Aurillac Street Theatre Festival 2026: Dates and Program Guide

The 39th annual Festival International de Théâtre de Rue d’Aurillac runs from August 19 to 22, 2026, transforming the prefectural town in the Cantal region into a major hub for public-space performing arts, according to regional reporting by actualites-aurillac.fr and auvergnevolcans.com.

Every third week of August, Aurillac hosts numerous spectators for the four-day event, established in 1986 by street-theater pioneer Michel Crespin, as reported by actualites-aurillac.fr. The festival features more than 600 total companies staging numerous performances across the city’s public squares and pedestrian streets.

Official Programme and Mediterranean Focus

According to official programme details published by auvergnevolcans.com and actualites-aurillac.fr, the 2026 official selection (IN) features more than 20 companies, anchored by a thematic focus on the Mediterranean under the auspices of the Institut français’s Saison Méditerranée.

Festival director Frédéric Rémy described the regional focus, noting that the Mediterranean serves as an active space of circulation, friction, and meeting points between opposing shores, as cited by actualites-aurillac.fr.

Anania Danses and Taoufiq Izeddiou with Hmadcha – Le monde en transe

Cie Jil Z and Mehdi Darkane, alongside Khalil Epi, Marzouk Machine, Nancy Naous, 4120.CORPS, Nanda Mohammad, Raeda Saadeh, Selma and Sofiane Ouissi, and Shaymaa Shoukry

Additional invited companies such as Transe Express, Sons of Wind, Etienne Saglio (Projet Fantôme), Ensemble Facture, ERd’O, and hiya compagnie

Performances are split between free open-air presentations and ticketed indoor or reserved shows priced at a flat rate of 12 euros, with select events available via the Pass Culture, according to auvergnevolcans.com.

Creative Laboratories and Practical Infrastructure

Ahead of the main festival schedule, Aurillac hosted a creative laboratory named Champ libre! from July 25 to August 9, 2026, providing open public rehearsals and short-form residencies for participating troupes, per actualites-aurillac.fr.

To support incoming visitors and industry professionals, organizers established multiple public welcome points, including the main reception desk on the Parvis du Conseil départemental du Cantal and a secondary mini-reception on Rue du Viaduc, according to auvergnevolcans.com. Free luggage check-ins operate on Rue du Viaduc and Rue des Frères Delmas, while official ticketing is accessible through aurillac.net and local tourism offices.