Mediterranean Season 2026

Marseille, the starting point for a major cultural season

On 15 May 2026, Marseille will kick off the 2026 Mediterranean Season with an opening sequence entitled “Arrival, Departure, Return”. In partnership with the City of Marseille and the Tourist Office, a host of cultural events will then take over the city from 15 to 24 May, at venues including the J4, the Palais du Pharo, the Musée d’art contemporain de Marseille and many others. Concerts, cinema, exhibitions, theatre and dance will punctuate the programme, which is open to all, transforming Marseille into a veritable open-air cultural stage for ten days.

A richly creative programme

Looking beyond Marseilles, the Saison Méditerranée 2026 is spread across the whole of France, as well as having an international reach. It highlights artists, creators and young talent from Mediterranean countries, particularly Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon.

• The programme is structured around five main themes
• speculative utopias
• plural identities,
• contemporary spirituality,
• the collective history of migration
• The construction of narratives

Highlights of the programme in Marseille

15 May 2026 :
Jardin du Pharo: 7.30pm Opening concert – “Sofiane Saidi invites Camelia Jordana”.
Concert preceded by a DJ set by KASBAH de Musique de fête.

16 May 2026:
Vernissage trail through the city – 9.30am to 8.30pm
Musée d’Art Contemporain: Opening of “Africa” by Louisa Babari
Centre de la Vieille Charité: Opening “Dormir comme le soleil” by Adrien Vescovi
Jardin du Pharo: 7pm to 11pm – Concerts by Najat Aatabou, Nayra and Emel
Day 4: 7pm to 8.30pm – Performance of “Danser ma ville” by Taoufiq Izzediou

16 and 17 May 2026:
Mucem and Fort Saint-Jean: from 9pm to 10.30pm – Theatrical performance “Mères Méditerranées” by Mohamed El Khatib (Free with reservation: saisonmediterranee2026.com)

17 May 2026:
Espace Mistral (Estaque): 5pm to 8pm – Concerts by Ars Nova and Labess (Free)

19 to 22 May 2026:
Place Bargemon (13002): 9.30pm Film screenings (At dusk)
offered in partnership with Écrans du Sud and the Ciné plein-air festival. (see programme)

From 21 to 23 May 2026 :
Grand Port Maritime (13002): At 7pm – Theatrical performance “Du sel dans les yeux” by Sébastien Kheroufi (free with reservation)

23 May 2026:
Grand Port Maritime: From 6pm to 1am – An invitation to inhabit the Grand Port of Marseille
From 6pm: Welcome and Mediterranean meal by Les Grandes Tables, ICI les cuisines de l’extraordinaire (paying)
9pm to 10.15pm: “Symphonie portuaire” by Campus Art Méditerranée, Raphaël Imbert & Mécanique Vivante
10.30pm to 12.30am: “Tarab” stage performance

Exhibitions and openings throughout the city

Africa by Louisa Babari
From 15 May to 3 January 2027
Museum of Contemporary Art [MAC]
Louisa Babari’s AFRICA is an immersive exhibition combining photography, visual arts and sound creation to explore the memories, myths and stories of North Africa, between fiction and ancient legacies.

“Sleeping like the sun” by Adrien Vescovi
From 16 May 2026 to 10 January 2027
Centre de la Vieille- Charité
The Centre de la Vieille Charité welcomes Adrien Vescovi for a monumental textile installation celebrating Mediterranean materials, crafts and know-how in dialogue with the architecture of the site.

“Travelling images, arriving-departing-returning
From 15 May 2026 to 30 September 2027
Alcazar Library
This group exhibition featuring ten artists from around the Mediterranean, organised by the Institut français as part of the Saison Méditerranée 2026, explores the theme of “Arrival-Partir-Revenir” through graphic and narrative works combining travel, commitment and a sensitive view of their countries.

Photographing Lebanon’s heritage (1864-1970)
From 21 May 2026 to 26 September 2027
Alcazar Library
Designed in collaboration with the Arab World Institute and the Oriental Library of Beirut, this exhibition features 77 old photographs of Lebanon taken between 1864 and 1970, highlighting the country’s architectural and cultural heritage through rare photographs and heritage works.