"To provide readers with information that is clear, true and, as much as possible, rapid and complete." It was with this sentence that Hubert Beuve-Méry, founder of Le Monde, established in his first "address to readers" the mission of the newspaper, first published on December 18, 1944. For 80 years, Le Monde has striven to live up to this initial promise, which has rarely been more meaningful than in the current tense political and international context.
How are we organizing to achieve this? What new challenges are we facing? How does a newsroom "live"? For this year's edition of Le Monde's festival, running from Thursday, September 19 to Sunday, September 22 at our headquarters, we're offering a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper, meetings with our journalists, visits of Le Monde's astonishing building in Paris' 13th arrondissement, and more. And to celebrate our 80th anniversary, don't miss the party at the foot of our building. Come enjoy dance performances, concerts, and DJ sets, while tasting cuisine from all around the world, in an eclectic program open to all.
Firstly, we will host 10 panel discussions in our auditorium around major news topics covered by the newspaper over the years. Starting with Le Monde and the far right, journalists Raphaëlle Bacqué and Abel Mestre will look back with a particular focus on the political sequence of events opened up by President Emmanuel Macron on the evening of the European elections. We'll also be discussing climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1945, French cinema, the evolving place of women in the paper, or the American elections.
All weekend long, a vintage bus will bring visitors on a tour of Le Monde's former headquarters, from Rue des Italiens to our current Austerlitz location. And on Friday and Saturday evenings, we'll be offering a fun, informative and interactive quiz on the history of Le Monde. Test your knowledge of our news stories alongside experts from a wide range of backgrounds. