From 3 to 12 July 2026, Lourmarin hosts the 6th edition of the Festival of the Spoken Arts, a cultural event dedicated to words, voices, languages and every form of oral expression.
With “Creating a Common Language” as its theme, this edition invites visitors to explore the French language as a living, open and shared space, shaped by many different cultures.
Theatre, storytelling, readings, poetry, word games, cinema, debates, gospel, open stage sessions, workshops and encounters all come together in a rich, sensitive and accessible programme, in the heart of the village of Lourmarin.
Download the programmeThe Festival of the Spoken Arts celebrates the French language as a shared treasure, at once a heritage, a playground, a tool for transmission and a space for encounter.
Over ten days, artists, actors, storytellers, authors, thinkers, young speakers, musicians and audiences come together around one shared ambition: to give voice to the diversity of the French-speaking world and to question the way we speak, listen, tell stories and live together.
Theatre, solo performances, personal narratives, humour, storytelling, music and readings bring the spoken word to life in all its forms.
Talks, debates, radio interviews, conversations and discussion sessions invite everyone to reflect together on language, its uses and its power.
Public speaking, writing, reading aloud, speeches, storytelling and gospel offer opportunities to practise the spoken word and share it with others.
This edition brings together academic language, popular speech, regional languages, youth expressions and voices from elsewhere, helping us better understand what connects us.
The festival programme takes place across several venues in Lourmarin: the castle courtyard, the temple, the school courtyard, the Fruitière Numérique, the Salle Bosco, the village streets, the washhouse, Villa Saint-Louis and the Four à Chaux. Each day explores a different aspect of this shared language, through performances, workshops, encounters, film debates, readings and convivial moments.
The festival opens with a literary walk through the village. A first invitation to stroll, listen and discover Lourmarin in a different way.
6.30pm-8.30pm - Festival prologue: the walk of the “academicians” - Literary performance - Free admission - Unusual symbolic places in the village, meeting point in the school courtyard
A day to play with words, rediscover one’s own expressions, inspire younger audiences to read and officially open the festival with Irène Jacob.
9.30am-1.00pm - Rediscovering your own language - Introductory expression workshop - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
9.30am-4.00pm - Francopholire, my favourite book - Workshop for young audiences - Free admission - Four à chaux
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
8.30pm-9.30pm - Opening evening: Big Bang, readings by Irène Jacob - Carte blanche - Free admission - Castle courtyard
This day brings together celebration, inauguration, theatre and personal storytelling. It invites us to see language as a space for sharing, transmission and humanity.
9.00am-10.30am - Televised service: Speaking as one - Artistic celebration - Free admission - Temple
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
11.00am-11.30am - Festival launch - Inauguration - Free admission - School courtyard
2.00pm-3.00pm - Théodore Monod, picking a flower is moving a star - Theatre - €22/€18 - Fruitière Numérique
6.30pm-7.45pm - Ah... the stage! - Theatre, personal storytelling - €12/€10 - School courtyard
Gospel, acting, the history of theatre and humour inspired by Raymond Devos come together in a lively day of artistic practice and stage pleasure.
9.30am-3.00pm - The same light - Gospel workshop with Emmanuel Pi Djob, day 1 - €100/€70 - Temple
9.30am-1.00pm - Directing the actor - Masterclass led by Éric Checco - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
3.00pm-5.00pm - Children’s time - Readings and kamishibai storytelling - Free admission - Salle Bosco
6.30pm-7.30pm - Theatre: a whole history in one hour - Theatre - €12/€10 - Fruitière Numérique
8.30pm-9.45pm - Madmen are not what they used to be - Theatre, solo performance - €22/€18 - Fruitière Numérique
Identity, youth, personal storytelling, cinema and humour come together in a day devoted to the cultures that shape us and the words that connect us.
9.30am-3.00pm - The same light - Gospel workshop with Emmanuel Pi Djob, day 2 - Temple
9.30am-1.00pm - Layers of identity: telling your story at the crossroads of cultures - Introductory workshop, personal storytelling - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
2.00pm-3.00pm - Do you speak “youth”? - Theatrical lecture - €12/€10 - Fruitière Numérique
3.00pm-5.00pm - Children’s time - Readings and kamishibai storytelling - Free admission - Salle Bosco
3.30pm-5.30pm - School of Babel - Film and debate - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
6.30pm-7.30pm - Words of luck - Storytelling, personal narrative - €12/€10 - Le Lavoir
8.30pm-9.45pm - The tribulations of a Muslim from here - Theatre, personal storytelling - €12/€10 - School courtyard
A day devoted to public speaking, committed speech and transmission, with workshops, an open stage, powerful speeches and a tribute to Victor Hugo.
