When will the Avignon Festival take place in 2026?
Are you already planning your summer 2026 holidays and want to know the dates of the famous Avignon Festival? Here are the official dates and essential information to organize your stay in the city of the Popes.
The official dates for the 2026 Avignon Festival
For now, the organizers haven't yet revealed the exact dates for the 2026 Avignon Festival . This announcement usually comes several months in advance, but we still have to wait. In the meantime, we can already get a fairly good idea of the period thanks to previous editions, which follow a fairly regular schedule.
Dates for the 2026 Avignon Festival
The 2026 Avignon Festival is scheduled to take place from July 4 to 25, 2026. These dates would follow the well-established tradition of the festival taking place every year in July.
The program spans three full weeks, totaling 22 days of performances. This duration allows the organizers to offer a rich cultural program with several hundred shows.
The choice of July is not insignificant. This period coincides with the summer holidays, which makes it easier for the public to attend. The weather conditions are also favorable for the open-air performances in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes.
For 2026, the festival will therefore begin on a Saturday and end on a Sunday. This organization over three full weekends maximizes attendance opportunities for spectators who work during the week.
Bookings usually open several months before the start of the festival. Therefore, it's advisable to book well in advance for the most popular shows.
Dates and organization of the 2026 Avignon Off Festival
The Avignon Off Festival will take place during the same period as the official Avignon Festival in 2026. This synchronization is not a coincidence: it allows spectators to enjoy both events during their stay.
The Off Festival is the independent and alternative counterpart to the official festival. During these three weeks, more than 1,500 performances are programmed in around a hundred different venues across the city. Theatres, café-theatres, schoolyards, gardens… every space is transformed into a stage.
The organization remains more flexible than for the official festival. Companies register directly with the Off Festival and manage their own events. Ticket prices are generally more affordable, with performances starting at 10-15 euros.
To help navigate this vast array of offerings, the complete program is released a few weeks before the festival begins. It lists all the shows by genre, venue, and time. An essential tool for planning your schedule and discovering new talent.
Guest language and cultural programming
Korean will be the guest language of the 2026 Avignon Festival. This tradition, which puts a language in the spotlight each year, had already welcomed English in 2023, Spanish in 2024 and Arabic in 2025.
This 80th edition goes far beyond the K-pop phenomenon or the Korean dramas we all know. The festival aims to showcase the richness of Korean performing arts, which are still underrepresented on French stages. It's a rare opportunity to see theater, dance, and performances straight from South Korea.
The Korean language carries within it a unique history. It symbolizes the resistance and resilience of a people who have weathered difficult times. Korean artists use this language as a powerful artistic tool, capable of conveying unique emotions and cultural realities.
In practical terms, expect to discover brand-new shows, original staging, and artists who will take you on a journey. The detailed program will be released a few months before the festival, but this Korean lineup promises to be one of the highlights of this anniversary edition.
