Passages Transfestival
Transdisciplinary festival of theatre and live performance in Metz
About Passages
An international transdisciplinary festival
Founded in 1996 in Nancy, the Passages festival moved to Metz in 2011, becoming a must-attend event for contemporary live performance in the Grand Est region. Under the direction of Benoît Bradel, the event has taken on a new dimension by adopting the name Passages Transfestival and returning to an annual rhythm, with a resolutely transdisciplinary, transcontinental, and transeuropean focus.
An international program
Each edition of Passages Transfestival is built in collaboration with the Institut français as part of international cultural seasons. The festival invites artists from around the world to present their creations: theatre, contemporary dance, performance, music, visual arts, and hybrid forms are featured in a demanding yet accessible program. The works presented question contemporary issues through cross-cultural perspectives and artistic dialogues.
Thematic seasons
Each year, the festival is part of an international cultural season that gives it its character and geographical focus. In 2025, the edition focused on the France-Brazil cross-cultural season in partnership with Casa do Povo in São Paulo, under the theme “Liberte o futuro”. In 2026, for its 15th year in Metz, the festival is part of the 2026 Mediterranean Season led by the Institut français, in collaboration with Theater is a Must in Alexandria and the D-CAF Festival in Cairo.
Festival venues
Passages Transfestival takes over emblematic cultural venues in Metz: the Centre Pompidou-Metz, the Arsenal, Les Trinitaires, the Théâtre du Saulcy, and other conventional or alternative spaces. This diversity of venues reflects the plurality of artistic forms programmed and allows the public to discover the richness of Metz's cultural heritage.
Meetings and debates
Beyond the performances, the festival offers a program of meetings, conferences, and debates that extend the reflection initiated on stage. Artists, academics, journalists, and spectators engage in discussions around the themes raised by the creations, making Passages a space for dialogue and critical thinking. The festival maintains close ties with the Université de Lorraine and performing arts research centers.
Rooted in Metz's cultural landscape
A unique festival in its artistic positioning, Passages Transfestival contributes to Metz's international cultural influence. It complements the city's cultural offerings by presenting contemporary and engaged artistic forms, attracting a curious and discerning audience from across the Grand Est region and beyond.
Passages — edition 2026
From May 14 to 28, 2026, Passages Transfestival celebrates its 15th anniversary in Metz and the 5th anniversary of the Transfestival with the edition « Nouveaux Rivages ». Around fifty proposals — theatre, dance, music, performance, visual arts, meetings — will take over about fifteen cultural venues in Metz (Arsenal, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Trinitaires, Bliiida, Espace Koltès, Frac Lorraine, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains…) focusing on Mediterranean cultures, with artists from the Maghreb, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, but also from Brazil, Mozambique, Japan, and Iran. This edition is part of the 2026 Mediterranean Season supported by the Institut français, in coproduction with Theater is a Must (Alexandria) and the D-CAF Festival (Cairo).
« Nouveaux Rivages » — an anniversary edition open to the Mediterranean
The 2026 edition of Passages Transfestival marks a double anniversary: 15 years in Metz and 5 years of the Transfestival. Under the direction of Benoît Bradel, the festival unfolds over two weeks, from May 14 to 28, 2026, with around fifty artistic proposals bringing together creators from four continents — Rio, Tokyo, Maputo, Alexandria, Beirut, Tehran. The theme « Nouveaux Rivages » (شواطئ جديدة) invites us to suspend time in the face of the world's acceleration and to reconnect through art, conceived here as a passage between cultures, disciplines, and beings.
Mediterranean Season 2026 — Institut français
The edition is fully integrated into the Mediterranean Season supported by the Institut français from May to October 2026. About twenty artists from the Maghreb, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine give voice to contemporary creation from the Arab world. New partnerships with Theater is a Must in Alexandria and the D-CAF Festival in Cairo enrich the program, which notably includes several European premieres and world creations.
