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To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Nuit Blanche 2026 will transform Paris and its surrounding area into one huge artistic celebration on Saturday 6 June.
Under the artistic direction of DJ and activist Barbara Butch, an iconic figure in Paris’s inclusive nightlife culture, this anniversary edition of Nuit Blanche 2026 invites everyone to become part of the event. The theme? A “great celebration of love” conceived as an act of commitment to celebrate togetherness, diversity and the joy of being together.
This monumental edition features over 100 free artistic events, brought to life by more than 5,000 artists invited since the event’s inception. The main route, a seamless journey through the capital, is organised around three main axes:
Nuit Blanche 2026 is firmly committed to emerging talent, which accounts for 80% of the participating artists, as well as to gender parity, with a strict balance in the representation of genders within the programme. With immersive installations, choreographed performances and sound art, the city becomes a space of possibilities where art meets all audiences in public spaces, monuments and venues that are usually inaccessible.
> The programme for this 25th edition is constantly evolving. Many more venues and localities will be joining the festivities in the coming weeks to celebrate love in all its forms. Check back regularly for updates!
This year, art isn’t just something to be looked at – it’s something we build together. Two major projects are now open for you to leave your mark on this 25th edition:
The heart of the capital beats to the rhythm of intense creative works:
When the sun goes down, a whole new side of Paris awakens, offering unique and unforgettable moments. Treat yourself to a cruise on the Seine, thrill to spectacular shows, immerse yourself in the fascinating world of cabarets or explore the city's secrets on night tours. The magic of the capital is revealed in a new light, promising unforgettable memories.
Would you like an exceptional evening? Discover our range of night-time options and book your experience now!
Nuit Blanche extends well beyond the ring road with major projects that are easily accessible via public transport (metro and RER):
To discover all the artistic events, practical details and precise timings for this exceptional edition of Nuit Blanche 2026, please consult the official programme. You’ll find a wealth of information to help you plan your itinerary through Paris and the Greater Paris area.
The Nuit Blanche guide is available at Paris La Boutique at 29 Rue de Rivoli in the 4th arrondissement on 6 June 2026 from 10am to 11pm. Please note that in the same venue, the dancer Lia Rives and her troupe from the Janques Ibert Conservatoire will be giving a performance.
Nuit Blanche 2026 is putting specific measures in place to ensure that every visitor, whatever their expectations or needs, can enjoy a seamless and enriching artistic experience.
To help visitors find their way around and understand the artworks, a significant team of guides is on hand:
The City of Paris is reinforcing its commitment to a 100% inclusive event. Accessibility (for people with reduced mobility, visual, hearing and mental health impairments) is detailed in real time on the official website and in the dedicated guide. On 6 June, bespoke tours are available:
Nuit Blanche is also a family experience! A selection of fun, immersive and interactive projects is specifically labelled “Young Audiences” on the digital platform to allow little ones to be amazed straight away.
In keeping with the legacy of the Paris Games, Nuit Blanche 2026 is committed to high environmental performance and social responsibility.
Building on a historic 54.6% reduction in the carbon footprint during recent major Parisian events, the City is standardising its requirements:
Production, led by ARTER (B Corp certified), places circularity at the heart of the creative process:
The public is the key player in this transition: the use of public transport (Metro, RER, Noctilien) is strongly encouraged
Paris comes alive after dark, offering a myriad of festive events for all tastes. Whether you're looking for unmissable parties, the electric atmosphere of festivals, or cultural experiences after dark, our Nightlife Guide gives you an overview of the best opportunities.
Explore our suggestions and get ready for intense and memorable Parisian nights!
For its 25th edition, Nuit Blanche has handed the reins of its artistic direction to a key figure on the Parisian nightlife scene: DJ, performer and activist Barbara Butch. Catapulted onto the world stage during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this Parisian-born artist has established herself as one of the most unique and committed figures on our cultural scene.
As the big night of Saturday 6 June 2026 approaches, she has chosen to place this anniversary edition under the banner of love. More than just a theme, love is here asserted as a genuine political act, an inclusive manifesto and an invitation to turn the night into a shared emotional playground, open to everyone and all forms of diversity. A passionate encounter with the woman set to set the capital alight.
In a very intense mix of excitement, emotions, and, let’s be honest, stress too. It is a tremendous honour to have taken on the artistic direction of this 25th Nuit Blanche, and especially in Paris, which is my city, the city where I was born, where I grew up, where I made my mark, where I went to school. The night is part of my personal and artistic development. I’ve experienced formative nights in Paris, nights of celebration, of encounters, of freedom, and sometimes of resistance. And to imagine today an entire night offered to everyone is very moving.
Not at all. What’s really frustrating is not having time to see everything. We’d love to be at every spot where something’s happening, to be able to welcome everyone who arrives just as I did at my party at the Petit Palais, waiting for people at the top of the stairs. It’s frustrating not to be able to see everything, even though I’ve been working with the City’s team for a year. Beyond my carte blanche, there are all the associated projects, the city-wide projects, the 32 municipalities of Greater Paris taking part. It’s a bit dizzying to think that we won’t be able to do it all.
