Printemps des Poètes Festival 2026 Celebrates Poetry Across Performance, Rap, and Literature

The Printemps des Poètes festival, now in its 30th year, is organizing thousands of events across France and internationally in 2026. This edition focuses on the theme 'Liberty: Living Force, Deployed,' bringing together poets from various backgrounds. The festival aims to showcase poetry's vitality beyond traditional literary circles, with participation from nearly fifty countries and around 500 authors. Paloma Hermina Hidalgo, serving as the 2026 festival's secretary general, describes poetry as an 'intensification of language' and emphasizes its public and political dimensions. Her recent work 'Féérie, ma perte,' published in June 2025 by Éditions Corlevour, blends poetry, theater, autobiography, and oral storytelling. Another featured artist, Lémofil (born Tom), is an emerging French rap performer whose approach incorporates literary and theatrical elements. Hidalgo highlights the festival's mission to 'return poetry to circulation' and move it beyond exclusive circles. Lémofil, who hails from Chambon-sur-Lignon, creates work that bridges rap, poetry, and French song, drawing inspiration from figures like Rimbaud and Césaire as well as contemporary artists. He recently conducted a social media series called 'un poème par jour,' reciting both classic and modern poems. The festival's programming also includes international events, such as celebrations of Francophonie in Karachi, Pakistan, organized by the Alliance Française de Karachi, which has operated there for over six decades. The festival underscores poetry's role in reconnecting people with language and wonder, featuring performances like Lémofil's track 'L'hiver s'en ira.'