Headliners and significant creations
For dance: Borda by Brazilian choreographer Lia Rodrigues at the Arsenal (May 15-16), Dzudza by Mozambican Idio Chichava in its European premiere (May 20), OüM by Fouad Boussouf for the closing (May 28). For music: Algerian singer Souad Massi in an exceptional concert with the Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est conducted by Fayçal Karoui (May 23), the electro-Maghreb evening with Ammar 808, Yalla Miku, and Tune Zitoune at Les Trinitaires (May 21), or the duo Meryem Aboulouafa / Abdullah Miniawy at Centre Pompidou-Metz. For theatre and performance: When I saw the sea by Lebanese Ali Chahrour at BAM, Gathering Memories with my Eyelashes by Egyptian Nanda Mohammad, 3 Saisons et 1 corps by Palestinian Mohammed Al Qudwa in its world premiere, or La Perle by Iranian Sayeh Sirvani.
Festival Village, workshops and meetings
The festival sets up a Village on the Esplanade and in the Hall of the Arsenal: visual installations (Cairo Reassembled, RAW, Mavky/Camouflage), workshops, bike rides, games from the Arab worlds, meetings with artists, film screenings, and evening DJ sets (DJ Callaito, DJ Kombat, PRAED). Several round tables and conferences extend the reflection: « Artists from Arab countries: contexts of creation » in the Hall of the Arsenal, « Voices of Lebanon! » with Imane Humaydane, « Making the archives of the non-aligned speak » by Mila Turajlić at L'Agora.
About fifteen cultural venues involved
The 2026 edition mobilizes the main cultural facilities of Metz: Arsenal – Cité musicale-Metz (Salle Jean-Marie Rausch, Salle de l'Esplanade, Salle du Gouverneur, Hall), Centre Pompidou-Metz, Les Trinitaires, Espace Bernard-Marie Koltès, Bliiida, Frac Lorraine, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, ÉSAL Auditorium, L'Agora, Maison des Associations de Borny, Octave Cowbell, Klub. A show (Wolf) is also programmed in cross-border partnership at the Theater am Ring in Saarlouis (May 30).
Programme Passages 2026
Thursday, May 14, 2026 — Opening
- Cairo Reassembled — Rana Yasser, Menna Wessam & Salma Ahmed · Visual arts · Village & public space (throughout the festival)
- Les châteaux de mes tantes — Yasmine Yahiatène · Visual arts · Village – Hall de l'Arsenal
- Mavky / Camouflage — Alena Grom · Visual arts · Village – Hall de l'Arsenal
- RAW — Leïla Bakouche · Visual arts · Village – Esplanade
- 3:30 PM — Bike rides · Village
- 7:30 PM — Yalil (Syria) · Opening concert · 1h · Village – Esplanade · free
Friday, May 15, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Moyette · La Mue du Lotus / Cie Tout va bien ! / TanzSzene Bremen / Ateliers Indigo · 1h, ages 12+ · BLIIIDA
- 6:00 PM — La neige est blanche · Marine Mane – Cie In Vitro · 50 min, ages 12+ · ÉSAL Auditorium
- 8:00 PM — Borda · Lia Rodrigues (Brazil) · Dance, 1h, ages 14+ · Arsenal – Salle Jean-Marie Rausch
- 9:30 PM — DJ Callaito · DJ set · Village – Esplanade
Saturday, May 16, 2026
- 3:00 PM & 6:00 PM — La neige est blanche · Marine Mane – Cie In Vitro · ÉSAL Auditorium
- 3:00 PM & 6:30 PM — L'Ombre du Tigre · Eli Neva Jaramillo (France-Colombia) · 50 min, ages 8+ · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 5:00 PM — Moyette · BLIIIDA
- 6:00 PM — Musicophotographie · Arsenal – Salle de l'Esplanade
- 8:00 PM — Borda · Lia Rodrigues · Arsenal – Salle Jean-Marie Rausch
- 9:30 PM — DJ Kombat · DJ set · Village – Esplanade
Sunday, May 17, 2026
- 3:00 PM — L'Ombre du Tigre · Eli Neva Jaramillo · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 4:00 PM — Games from the Arab worlds · Nathalie Hoff · Village – Esplanade
- 4:30 PM — Kanashimi · Akiko Hasegawa (France-Japan) · 1h, ages 8+ · Arsenal – Salle du Gouverneur (sold out)
