Livres dans la Boucle
Literary festival of Besançon
2026
About Livres dans la Boucle
Livres dans la Boucle — edition 2026
The 11th edition of Livres dans la Boucle will take place on September 18, 19, and 20, 2026, in Besançon, presided over by actor Guillaume de Tonquédec. Approximately 170 authors and 100 free events are scheduled, ranging from the Parc Chamars signing marquee to venues across the city, featuring a tribute to Simone de Beauvoir and new formats hosted by local businesses.
11th edition — September 18, 19, and 20, 2026
Livres dans la Boucle returns to Besançon from Friday, September 18, to Sunday, September 20, 2026. Greater Besançon Métropole presented the edition on June 12 at Victor Hugo's birthplace: a budget of nearly €550,000, approximately 170 authors, and around 100 events. The 2025 edition attracted over 30,000 visitors and sold more than 12,000 books.
An actor as president
Guillaume de Tonquédec presides over this 11th edition. This is the first time the festival has entrusted this role to an actor rather than a writer. A graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and winner of the César for Best Supporting Actor for Le Prénom in 2013, he is releasing Ta mère et moi (Stock) this fall, a story about illness, family, and the role of a caregiver, following his 2018 work Les portes de mon imaginaire.
A tribute to Simone de Beauvoir
Forty years after the death of Simone de Beauvoir, three events are dedicated to her: a roundtable with Esther Demoulin, Marine Rouch, and Angie David, the performance Les Grands entretiens by the Les Oiseaux de la Tempête company, and a major interview with Claudine Monteil, who knew her personally.
New formats
The 2026 edition is expanding beyond the marquee: intimate coffee-and-croissant sessions at Café d'Ami, Café Aime, and Brasserie Granvelle, a literary brunch at Marotte & Charlie, a meeting at Bar Killarney, children's readings at Studio Chouette, a literary run along the Doubs with Cécile Coulon, and two public masterclasses. The festival also occupies Victor Hugo's birthplace, Le Scènacle, La Comédie, the Nouveau Théâtre de Besançon, Le Bastion, the Mégarama Beaux-Arts cinema, the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, the Cité des Arts auditorium, the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme et de l'Environnement, and ten local libraries. Events are also held in schools, the university hospital, and correctional facilities.
Full program expected at the end of August
In mid-August 2026, the organizers unveiled the first names and some of the events. The full list of 170 authors and the complete schedule will be announced at the end of August, with bookings opening on September 1st.
Highlights Livres dans la Boucle 2026
- Guillaume de Tonquédec presides over the 11th edition and presents Ta mère et moi (Stock): he is the first actor to preside over the festival
- Reading in the dark with Cécile Coulon featuring Le Visage de la nuit, and a literary run along the Doubs river with the same author
- Musical reading evening with Olivia Ruiz featuring ¡Vamos!
- Tribute to Simone de Beauvoir with three events, forty years after her passing
- Six coffee-and-croissant and literary brunch sessions at local businesses on Saturday and Sunday morning
- Open-access book signings under the Parc Chamars marquee with approximately 170 authors
Programme Livres dans la Boucle 2026
The full schedule of events is not yet online: the organizers will announce it at the end of August 2026, with bookings opening on September 1st. Here are the events already confirmed.
