A festive kick-off before the official opening on 5 July
The Festival d'Avignon 2025 kicks off in style with an exceptional preview on Friday 4 July, entirely dedicated to local audiences. This initiative testifies to the Festival's commitment to its region and its residents throughout the year.
"The Festival d'Avignon belongs to the world in July; it belongs to its region all year round". - Tiago Rodrigues, Director of the Festival d'Avignon
The evening will open at 7pm with They Always Come Back, a participatory performance by dancer and choreographer Bouchra Ouizguen. This original creation, developed in collaboration with local amateurs, explores universal themes such as otherness, the strangeness that inhabits us and the bonds that unite us.
The evening will culminate in a free performance of NÔT by Marlene Monteiro Freitas at 10pm in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes. This new work by the Cape Verdean artist reinvents the figure of Scheherazade through the tales of the Thousand and One Nights, using choreography to translate the infinite flow of words that are generated and transformed.
Free tickets for NÔT will be available from Wednesday 25 June from the box office at the Cloître Saint-Louis, with a limit of 4 tickets per person.