9.30am-3.00pm - The same light - Gospel workshop with Emmanuel Pi Djob, day 3 - Temple
9.30am-1.00pm - Crafting your speech - Introductory workshop, public speaking - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
3.00pm-5.00pm - Children’s time - Readings and kamishibai storytelling - Free admission - Salle Bosco
3.30pm-5.30pm - Timbuktu - Film and debate - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
6.30pm-7.30pm - Open stage - Text sharing - Free admission - School courtyard
8.15pm-9.00pm - The great speech for great causes - Speeches by eloquent young speakers - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
9.00pm-10.15pm - Hugo, the man of the people - Theatre, solo performance - €12/€10 - Fruitière Numérique
Poetry, writing, gospel and the collective invention of new words set the rhythm for this day, shaped by breath, voice and creation.
9.30am-3.00pm - The same light - Gospel workshop with Emmanuel Pi Djob, day 4 - Temple
9.30am-1.00pm - Poetry, language, revolt - Introductory workshop, writing - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
3.00pm-5.00pm - Children’s time - Readings and kamishibai storytelling - Free admission - Salle Bosco
3.00pm-7.00pm - The Word Bureau, participatory performance - Creative workshop - Free admission - Village streets, meeting point at Salle Camus
3.30pm-5.30pm - Zion - Film and debate - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
6.30pm-7.30pm - A poem in the red puddle - Reading, poetry - €12/€10 - School courtyard
8.30pm-10.00pm - The same light, Emmanuel Pi Djob and his choir singers - Gospel concert - €15/€12 - Temple
This day questions language in its uses, its powers and its roots, through workshops, cinema, a talk, debate and the great Night of Ethics.
9.30am-1.00pm - French language, who are you? - Introductory workshop, reading aloud - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.00am-1.00pm - The Word Bureau, participatory performance - Creative workshop - Free admission - Villa Saint-Louis
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
3.00pm-5.00pm - Children’s time - Readings and kamishibai storytelling - Free admission - Salle Bosco
3.30pm-5.30pm - Saving what can be saved - Film and debate - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
5.30pm-6.30pm - Abandoning your language means denying your roots - Two-voice talk and debate - Free admission - School courtyard
6.30pm-midnight - The Night of Ethics: words of power - Discussion and reflection session - €15/€12 - Temple and school courtyard
African storytelling, translation, cinema, music, humour and oral memory come together in a day of connections between cultures, languages and imagination.
9.30am-1.00pm - From mouth to ear - Introductory workshop, African storytelling - €25/€20 - Salle Bosco
10.30am-11.00am - Over coffee - Live radio interviews - Free admission - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
11.00am-12.00pm - Conversation in two or three voices: when God starts speaking French - Conversation - Free admission - Temple
3.30pm-5.30pm - Lamb - Film and debate - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
6.30pm-7.45pm - The fabulous destiny of Amadou Hampâté Bâ - Theatre, storytelling and music - €12/€10 - Fruitière Numérique
8.30pm-9.45pm - The Iron Lady - Theatre, humour - €22/€18 - Fruitière Numérique
The final day takes the form of a moment of sharing and closure, looking back on the festival highlights and opening the door to the next edition.
10.30am - Celebrating the spoken word - Artistic service - Free admission - Temple
2.30pm-4.30pm - Grand finale / Festi’Charivari - Texts and discussions - €12/€10 - Fruitière Numérique
4.30pm-5.30pm - Festival closing - Refreshments and convivial moment - Free admission - Fruitière Numérique
Over coffee - Live radio interviews with the festival’s artists, speakers and contributors - Terrace of Le Moulin hotel
Children’s time - Readings, storytelling and kamishibai for young audiences - Salle Bosco
The festival book corner - Books by guest artists, themed selection and book signing sessions
The festival shop - Souvenirs from the 2026 edition
For more information and to view the full updated programme, visit the official festival website.
Practical information on Festival des Arts de la Parole
Opening times and periods
From 03/07 to 12/07/2026 daily.
Price(s)
Full price : 12 to 100 €, Reduced price: 10 to 70 €.
Prices vary depending on the festival’s performances, workshops and events.
Full price : from €12 to €100 depending on the event.
Reduced rate : from €10 to €70 depending on the event.
Discovery workshops : €25 full price, €20 reduced rate.
Performances and readings : from €12 to €22 full price, from €10 to €18 reduced rate.
Gospel concert : €15 full price, €12 reduced rate.
Gospel workshop : €100 full price, €70 reduced rate.
Several events are free of charge : festival prologue, radio interviews, inauguration, artistic services, children’s workshops, film-debates, open stage, Grand Oral des Grandes Causes, conferences and closing events.
Informations