As Jean-Michel Le Boulanger himself says, the president of the Étonnants Voyageurs association, organizer of the festival of the same name, Étonnants Voyageurs, “it’s nothing, a festival. Just a moment, a long Pentecost weekend. It’s nothing and it’s essential though… So here are at least five good reasons to come and take a look (and more if you like), between May 23 and 25, 2026, in Saint-Malo, at the Palais du Grand Large but also at the Le Nouveau Monde hotel, at the Grande Passerelle, at the house of poets, at the Maison du Québec in particular.
1 Lebanon in the spotlight
A crossroads of histories and cultures, Lebanon is in the plural. Beyond the tragedies that are affecting it, this country resists and remains a land of creation that the festival puts in the spotlight. Small country in size but immense in its literary and artistic wealth. The former Minister of Culture in France and director since November 2025 of the Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour, Rima Abdul Malak is driven by a deep love of words, of all horizons and of all voices. On May 23, at 8:30 p.m., at the Chapiteau L’Escale, she will host a poetry club, a suspended evening to discover the richness of Lebanese poetry. To accompany him to the festival, a delegation of Lebanese authors “Souhaid Ayoub, Hala Moughanie, Charif Majdalani and Manal Salamé without forgetting the Lebanese Minister of Culture, in person Ghassan Salamé. During the festival, in addition to Lebanese literature, the public will be able to discover a host of Lebanese films in the company of those who make them. Danielle Arbid and Myriam El Hajj, two major directors on the artistic scene, will be in the spotlight.
2 An XXL youth space
This year again, at the festival, children’s literature will, for three days, be available in all forms, for young and old alike, a real youth festival which very quickly was full of participants, authors, publishers, illustrators but also many artists. Meet on Treasure Island, on level 1 of the Palais du Grand Large, paradise, during the festival, artist-explorers from 3 to 14 years old to create with illustrators and children’s writers. On the program, writing, illustration and creation workshops, as well as shows. Meetings with children’s authors and film screenings are also planned at the La Grande Passerelle media library or under the L’escale marquee, quai Duguay-Trouin.
The festival is free for children and teenagers up to 18 years old with proof. Registrations for workshops are taken every morning, from 9:30 a.m., at Treasure Island, limited to one workshop per day and per child. On site, the Treasure Island daycare is open continuously from Saturday to Monday, from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Palais du Grand Large, to welcome children aged 3 to 14, supervised by the Mange-Livres team. Available, a nursery area, changing and breastfeeding and everything needed to heat meals for the youngest.
3 A series of exceptional meetings around history
At the Saint-Malo festival, the public also has an encounter with history. The writer and producer of France Inter, Philippe Collin, surrounded by his team, will offer a series of exceptional events around history including an exceptional show on Saturday May 23, at 8:30 p.m., at the theater in Saint-Servan. “Alfred Dreyfus, the fight of the Republic” is an adaptation of the original France Inter podcast, written and narrated by Philippe Colin. This show tells the story of a legal plot that reshaped French society in the 20th century.
4 Free for under 18s
In addition to being a place of meetings and discoveries, the Festival Étonnants Voyageurs is an excellent excuse (if one is needed!) to read, to inspire, to arouse the desire to read, at all ages. Also, the festival is free for children and teenagers up to 18 years old with proof. As Jean-Michel Le Boulanger recalled, “around the world, we must join forces to continue to attract the attention of young people to books. Étonnants Voyageurs is a festival that does not intend to let go of anything in its relationship with young people. During the three days, everything is done to ensure that the public is there. To wait in queues, readings will be offered this year in the public space in addition to coffee and gavottes! HAS”
5 Activities outside the walls
The organizing association of the Étonnants Voyageurs festival has set itself, among other new objectives, for the next three years, “that of being more present in Saint-Malo in new places with proposals for new audiences” announced its president Jean-Michel Le Boulanger. If most of the festival is concentrated on Quai Duguay-Trouin, between the Palais du Grand Large and the L’Escale marquee, meetings will be offered at the Maison des Poètes et des Écrivain, 5 rue du Pélicot, salle Sainte-Anne, 12 rue Sainte-Anne, at the Maison du Québec, 2 place du Quebec, at the L’Hermine theater, 6 place Bouvet, in Saint-Servan. Comic workshops will be offered at La Manufacture, film screenings at Le Vauban cinema. The exhibition “A fertile chaos” by Brecht Evens can be discovered at the 4th place etc, etc. The entire program is online on the Festival Étonnants Voyageurs website.