- 6:00 PM — Une Nuit Blanche · Elina Kulikova & Dima Efremov · 1h10, ages 16+ · Arsenal – Salle de l'Esplanade
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
- 8:00 PM — Dzudza · Idio Chichava (Mozambique) · Dance, 1h15, ages 12+ · Arsenal – Salle Jean-Marie Rausch · European premiere
Thursday, May 21, 2026
- 8:30 PM — Yalla Miku + Ammar 808 + Tune Zitoune · Electro-Maghreb concert · Les Trinitaires
Friday, May 22, 2026
- 11:00 AM — Nenna · Morgane Audoin · 1h, all audiences · Parc de jeux, rue du Languedoc
- 6:30 PM — Histoire(s) décoloniale(s) #DALILA · Betty Tchomanga & Dalila Khatir · 40 min, ages 12+ · Maison des Associations de Borny
- 8:00 PM — When I saw the sea · Ali Chahrour (Lebanon) · 1h10, ages 14+ · BAM
- 9:30 PM — EX-otic · Hadir Nached (Egypt) · 30 min, ages 12+ · BAM, parvis · European premiere
Saturday, May 23, 2026
- 11:00 AM & 4:00 PM — Zål · Sayeh Sirvani · 40 min, ages 8+ · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 11:00 AM — Round table « Artists from Arab countries: contexts of creation » · Village – Hall de l'Arsenal
- 2:00 PM & 4:30 PM — Robot · Cie Chamar Bell Clochette · 30 min, ages 3+ · L'Agora
- 2:30 PM — The Way Back · Mariam Dahab et al. · 1h, ages 10+ · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains · European premiere
- 4:00 PM — 3 Saisons et 1 corps · Mohammed Al Qudwa & Martha Kiss Perrone · 1h10, ages 14+ · Les Trinitaires · World premiere
- 5:00 PM — Histoire(s) décoloniale(s) #DALILA · Village – Salon Claude Lefèbvre
- 5:00 PM — Nenna · Morgane Audoin · Village – Esplanade
- 6:00 PM — Meeting « Voices of Lebanon! » with Imane Humaydane · Village – Esplanade
- 8:00 PM — Souad Massi with the Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est, dir. Fayçal Karoui · Concert, 1h30, all audiences · Arsenal – Salle Jean-Marie Rausch
- 8:00 PM — Meryem Aboulouafa / Abdullah Miniawy · Concert · Centre Pompidou-Metz, Studio
- 10:00 PM — EX-otic · Hadir Nached · Village – Esplanade
Sunday, May 24, 2026
- 10:00 AM — Zål · Sayeh Sirvani · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 11:30 AM — Shadow Theatre Workshop with Sayeh Sirvani · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 1:00 PM — Bike rides
- 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM — Gathering Memories with my Eyelashes · Nanda Mohammad (Egypt) · 1h15, ages 12+ · Arsenal – Salle du Gouverneur · European premiere
- 3:30 PM — The Way Back · Mariam Dahab · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
- 4:00 PM — Caféministe — association Force Féministe · Arsenal – Hall
- 4:00 PM — Games from the Arab worlds · Nathalie Hoff · Village – Esplanade
- 4:30 PM — 3 Saisons et 1 corps · Mohammed Al Qudwa & Martha Kiss Perrone · Les Trinitaires
- 6:00 PM — Language : no broblem · Marah Haj Hussein · 1h10, ages 12+ · Arsenal – Salle de l'Esplanade
- 9:30 PM — EIN L AQL · Concert · Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Café Zine · Mauvaises Impressions · Espace Bernard-Marie Koltès
- 7:00 PM — Karam Al Zouhir · Espace Bernard-Marie Koltès, parvis
- 8:00 PM — La Perle · Sayeh Sirvani (Iran) · 1h, ages 10+ · Espace Bernard-Marie Koltès (sold out)
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Faire parler les archives des non-alignés · Mila Turajlić · 1h, ages 14+ · L'Agora
Thursday, May 28, 2026 — Closing
- 8:00 PM — OüM · Fouad Boussouf, Le Phare CCN du Havre Normandie · Dance, 1h, ages 12+ · Arsenal – Salle Jean-Marie Rausch (sold out)
- 9:30 PM — PRAED · Concert · Village – Esplanade
Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Off-site
- 5:30 PM — Wolf · Cie Circa · Theater am Ring, Saarlouis (Germany)
Highlights Passages 2026
- Anniversary edition: 15 years in Metz + 5 years of the Transfestival