Opening hours
- Friday, September 18 — 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
- Saturday, September 19 — 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
- Sunday, September 20 — 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday, September 19, 2026
- 9:30 AM — Coffee and croissants with Véronique Ovaldé (Vivre sans bonheur et n'en point dépérir, Flammarion) · Café d'Ami · registration required, pay for your own refreshments
- 9:30 AM — Coffee and croissants with Marie Pavlenko (Et nue, je suis entrée dans l'eau, Rivages) · Café Aime · registration required
- 10:00 AM — Meet the author: Delphine Giraud (Ceux que nous serons, Fleuve) · Brasserie Granvelle · registration required
- 2:30 PM — "Simone de Beauvoir: What is her legacy?" with Esther Demoulin, Marine Rouch, and Angie David · MSHE Amphitheater · 50 min
- Youth Prize 2026 award ceremony with the jury, followed by a meeting and book signing with the winning author · time to be announced
Sunday, September 20, 2026
- 9:30 AM — Coffee and croissants with François-Henri Désérable (Le palais, Gallimard) · Brasserie Granvelle · registration required
- 10:30 AM — Literary brunch with Bérengère Cournut (Eskera, au bord du monde, Le Tripode) · Marotte & Charlie · registration required, pay for brunch on-site
- 11:00 AM — Meet the author: Alexis Laipsker (Le cercle de Kern, Michel Lafon) · Bar Killarney
- 11:00 AM — Les Grands entretiens, a performance by the Les Oiseaux de la Tempête company, featuring Clément Beauvoir, Olivier Berhault, and Fanny Zeller · Le Scènacle · 1 hour · two archival interviews from the INA re-enacted verbatim
- 4:00 PM — Major interview with Claudine Monteil, diplomat, writer, and friend of Simone de Beauvoir (Mes dimanches chez Simone de Beauvoir, Les Sœurs Beauvoir) · MSHE Amphitheater · 50 min
Announced events (times to be confirmed)
- Major interview with Guillaume de Tonquédec, president of this year's edition, discussing Ta mère et moi (Stock), featuring readings from the text
- Screening of the film Arrête avec tes mensonges, followed by a discussion on literary adaptations with author Philippe Besson and director Olivier Peyon
- Joint discussion between Guillaume de Tonquédec and actress Rachida Brakni (La part absente) on their respective relationships with literature and the intersections between books and film
- Musical reading evening with Olivia Ruiz featuring her third novel ¡Vamos! (JC Lattès), in partnership with Crédit Agricole
- Reading in the dark with Cécile Coulon, featuring Le Visage de la nuit (L'Iconoclaste)
- Early morning literary run along the Doubs river with Cécile Coulon
- "Pure Reading" session with Véronique Ovaldé, in partnership with the Nouveau Théâtre de Besançon
- Masterclass "How to invent a graphic novel?" with Jean-Pierre Costille, Isabelle Dufour, and Christian Maucler, focusing on Vivre la frontière dans l'Arc jurassien (Le Sekoya): research, character creation, scripting, first drafts, black and white plates, and coloring
- Masterclass "A novel of one's own" with Adeline Dieudonné, from manuscript to publication
- Children's reading sessions at Studio Chouette, hosted by the Lire et faire Lire association
- Illustrated concerts, film discussions, musical readings, and artistic performances · over 100 events in total, including sessions in ten local libraries, the university hospital, and correctional facilities
Ongoing throughout the three days
- The Grand Bookstore, under a marquee at Parc Chamars: signings with guest authors, free entry, no booking required. Only one book purchased before the festival is allowed per visitor.
- Literary Café, under a marquee at Chamars
- Festival Shop, run by the tourist office at the entrance to the marquee: t-shirts, notebooks, pens, magnets, tote bags, wooden bookmarks, and trays
- Dining: food trucks at Parc Chamars (Samouraïs Sushis, Histoire d'une Gaufre, Pizza Bros) and Halles Beaux-Arts, 2 rue Claude Goudimel, Friday and Saturday 7:00 AM - 6:30 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Authors already announced
Approximately 170 authors are expected: around 100 in general literature, 25 in youth literature, 20 in graphic novels, and 30 regional authors. The full list will be announced at the end of August. Names published so far:
- General Literature: Guillaume de Tonquédec, Nadia Daam, Philippe Besson, Clarisse Sabard, Adeline Dieudonné, Rachida Brakni, Philippe Jaenada, Nina Bouraoui, Véronique Ovaldé, Aurélien Bellanger, Douglas Kennedy, Claudie Gallay, Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, François-Henri Désérable, Cécile Coulon, Olivia Ruiz, Raphaëlle Giordano, Marie Pavlenko, Delphine Giraud, Bérengère Cournut, Alexis Laipsker, Maylis Besserie, Ananda Devi, Catel, Thélyson Orélien, Esther Teillard
- Graphic Novels, at the Mine de Rien bookstore stand: David Prudhomme, Philippe Dupuy, Étienne Appert, Jean-Christophe Chauzy, Bérengère Delaporte
- Youth Literature, at the L'Intranquille bookstore stand: Mathias Malzieu, Sophie Jomain, Vincent Villeminot, Anne-Gaëlle Balpe, Emmanuelle Cosso, Jérémy Pailler, Gwenaël David
- Other disciplines: filmmaker Lisa Azuelos
Youth Prize 2026
A jury of fifteen children aged 8 to 11 will judge four books. The award ceremony takes place on Saturday, September 19, during the festival, with a meeting and signing session with the winning author. The winning book will then inspire an artistic creation by the Besançon Regional Conservatory, to be presented at the following edition. The four nominees:
- La classe fantastique. Le mystère Aliocha, by Emmanuelle Cosso and Camouche (Flammarion Jeunesse)
- Alice au pays du cinéma, by Sandrine Beau (Éditions Alice)
- Isis et le dé d'Anubis, by Anne-Gaëlle Balpe and Kim Consigny (École des Loisirs)
- L'appel de la brume, by Marie Boulic
Around the weekend
On Monday, September 21, and Tuesday, September 22, five youth authors will visit around twenty primary school classes (CE2 to CM2) in Greater Besançon: Emmanuelle Cosso and illustrator Camouche, Sandrine Beau, Anne-Gaëlle Balpe and illustrator Kim Consigny, and Marie Boulic.
