tobias Preisig, Dino Brandao, Sophie Hunger & Faber, Roman Nowka 5tet, and Words of Azia trio · Centre culturel suisse
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — "The Library," reading-performance by Fanny de Chaillé: "living books" tell a story one-on-one for about twenty minutes in the historic library, opened to the public for the occasion · Archives nationales, 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois (Paris 3rd)
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Creative family weekend: interactive device by artist Emilie Faïf (0-2 years), large water-drawing workshop blending architecture and nature (ages 3+), drawing walks on the Beaubourg plateau · Maison Pompidou, opposite 50 rue Rambuteau (Paris 3rd) — free, no reservation
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — "Everything is in Order" exhibition · Institut suédois
- 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 4:00 PM — "Stories in Letters. From Love to Business": three 50-min readings (correspondence of Héloïse and Abélard, letters from Madame de Sévigné to the Marquis de Coulanges, letters from ambassador Abel Servien), preceded by a short guided tour of the Hôtel Duret-de-Chevry · Institut historique allemand, 8 rue du Parc-Royal (Paris 3rd) — free with reservation at [email protected], 30 people per reading
- 3:00 PM — Garden concert by musicians from the Conservatoire Mozart of Central Paris: violin, harp, cello · Maison de Victor Hugo
- 3:00 PM — Meet the artist Edith Basseville · Galerie dHD — reservation recommended
- 3:00 PM — Guided tour of the temporary exhibition "Spanish Itineraries in Deportation" · Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation
- 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM — Ircam's first participation: sound walk with headphones around the Stravinsky fountain (ages 6+), media library on level 2, then on level -2 the workshop "Stories in Sounds and Movements" (ages 4-6), the "Ciné-Sons" workshop (ages 8-12), the escape game "Panic in the Control Room" for teens, and Music-Fictions; at the Projection Space on level -4, two immersive sound creations by Sivan Eldar and Sébastien Gaxie playing in rotation · Ircam, 1 place Igor-Stravinsky (Paris 4th) — open access, youth workshops free with reservation
- 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM — "Ruşan Filiztek invites Ariana Vafadari": 40-min musical nap, saz, oud, and vocals · Garden of the Hôtel de Sully
- 4:00 PM — "Writings and Words, dialogues around the Spanish Civil War," theatrical reading, 1h · Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation
- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Guided tour in English of "Everything is in Order" by curator Nicole Walker · Institut suédois
- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM — Mahraganat dance initiation workshop with Islam Elarabi, 1h30 · Le Carreau du Temple, 2 rue Perrée (Paris 3rd) — free with registration
- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM — "UMBRAL — Echoes of Movement": electro dance performance by Roman Vargas, two 30-min sessions, in the Institute's gallery · Institut culturel du Mexique, 119 rue Vieille du Temple (Paris 3rd)
- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Writing workshop by the Mange tes mots collective · Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, 127-129 rue Saint-Martin (Paris 4th) — free with reservation
- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM — "Crève $@!0?€": performative and participatory board game by Eloïse Tabouret · Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles — open access
- 5:00 PM — Presentation of the artist's book "Ose ta Question au Sphinx qui s'ignore" with Constance Chlore and Véronique de Guitarre · Galerie dHD
- 6:00 PM — "Just One Tile": autobiographical solo by Egyptian choreographer Islam Elarabi, inspired by Mahraganat, 30 min · Le Carreau du Temple — free, open access
- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM — Talk with the artist duo LoVid (Tali Hinkis and Kyle Lapidus) about the "Woven Frequencies" exhibition · Galerie Charlot, 47 rue Charlot (Paris 3rd)
- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM — Opening of the "Endless Summer" exhibition · Galerie dHD
- 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM — Poetry evening: open mic, presentation of the writing workshop, followed by a stage for five authors—three Belgian, two French—blending reading and performance · Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles — open access or free with reservation
- 9:00 PM — Open-air cinema: "Hypnosen" by Ernst De Geer, with Asta Kamma August and Herbert Nordrum, 1h38, French subtitles · Garden of the Institut suédois, gates open at 8:30 PM at 10 rue Elzévir
Sunday, September 6th, 2026
- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM — Roving reading by the Jeune Théâtre National, directed by Carole Thibaut: readings designed for each location, to be followed à la carte or as a full route. Route 1 — 10:00 AM Musée des Arts et Métiers; 10:30 AM departure from MuAM with Sylvia the guide to Musée Cognacq-Jay; 11:30 AM Musée Cognacq-Jay; 12:00 PM departure to Musée de la Chasse; 12:30 PM Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature; 2:30 PM Maison de Victor Hugo; 3:30 PM Musée Carnavalet; 4:30 PM Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation. Route 2 — 10:30 AM Maison de Victor Hugo; 11:30 AM Musée Carnavalet; 12:30 PM MAIF Social Club; 2:30 PM Musée des Arts et Métiers; 3:00 PM departure from MuAM with Sylvia the guide to Musée Cognacq-Jay; 4:00 PM Musée Cognacq-Jay; 4:30 PM departure to Musée de la Chasse; 5:00 PM Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
- 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM — "SHELTER, a cabin for the 10th anniversary of the MAIF Social Club" · MAIF Social Club
- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM — Olfactory installations "Anankè; What the Shadow Mouth Says" · Garden of the Maison de Victor Hugo
- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM — "Traverse the Musée des Arts et Métiers as a family!": workshops, demonstrations, and guided tours · MuAM — museum admission free on Sunday
- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM — "Jews and France, a love story": book fair with about thirty authors signing books, roundtable organized with Revue K, thematic guided tours of the collections, and second-hand book sale in the main courtyard · Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, 71 rue du Temple (Paris 3rd)
- 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Konstantina: guided tours, 30 min · Arts d'Australie • Stéphane Jacob
- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Exhibitions "extenSo" and "Edmond Vernassa" · Galerie 24b
- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Exhibition "ARCANUM FORMAE" by Joseph Walsh · Orangerie of the Hôtel de Sully
- 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM — "Phasmes" by the Libertivore company: circus-dance duo, 30 min, in the courtyard of the Hôtel Mongelas, indoors in case of rain · Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, 62 rue des Archives (Paris 3rd) — ages 6+
- 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM — Readings of 18th-century epistolary literature by actors from the Jeune Théâtre National · Musée Cognacq-Jay, 8 rue Elzévir (Paris 3rd) — free admission
- 11:30 AM — Reading "Streets of Paris" by JTN actors, 30 min · Salle des Enseignes of the Musée Carnavalet, 23 rue de Sévigné (Paris 3rd)
- 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM — Guided tours of the "Endless Summer" exhibition · Galerie dHD — reservation mandatory at [email protected]
- 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM — Carte blanche to the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation · Centre culturel suisse
- 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM — Meet the LoVid duo over coffee · Galerie Charlot
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — "The Library," reading-performance by Fanny de Chaillé · Archives nationales
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Creative family weekend at Maison Pompidou, with two shared choreography sessions offered by the Les Chemins de la Danse company
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — "Everything is in Order" exhibition · Institut suédois
- 2:30 PM — Screening "Traversing Paris – Traversing Rome" for the 70th anniversary of the twinning between Paris and Rome, with the Dolcevita sur Seine festival: "The Red Balloon" by Albert Lamorisse (30 min) and "La sequenza del fiore di carta" by Pier Paolo Pasolini (12 min), followed by a conference-dialogue with the public — 1h30, recommended for ages 12+ · Orangerie of the Musée Carnavalet, 14 rue Payenne (Paris 3rd)
- 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM — Participatory Horton jazz barre with Stefania Pavan, outdoors, as part of the ÉCHAPPÉE DANSE #5 route by micadanses · Pont Louis-Philippe — free, no reservation
- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Centre de danse du Marais, 41 rue du Temple (Paris 4th): "Improvisation Jam Session with Live Music," collective improvisation in three 30-min chapters, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; then "The Fig Tree," contemporary dance piece for three performers—Melanie Cuddeback, Louisa Miller, and Tal Raviv—from 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM, reservation recommended
- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM — "Sculpted Dialogues, Cécile Raynal" · Artistics
