What are the dates for the 2026 Avignon Festival?

Saturday July 5 to Sunday July 26, 2026. IN ticketing usually opens the third week of March, with the official program announced in late March.

What's the difference between IN and OFF?

The IN is the official festival founded by Jean Vilar in 1947 — ~40 curated shows in institutional venues (Cour d'honneur, Cloître des Carmes). The OFF is an open festival created in 1966, with 1,600+ shows from independent companies in all kinds of spaces (private theaters, barns, bars).

Do I need to book tickets ahead?

IN: yes, as soon as ticketing opens (March), especially for the Cour d'honneur which sells out within hours. OFF: not really, but useful for buzzy shows or big-name performers.

Can I find a place to stay in Avignon during the festival?

Yes, but book 4–6 months ahead. Prices double. Stay inside the walls so you don't waste time on transport. Short-term rentals often open bookings as early as January–February.

Avignon Festival: the practical 2026 guide

For three weeks every July, Avignon becomes the world capital of theater. 1,600 shows, 1,500 companies, 1.5 million tickets sold, artists from 50 nationalities. If you’ve never been, you have no idea what it’s like.

Here’s how to live the festival instead of just surviving it.

The festival in 30 seconds

Festival IN (official):

Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar
~40 curated shows (theater, dance, performance)
Legendary venues: Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes, Cloître des Carmes, FabricA, Gymnase Aubanel
Prices: €10 (Cour d’honneur youth tickets) to €50 (premieres)
Ticketing: festival-avignon.com

Festival OFF:

Founded in 1966 by André Benedetto as a reaction to the IN
1,600+ shows in 130 venues
Private theaters, makeshift rooms, barns, bars
Prices: €8–25, OFF card €16 (30% discount)
Ticketing: avignonleoff.com or directly at the venues

2026 calendar

	IN	OFF
Dates	July 5–26, 2026	July 4–27, 2026
Program announced	Late March 2026	Mid-May 2026
Ticketing opens	Mid-March (member pre-sales), then early April for the public	Mid-May (web), then July (on site)

The mythical IN venues

Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes

2,000 seats, temporary wooden bleachers
Always sold out. Book the moment ticketing opens.
Opening show: tradition since Vilar
Tip: pick category 2 or 3 over 1 (the frontal view is better for theater)

Cloître des Carmes

600 seats, intimate, exceptional acoustics
Favorite venue of major directors (Mnouchkine, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker)
Book early, but less of a war than the Cour

FabricA

Modern venue (2014), 600 seats, air-conditioned (rare!)
Maximum comfort, ideal during heatwaves

Gymnase Aubanel

Converted school gymnasium
Small (300 seats), intimate
Perfect for contemporary forms

How to navigate the OFF

1,600 shows in 3 weeks: you can’t see everything. Strategies:

Read the program strategically

The paper program is given out everywhere starting July 1
Sort by genre (theater, comedy, kids, dance, readings)
Sort by time slot: most shows are between 10 AM and 10 PM, spaced 90 min apart
4 shows/day is the absolute maximum (leave time to eat and walk)

Spot the buzz

The local daily La Provence publishes a review every morning
Inferno-magazine and Sceneweb post online picks
Word of mouth in the queue at other shows

OFF theaters we keep on speed-dial

Théâtre des Halles: sharp programming, pleasant space
Théâtre du Chien qui Fume: bold, excellent kids’ shows
La Manufacture: THE room for discovering new talent
Théâtre des Carmes: Benedetto tradition, politically engaged theater
L’Atelier Florentin: intimate, contemporary writing

What to avoid

Theaters running more than 6 shows/day: technical quality often suffers
Shows with zero reviews anywhere on social media: there’s usually a reason

OFF prices — the card is essential

OFF membership card: €16 (valid one season)

30% off most shows
Pays for itself in 3–4 shows
Buy at the OFF village (École d’art) or online before the festival

Where to stay during the festival

Book 5–6 months in advance

Every lodging doubles its price in July. Availability is near zero after May.

Stay inside the walls

The festival is lived on foot. Staying in the suburbs = losing 2 hours/day on buses + late-night frustrations (buses run until midnight, then it’s a €25 Uber).

The ideal neighborhood

Teinturiers, Carmes: quiet at night (rare in July!), 10 min on foot from the main theaters, 5 min from the Palais des Papes.

Our apartments Lavande Évasion and Lavande Dorée sit right in the Teinturiers neighborhood, exactly with this logic in mind. Festival bookings typically open in January.

Practical survival tips

Climate

Avignon in July: 30–38 °C on average. Mistral on some days (strong wind).
Bring: sunscreen, hat, reusable water bottle (fountains everywhere)
Air conditioning: all IN venues are AC. Roughly half of OFF venues aren’t — check the program

Eating

Book restaurants the moment you arrive — otherwise 30-min lines in July
Lunch is the best slot (people are at shows, terraces breathe)
See our restaurant guide

Transport

The center is pedestrian or semi-pedestrian: no car needed
Arriving by train: TGV Avignon TGV station, then TER 5 min to Avignon Centre, or bus 22 (€1.40)
No car in town during the festival: regulated zone, parking €25/day

Cash

Most OFF theaters accept cash only
ATMs everywhere (BNP rue Joseph-Vernet, Crédit Agricole Place Pie)

What if I’m not into theater?

Good news: the festival makes the whole city come alive. Without seeing a single show, you’ll enjoy:

The unique atmosphere: flyer-handouts, costumes, parade
Café-theaters (have a drink, catch an excerpt)
Street music in the squares
The general creative energy

And the museums stay open (Calvet, Lambert, Petit Palais), often less crowded than in May–June.

In short

The Avignon Festival is bigger than you think and more accessible than you think. A few golden rules:

Book your lodging starting in January
Book your IN tickets starting in March
Buy the OFF card the day you arrive
3–4 shows/day max (and read the reviews)
Stay inside the walls, really

You’ll leave drained but transformed. That’s the whole point.

Book during the 2026 festival →