Paroles en Festival
International festival of storytelling and spoken arts in Ardèche and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
About Paroles en Festival
Paroles en Festival is an international storytelling and spoken word arts festival founded in 1986 by AMAC (Antenne Mobile d'Action Culturelle) in Aubenas, Ardèche. Traveling across five departments of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, it has championed the diversity of spoken word arts for 41 editions: storytelling, slam, narrative music, poetry, storytelling walks, shows for young audiences, conferences, and workshops. Since the 2026 edition, the festival now spans nine months (March to November) to better invest in less saturated cultural seasons and reach diverse audiences, from toddlers to remote communities.
Forty-one years dedicated to storytelling and spoken word
Paroles en Festival is an international storytelling and spoken word arts festival founded in 1986 by Agnès Chavanon through AMAC (Antenne Mobile d'Action Culturelle), an association created in 1981 and based in Aubenas, Ardèche. A pioneer in the revival of storytelling in France, Agnès Chavanon created this festival to defend and promote the art of the storyteller, verbal arts, and oral tradition in all their forms.
A traveling festival across the region
One of the unique features of Paroles en Festival lies in its itinerant nature. The festival deploys its program across five departments of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (Ardèche, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Vaucluse) and a mixed syndicate (Gorges de l'Ardèche), investing both large performance halls and small rural villages. In Ardèche, its pivotal department, the festival unfolds in the communes of Alba-la-Romaine, Aubenas, Villeneuve-de-Berg, Privas, Saint-Privat, and La-Voulte-sur-Rhône. This itinerancy allows storytelling to reach diverse audiences, from urban centers to the most remote hamlets, faithful to AMAC's vocation of making culture accessible to all.
A renewed format in 2026: nine months of programming
Starting from the 41st edition (2026), Paroles en Festival abandons its one-month spring format to spread from March to November, with 15 major events and 35 shows distributed throughout the year. This new configuration aims to offer cultural programming during less saturated periods and to facilitate coordination with partner venues. The festival features around thirty regional, national, and international artists, mixing emerging storytellers and established figures.
A diversity of spoken word arts
The program embraces all forms of oral narrative: shows for all audiences, storytelling walks, creations for young audiences, conferences, workshops, professional meetings. AMAC makes it a point of honor to blend aesthetics by combining storytelling, music, slam, and poetry, while promoting artistic parity and the professional quality of invited artists.
AMAC, guardian of spoken word arts
AMAC, an association founded in 1981 by Agnès Chavanon, coordinates and disseminates storytelling shows, trains professionals, and raises public awareness of spoken word and oral arts. Beyond the festival, the association runs an artist residency center — the Maison du conte — and offers internships and training. Through Paroles en Festival, it has championed artistic parity, professional quality, diversity of forms, and itinerant programming in large venues as well as in the smallest villages for four decades.
Paroles en Festival — edition 2026
41st edition of Paroles en Festival, international storytelling and spoken word festival in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. For 2026, AMAC is rolling out an unprecedented format spread over nine months, from March 20 to November 20, 2026, with 15 major events and 35 shows in 6 communes in Ardèche and beyond — meaning around thirty regional, national, and international artists across five departments and 14 partner communes.
A 41st Edition Reworked Over Nine Months
For this 41st edition (21st in Ardèche), Paroles en Festival abandons its traditional one-month spring format to spread out from March 20 to November 20, 2026. A reorganization designed to offer storytelling and spoken word arts outside of saturated cultural periods, better coordinate the schedules of partner venues, and reach a wider audience.
Shows, Walks, Workshops
The 2026 program combines shows for all audiences, young audience creations, storytelling walks in nature, conferences, workshops, and meetings. Around twenty international artists are expected alongside regional and national storytellers, with an assumed crossover between storytelling, music, slam, and poetry.
Five Departments, 14 Partner Communes
The 2026 edition takes place in five departments: Ardèche (Alba-la-Romaine, Aubenas, Villeneuve-de-Berg, Privas, Saint-Privat, La-Voulte-sur-Rhône), Savoie (Bourg-Saint-Maurice), Haute-Savoie (Saint-Julien-en-Genevois), Vaucluse (Festival Off d'Avignon) and the Syndicat Mixte des Gorges de l'Ardèche. The main venues in Aubenas remain Centre Le Bournot and the Jean-Ferrat media library.
Detailed Program
The complete 2026 brochure can be downloaded from the AMAC website (amac-parole.com). Ticketing is managed by each partner venue.
Programme Paroles en Festival 2026
2026 Program (extracts — full program in the official brochure downloadable from amac-parole.com):
Friday, May 8, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Thierno Diallo, La randonnée de Samba Diouf
Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 2026 — Privas (07)
- Festival À moi, conte deux mots at l'Atelier (2:30 PM to 10:00 PM), three shows scheduled over the weekend
Friday, June 5, 2026 — Les Vans (07)
- 8:00 PM — Patrick Decerf, Sur le fil du destin, at Le Caravansérail
The full program covers 35 shows between March 20 and November 20, 2026, in 14 partner communes. Announced artists: Agnès Chavanon, Patrick Decerf, Chloé Gabrielli, Ella Gabrielli, NIELS, Anne Hengy, Thierno Diallo, among others. Consult the official brochure for complete dates, venues, and times.
Highlights Paroles en Festival 2026
- 41st edition — 21st in Ardèche
- New 2026 format: 9 months of programming (March 20 → November 20)
- 15 major events and 35 shows
- 30 regional, national, and international artists
- 5 departments, 14 partner communes
- Complete brochure downloadable from amac-parole.com
Prices Paroles en Festival 2026
Practical information — Paroles en Festival
Practical Information
Itinerant format
Paroles en Festival is itinerant. Shows take place in five departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Ardèche (Alba-la-Romaine, Aubenas, Villeneuve-de-Berg, Privas, Saint-Privat, La-Voulte-sur-Rhône), Savoie (Bourg-Saint-Maurice), Haute-Savoie (Saint-Julien-en-Genevois), and Vaucluse (Festival Off d'Avignon), as well as in the Gorges de l'Ardèche.
Prices
Prices vary depending on the shows. Consult the official brochure and the ticketing of each partner venue.
Contact
- Phone: 07 67 03 48 00
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: Mairie d'Aubenas, Centre Le Bournot, CS 50128, 07202 Aubenas
- Website: www.amac-parole.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/parole.amac
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