I think it’s on a different scale, but at heart it’s the same thing. When I mix, I’m telling a story, I’m reading the vibe, I’m creating a space where people can feel something together. Here, my playlist consists of artists, works and experiences across an entire city. What changes, above all, is the responsibility. When you play a set, you’re engaging a room. Here, I’m engaging an entire area, with a huge diversity of audiences. But it remains, I think, fundamentally a question of emotion and connection.
Because I think we’re sorely lacking it. We live in a very brutal world, full of divisions, violence, isolationism and organised fear. Choosing love isn’t being naive; on the contrary, it’s a deeply political choice. It’s not just about romance: it’s also about care, solidarity, encounter, curiosity about others, and joy as an act of resistance. In the programme, this means works that bring people together, that invite participation, that create collective emotion rather than distant contemplation.
I had a brilliant time working with the artists to think about their work through the lens of love. And I was also keen to create something very participatory, asking the artists to come up with projects that involve the audience, throughout the weeks leading up to the event. There is, for example, the project by the artist duo “Mr and Mr”, who are travelling across France in a small boat to reach Paris. In doing so, they are creating a link between Paris and the regions; they meet people who, even without any connection to Paris, will form a bond with the city through this encounter. It’s about extending Paris to the whole of France, saying that Paris isn’t exclusive. Most Parisians aren’t actually from Paris, after all. It’s a tribute to all the people who, even from afar, make up Paris.
It’s both dizzying and magnificent. A club is a space with its own codes, its walls, and a community that’s often already established. A city is alive, unpredictable, contradictory. You can’t control everything, and that’s a good thing. What I love is the idea that someone might stumble upon a piece by chance on their way home, or that someone who would never have set foot in a museum might find themselves deeply moved in a public space. Paris becomes a shared emotional playground. That’s the difference from a club, and that’s what I think is brilliant.
Firstly, stop acting as if not knowing these codes is a problem. The problem is often the institutions that speak an exclusionary language. I want people to be able to come without a cultural qualification, without preparation, without wondering if they’ll really understand.
It’s a welcoming programme, one that invites rather than intimidates, leaving room for emotion, the body, the collective, and surprise. Art isn’t reserved for the few. It’s for everyone. And besides, it’s everywhere.
Music passes through the body before it reaches the brain. A song can bring together people who, on the surface, have nothing in common. It creates a sense of community instantly. We breathe together, we dance together, we feel together, we sing together. The visual arts can obviously do that too, but music has a very special physical immediacy. A dancefloor is often a space for quite incredible emotional release. During Nuit Blanche, we’ll actually have a dancefloor on the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville, with Swedish Fit leading a warm-up, the majorettes, and then an Alt Shift projection mapping on the façade, accompanied by music and my voice reading a text about all of this. The synergy is complete.
Paris has a constant contradiction that I love. It’s an ultra-institutional city, very codified, sometimes intimidating, and at the same time a city that is constantly reinventing itself, with counter-culture and communities creating their own spaces. The Parisian nightlife has shaped me enormously. It has allowed me to rethink myself, to meet others, to find my chosen family. Paris can be tough at times. But Paris can also be incredibly generous. And I am proof of that.
My best night was the night of the Olympic Games. I was on the Passerelle de Bercy, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The Eiffel Tower that watched me grow up, because my father has lived right next to it since I was a child. I couldn’t help thinking about everything the city had given me. It’s a night that will stay with me forever. But there are others. The first time I DJed on the Champs-Élysées for the New Year’s Eve countdown to 2024: 800,000 people on that street, I was behind the decks with tears in my eyes. Everyone gathered together for the celebrations. I wondered if it would ever happen to me again. And it did a few months later, at the Paris 2024 Olympics. For me, Paris is full of symbolism. And then my mother was born in Paris, my grandmother was born in Paris, my great-grandmother too. When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell me stories about Rue des Rosiers, the Marais district... This city shaped me. I’m happy to be able to give something back to it.
I’d like it to say that Paris belongs to everyone. Not just to those who already know where to go, nor to those who can afford it. A night like this tells the story of a city that shares, that opens up, that dares to connect, and that makes culture a common good. That’s what interests me. And that’s what Nuit Blanche says about Paris.
Free. Always accessible. Bold, even. I’d like it to continue to surprise, to move people, to open doors rather than reinforce habits, and never to lose its popular appeal. If, in 25 years’ time, it remains a moment when anyone can experience a powerful artistic emotion without feeling excluded, then I believe that would be a victory.
Come and sing at the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. You don’t know what we’ll be singing yet - it’ll be a surprise - but we’re going to create a vibe together and try to touch as many hearts as possible for one night. Come and reconnect, come and meet one another despite your differences. We’ve plenty in common, that’s for sure.
