Saturday 17 January 2026
It is with profound emotion that the Festival d’Avignon has learned of the passing of Valère Novarina, one of the most singular and essential authors, directors and artists of contemporary theatre, who died on 16 January 2026 at the age of 83.
"What is the meaning of our brief stay in this world? How difficult is it for us to remain human, come what may? In the darkest night, there is language that asks what we are made of, that insists on imagining into the first person perspectives of the people and living beings that inhabit this planet; language that connects us to one another."
Han Kang’s speech at the Nobel Prize banquet, 10 December 2024 © The Nobel Foundation 2024
Tiago Rodrigues and the team of Festival d’Avignon wish you a very happy year 2026.
SUNDAY 25 JANUARY at 3pm
Presented this summer on tour, Milo Rau's LA LETTRE, a joint production by 2025 and the Festival, returns to Avignon for a single performance on 25 January at 3pm at La FabricA du Festival d'Avignon.
This is an opportunity, if you missed it this summer or would like to see it again, to immerse yourself in this show, which is a manifesto of what popular theatre can be today. Organised by Scènes d'Avignon and the Festival d'Avignon, Fest'hiver 2026 will take place from 23 January to 1 February 2026.
FROM 4 TO 25 JULY 2026
For this 80th edition, Tiago Rodrigues, director of the Festival d'Avignon, invites us to look to the future: "This edition will be rooted in the future and projected towards the next eighty years of the Festival. It is to the future that the questions raised by the invited artists will be addressed, in line with Jean Vilar's utopia."
For the second consecutive year, the dates coincide with those of the festival off Avignon.
See you in early April to discover the programme for the Festival d'Avignon 2026.
Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 7pm
Following her appearance at the Festival d'Avignon 2023 with A Noiva e o Boa Noite Cinderala, the first part of her Cadela Força trilogy, Brazilian artist Carolina Bianchi returns to La FabricA at the Festival d'Avignon for a three-week artistic residency and invites the people of Avignon to share and discuss her work.
Tuesday 18 November 2025
Today, on the eve of their 80th anniversary in 2027, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival d'Avignon and the Holland Festival are joining forces for the first time, combining their artistic visions for a special collaboration that marks the beginning of a shared journey for years to come, adding a new chapter to their shared legacy.
What if I don't understand anything? Will I feel like I belong? Am I dressed correctly?
Faced with these questions that we have all asked ourselves, the Festival works to make performing arts accessible to all. The "Fisrt time" project was born out of the desire to answer these questions, to respond to a desire to feel at home or to make coming to a performance more comfortable.
Accompanied by professionals, nearly 600 young people a year learn about machinery, lighting, sound, video and costumes. A practical immersion behind the scenes to become an informed audience!
The Festival d'Avignon has joined forces with Making Waves to offer young people from all over France the opportunity to discover the world of live performance and learn radio and interviewing techniques.
