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 2025, the festival runs from July 7 to October 5.
The Opening Week of the Rencontres d’Arles 2025 will take place from July 7 to 13, 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.
Opening Week Program 2025
July 7: Official opening of the festival with the inauguration of the first exhibitions across key cultural venues in Arles, including the Espace Van Gogh, La Mécanique Générale, and La Croisière.
July 8: Special evening at the Théâtre Antique honoring photographer Nan Goldin, recipient of the 2025 Women In Motion Award, with screenings and live performances.
July 9: Screening of the documentary “Lucia Moholy, Bauhaus Photographer” at La Croisière, offering a fresh perspective on this iconic figure of modern photography.
July 10: Awards ceremony for the Madame Figaro Arles Photo Award 2025 and the Pictet Prize, followed by a performance by Wajdi Mouawad and Alain Willaume at the Théâtre Antique.
July 11: Announcement of the LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award 2025 and the Prix Découverte – Fondation Louis Roederer 2025, alongside a special Live Magazine evening.
July 12: The much-anticipated Night of the Year takes over the Cavalerie district, with continuous projections, live performances, and DJ sets enlivening Voltaire and Lamartine squares.
July 8–12: The Arles Books Fair 2025, in partnership with France PhotoBook, will host nearly 80 international publishing houses at Collège Saint-Charles and the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie.
July 8–11: The Tënk Documentary Festival returns to Arles with open-air film screenings at Cour Fanton, featuring a selection of rare and unseen films.
Highlight Exhibitions 2025
Among the many exhibitions planned, several stand out for their themes and impact:
- “On Country: Photography from Australia” – An in-depth exploration of the profound bond between Indigenous Australian peoples and their land, featuring over 200 works by 20 artists, including Ricky Maynard, Brenda L. Croft, and Tony Albert.
- “Contemporary Brazilian Scene” – As part of the France-Brazil cultural season, this exhibition celebrates Brazil’s artistic vibrancy, questioning its colonial legacy and spotlighting the struggles of Indigenous and marginalized communities.
- “US Route 1” – A photographic journey through the evolving social and geographic landscape of the United States along this iconic highway.
- “Revisions: Yves Saint Laurent and Photography” – A unique exhibition examining the relationship between the legendary couturier and the art of photography.
- “Nomadic Chronicles” – A visual voyage through the lens of Berenice Abbott, Todd Hido, and Kourtney Roy, offering powerful, personal views of the world.
Ticketing 2025:
- All exhibitions pass: €40 (online), €42 (on-site)
- Day pass: €33 (online), €35 (on-site)
- Single entry: from €4.50 to €15, depending on the venue
- Discounted rates available for students, job seekers, large families, and more
- Free admission for children under 18, Arles residents, people with disabilities, and certain social benefit recipients
- Exhibition opening hours: Daily from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Usually organized around more than 50 events installed in various exceptional patrimonial places of Arles, Les Rencontres d’Arles (in English the Meetings of Arles), each summer in July, intend to contribute to transmit the world photographic inheritance and also want to be the crucible of contemporary creation by the discovery of young talented photographers.
Thanks to a demanding programming (by Christoph Wiesner and earlier by Sam Stourdzé and François Hébel ) and a challenging public, the Rencontres d’Arles explore the current stakes of photography and attest capacity of this medium and importance of the figure of the photographer, witness of the world which surrounds it.
How to visit the photo festival: Les Rencontres d'Arles?
The main event is during the first week of exhibition with official opening of all of the events, in the city and in the Parc des Ateliers. During this first week the day end by a night screening in the Roman Theater..
After the first week you can visit during 4 months the most important exhibitions in the city and in LUMA and the Parc des Ateliers.
Les Rencontres d'Arles
34 rue du docteur Fanton 13200 Arles
Tél. : +33 (0)4 90 96 76 06
info@rencontres-arles.com
Official Web Site