RECOMMENDED: Les Rencontres d’Arles - Arles Photo Festival 2026 / 2026.07.06. - 2026.10.04. 📷 🇫🇷

The International Photography Festival known as "Les Rencontres d'Arles" was created by Lucien Clergue, Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Michel Tournier  in 1970. More than fifty years later this festival is definitively, the most important event around photography in the whole world. In 2026, the festival runs from July 6 to October 4.

Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles is the oldest and most prestigious photography festival in the world. Founded in 1970 by Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier, and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, Les Rencontres d'Arles transforms the city into the world capital of photography every summer. More than fifty exhibitions take over the heritage sites of Arles — churches, cloisters, palaces, industrial wastelands — from July to September, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.

The programme of Rencontres de la Photographie 2026 was presented at an April 2026 press conference given in Arles by the director and deputy director of the event, Christoph Wiesner and Aurélie de Lanlay, under the title "Worlds to be reread". An edition that for the second time will last until the beginning of October.

Beyond the summer festival, Les Rencontres d'Arles has built up a collection of nearly 3,500 photographic works by over 470 photographers since 1976. The media library and audiovisual archives preserve the living memory of more than half a century of photography. Educational programs and participatory memory projects demonstrate the festival's commitment to transmitting and making photography accessible.

The Opening Week of the Rencontres d’Arles 2026 will take place from July 6 to 12, marking the launch of the 56th edition of this internationally acclaimed photography festival. During this time, the city of Arles will become a true hub of contemporary photography, hosting a wide array of exhibitions, screenings, talks, and encounters with artists from around the world.

In 2015, the festival welcomed 93,000 visitors. In 2016, the 100,000 visitor mark was reached.

>>> EVENT IN DETAIL HERE !!!

>>> FORE MORE: Arles Photography Festival 2026: Dates, Events & Tips (Updated May 12, 2026)

 

 

Information: www.arles-guide.com, www.festivalenfrance.com, www.arles.fr

 

 

 

Cover: dgph.de