Prices Livres dans la Boucle 2026
Book signings under the Parc Chamars marquee are open-access, no booking required.
Booking is recommended for major interviews and certain performances, starting September 1, 2026, on the festival website. Tickets are non-transferable, and seats are guaranteed until 15 minutes before the session starts.
Coffee-and-croissant sessions and the literary brunch require registration; please pay for your own refreshments on-site.
Ticket hotline open from September 1 to September 21: +33 3 81 87 86 75.
Practical information — Livres dans la Boucle
Practical Information
Access
By car: Besançon is accessible via the A36 motorway. Follow signs for the city center, then Chamars. Chamars parking is near the main tent.
By train: Besançon Viotte station, then a 15-minute walk or Ginko bus.
Prices
- Free entry for most events
- Some performances and screenings require booking
Festival Venues
- Large tent at Chamars park (signings)
- Birthplace of Victor Hugo
- Le Scènacle
- Comédie de Besançon - CDN
- Mégarama Beaux-Arts Cinema
- Besançon Media Libraries
Contact
Grand Besançon Métropole
Website: livresdanslaboucle.fr
Livres dans la Boucle, the literary festival of Besançon
Since 2016, Livres dans la Boucle has been the premier literary event in Besançon. Born from the revival and transformation of the Les Mots Doubs book fair, which was established in 2002 by the Doubs Departmental Council, the festival was relaunched and renamed by Grand Besançon Métropole following the withdrawal of its original organizer.
A festival that unfolds across the city
What makes Livres dans la Boucle unique is its deep connection to the city. The festival is not confined to a single venue; it takes over the loop of the Doubs and many of Besançon's iconic spaces. The large bookstore tent at Parc Chamars hosts book signings, while literary encounters take place at the Victor Hugo Birthplace, the Scènacle, the Comédie de Besançon, the Nouveau Théâtre de Besançon, the Bastion, the Mégarama Beaux-Arts cinema, the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, the Cité des Arts auditorium, local libraries, and even in city cafés.
200 authors and around a hundred events
Each edition brings together up to 200 authors from all literary backgrounds: novelists, essayists, comic book creators, poets, journalists, and literary figures. The program features around a hundred events: encounters, round tables, musical readings, illustrated concerts, masterclasses, performances, and screenings. Outreach events are also organized in local schools, at the university hospital, and in correctional facilities.
A new president every year
Each year, the festival appoints a guest personality as president. David Foenkinos is presiding over the 10th edition in 2025. For the 11th edition in 2026, actor Guillaume de Tonquédec will represent the festival—a first since its inception, as the role had previously been held only by writers.
A free event open to all
Livres dans la Boucle is free of charge: signings, encounters, readings, and screenings are open to the public, with reservations only recommended for major interviews and certain performances. Special youth programming is designed for children and families, featuring workshops, shows, and a Youth Prize judged by children aged 8 to 11.
Supported by Grand Besançon Métropole with the backing of the City of Besançon, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, the DRAC, Sofia, the National Book Centre, Crédit Agricole Franche-Comté, and the SMCI group, Livres dans la Boucle is the largest literary festival in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and, according to its organizers, ranks among the top 10 in the country. The 2025 edition attracted over 30,000 visitors.
Where does it take place — Livres dans la Boucle
Livres dans la Boucle in brief
Other festivals near Besançon
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