- 3:30 PM — Reading "Streets of Paris" by JTN actors, 30 min · Salle des Enseignes of the Musée Carnavalet
- 3:30 PM — Guided tour of the "Spanish Itineraries in Deportation" exhibition · Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation
- 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM — "Dans les clous" by Jean Hostache, Collectif La Grosse Plateforme: roving choreographic piece with seven performers; departure from Pont Louis-Philippe at 3:45 PM, finale at 4:30 PM in the main courtyard of the Musée Carnavalet
- 4:00 PM — "FANTASIE MINOR" by Marco da Silva Ferreira: dance duo to Schubert's Fantasia in F minor, 30 min · Garden of the Hôtel de Sully
- 5:00 PM — "Writings and Words, dialogues around the Spanish Civil War," theatrical reading, 1h · Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation
- 5:00 PM — "Paul Celan: a young poet at the heart of the Shoah": poems from Czernowitz read in German and French by Odile Cohen and Daniel Kenigsberg, post-show talk with Bertrand Badiou, Celan specialist at ENS, 1h30 · Mémorial de la Shoah, 17 rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier (Paris 4th) — free with reservation
Program published by the Marais Culture + network on lestraverseesdumarais.com and in the 12th edition press kit.
Prices Traversées du Marais 2026
Open access, no reservation: Maison Pompidou, MAIF Social Club, Musée Carnavalet, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Musée national Picasso-Paris, Arts d'Australie, micadanses, Institut suédois, Galerie Charlot.
Free but requires reservation: readings at the Institut historique allemand ([email protected], 30 people per session), lecture at the Institut d'études avancées, reading at the Mémorial de la Shoah, theatrical reading at the Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation, Mahraganat workshop at Le Carreau du Temple, youth workshops at Ircam, writing workshop at the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, screenings at the Artistics gallery, guided tours at the Galerie dHD (mandatory on Sunday).
One exception: at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, museum admission is free on Sunday only, and the programming is paid and requires reservation.
Practical information — Traversées du Marais
Practical Information
Access
Metro: lines 1 (Saint-Paul, Hôtel de Ville), 11 (Rambuteau, Arts et Métiers), 8 (Chemin Vert, Saint-Sébastien – Froissart).
Bus: lines 29, 69, 76, 96.
Prices
Free, subject to capacity. Some events require free advance booking.
Venues
Events are spread across about thirty locations in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements—including museums, memorials, art centers, and cultural institutes—along with satellite galleries, some of which are located in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements.
Tips
- Check the program on the official website before you arrive: many shows have only one or two sessions, and spots requiring reservations fill up quickly.
- Wear comfortable shoes, as the trail is designed to be explored on foot.
- Arrive early for open-access events, as capacity is limited.
- Some performances take place outdoors and may be cancelled in the event of rain.
One neighborhood, thirty venues, one festival
Since 2015, Les Traversées du Marais has offered a weekend-long deep dive into the rich cultural landscape of Paris's 3rd and 4th arrondissements. The festival was born from the Marais Culture + network, a collective founded in 2014 by local cultural stakeholders that now brings together over 30 members.
A dense cultural network
Within just a few hectares, the Marais district packs in the Centre Pompidou, the Musée national Picasso-Paris, the Archives nationales, the Mémorial de la Shoah, the Institut suédois, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, the Musée Carnavalet, the Maison de Victor Hugo, the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, the Musée Cognacq-Jay, the Musée des Arts et Métiers, and Ircam. For one weekend, these institutions join forces to offer a shared, free program, complemented by satellite galleries.
A thematic program
Each edition is built around a specific theme—"Dialogue(s)" for 2026. Participating venues create bespoke offerings for the occasion, ranging from contemporary dance and concerts to performances, readings, screenings, exclusive guided tours, installations, and workshops. Visitors can easily walk between venues, as everything is located within a few streets of each other.
Free, subject to availability
All events are free, subject to capacity. Some are open-access, while others require free advance booking; specific details for each venue can be found in the current edition's program.
Where does it take place — Traversées du Marais
Traversées du Marais in brief
History of Traversées du Marais
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