Avignon Festival selects Korean as the official guest language for 2026... First in Asia

[Financial News]  Korean performing arts stand at the center of the world stage. The 'Festival d’Avignon', the world's largest performing arts festival representing France, has selected 'Korean' as the official guest language for 2026.
According to the Arts Management Support Center on the 23rd, this is the first time for an Asian language and the only case for a single national language. They emphasized it as a "meaningful achievement that gauges the international status of Korean performing arts."


The Avignon Festival is the largest performing arts festival in Europe, initiated in 1947 by director and actor Jean Vilar. Every July, it showcases works in various genres such as theater, dance, and music throughout the old town of Avignon, France. Recently, it has expanded its genre range to include literature, art, and visual arts, evolving into a comprehensive arts festival. More than 100,000 people visit annually, and works introduced here often continue as international tours or co-productions, making it a gateway to the global stage for artists.
The 'Guest Language' program was introduced under the planning of artistic director Tiago Rodrigues. It is a program that introduces the culture and arts of a specific language area by focusing on its arts and culture. Previously, English (2023), Spanish (2024), and Arabic (2025) were selected. And for the 80th Avignon Festival in 2026, 'Korean' was selected as the guest language. 

The Arts Management Support Center is preparing a joint project with the Avignon Festival to showcase various aspects of Korean performing arts as the official partner institution for the Korean guest language program. They plan to expand the overseas market for Korean arts through △official invitations of Korean theater, dance, and performance works, △collaboration in literature, film, and visual arts, △artist talks and cultural forums, and △operating a Korean pavilion with the theme of 'Korean' identity.
What is particularly noteworthy is that many Korean works will be invited to the 'Official Invitation Program (IN)', the core stage of the Avignon Festival. Unlike the 'Off (OFF)' program, which allows voluntary participation, only works that have passed the festival's strict screening can be featured.
Korean works being invited to the official program of the Avignon Festival is the first time in about 28 years since the 'Desire d’Asie' project in 1998. 

The Arts Management Support Center stated, "In October 2023, artistic director Tiago Rodrigues visited Korea" and "was greatly impressed by the experimental nature and depth of contemporary Korean arts after experiencing the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF)."
Since then, the Avignon Festival and SPAF have maintained a close cooperative relationship. In 2024, they jointly promoted the 'Transmission Impossible' project, which supports joint creations by emerging artists and presentation opportunities at the festival. Also, the work 'By Heart', directed and performed by Rodrigues, was staged at SPAF, broadening the connection with Korean audiences. 
Kim Jang-ho, director of the Arts Management Support Center, said, "The selection of 'Korean' as the guest language for this Avignon Festival is a golden opportunity to introduce the challenge, emotion, and internationality of Korean performing arts to the world," and "Through continuous exchanges between the festivals of Avignon and SPAF, we will expand the ecosystem for the overseas expansion of Korean performing arts and broaden the horizon of cultural exchange mediated by language."
jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-a Reporter