- Mediterranean Season 2026 supported by the Institut français — focus Maghreb, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine
- Around fifty proposals over 15 days: theatre, dance, music, performance, visual arts, meetings
- International headliners: Lia Rodrigues (Brazil), Souad Massi with the Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est, Ali Chahrour (Lebanon), Ammar 808, Fouad Boussouf, Idio Chichava (Mozambique)
- European and world premieres: Dzudza (Idio Chichava), Gathering Memories with my Eyelashes (Nanda Mohammad), EX-otic (Hadir Nached), The Way Back (Mariam Dahab), 3 Saisons et 1 corps (Mohammed Al Qudwa)
- Free opening concert: Yalil (Syria) on May 14 at 7:30 PM on the Esplanade
- Festival Village on the Esplanade: installations, workshops, bike rides, DJ sets, meetings
- New coproductions with Theater is a Must (Alexandria) and the D-CAF Festival (Cairo)
- About fifteen venues involved in Metz, including Arsenal, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Les Trinitaires, BAM, Bliiida, Espace Koltès, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, Frac Lorraine
- Cross-border stage in Saarlouis (Germany) on May 30 with Wolf by Cie Circa
Prices Passages 2026
Practical information — Passages
Access
The Passages Transfestival takes place in various cultural venues in the city center of Metz and its surrounding area.
- By train: Metz-Ville station, served by TGV from Paris (1h20), Strasbourg (1h30), and Luxembourg (50 min). The station is a 10-15 minute walk from the main performance venues.
- By car: A31 motorway (Paris-Luxembourg axis) and A4 motorway (Strasbourg-Paris axis). Underground parking in the city center: Cathédrale, Saint-Jacques, République. The Centre Pompidou-Metz car park is also accessible.
- By bus/tram: The LE MET' network (Mettis lines A and B) serves all festival venues. The Théâtre du Saulcy is accessible by lines serving the university campus.
- By bike: VélOstan'lib stations are located near the various performance venues.
Performance venues
Performances are held in several emblematic venues in Metz:
- Arsenal – Cité musicale-Metz: 3 avenue Ney, 57000 Metz. A reference venue for large-scale performances.
- Centre Pompidou-Metz: 1 parvis des Droits de l'Homme, 57000 Metz. Studio and exhibition spaces.
- Les Trinitaires: 12 rue des Trinitaires, 57000 Metz. Chapel and basement for intimate performances.
- Théâtre du Saulcy: Campus universitaire du Saulcy. Creation and research space.
- Various alternative spaces and unusual venues in the city center, specified in the program for each edition.
Ticketing
Some performances are free, others are paid with varying prices depending on the show (generally between €5 and €20). Reduced rates are available for students, job seekers, and those under 26. Festival passes offer access to several performances at advantageous rates. Tickets are available on the festival website (passages-transfestival.mapado.com), by phone, and on-site at the performance venues, subject to availability.
Schedules
Performances take place during the day and evening, over a ten-day period in May. The precise times for each performance are indicated in the program available on the festival website and distributed in Metz's cultural venues.
Accessibility
Most performance venues are accessible to people with reduced mobility. For any specific accessibility questions, please contact the festival team in advance.
Contact
Website: www.passages-transfestival.fr
Ticketing: passages-transfestival.mapado.com
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Where does it take place — Passages
Divers lieux culturels de Metz
Centre-ville de Metz, 57000 Metz