The atmosphere at Avignon's Festival OFF in Place des Corps Saints - Photo credit: Frédéric Dahm / Empreintes d'Ailleurs

My festival

Avignon, MY city, is famous the world over for 3 things: the Palais des Papes, the Pont d’Avignon and the Festival, one of the most important international events in contemporary performing arts. Every summer, for 3 weeks, I see my city transformed into the world’s largest theater! I’m a big fan of dance and theater, and I love this unique atmosphere: the city is plastered with posters of shows! Walls, store windows, lampposts, benches… everything is covered in incredible chaos.

Chloé Mariani

A native of Avignon and very attached to my city, I've been working at the Tourist Office for the past fifteen years. Passionate about culture and food, I love to share my tips, favorites and discoveries with you!

Two festivals in one!

You’ve probably already heard of “In” and “Off”. But what do they mean? Why are there two festivals in the same city?

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere!

The Avignon Festival

The Festival d’Avignon, better known as the “In” Festival, was created in 1947 by Jean Vilar: the official festival that welcomes nationally and often internationally renowned artists to emblematic venues such as the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais des Papes and the Cloître des Carmes. The Festival d’Avignon offers the most astonishing, the most innovative, in contemporary creation. I’ve experienced moments of great emotion there: Pina Bausch, Thomas Ostermaier, the Comédie-Française… and years later I still have fond memories of them. Maurice Jarre’s trumpets announcing shows in the Cour d’Honneur still send shivers down my spine.

Kirill Serebrennikov's Le Moine Noir at the Festival d'Avignon in the Palais des Papes - Photo credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Festival d'Avignon

The Avignon festival

As you stroll through the old town, I invite you to look up and discover the windows painted in trompe l’oeil by Marion Pochy and Dominique Rousseau, depicting great names in their iconic roles: Gérard Philippe, Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Béjart, Isabelle Huppert, Daniel Auteuil…

Festival off

Festival OFF

The Festival Off, created in 1966, offers shows by independent companies all over the city: theater, dance, music, circus, puppets… there’s something for everyone, with a plethora of choice: 1070 shows in 2021. Troupes of actors roam the streets, bringing them to life. They redouble their imagination to catch our eyes and our attention, using all the right techniques! Every time, the aim is the same: to convince us to go and see their play. My advice for choosing among this jungle: ask for the Off program – the festival-goer’s Bible – at the Tourist Office, sit down at a café terrace and let your intuition guide you. And listen to word-of-mouth!

All about the festival

So you see, coming to Avignon during the Festival is an incredible experience! I’ll leave you to it, the lights are going out, my show is about to start…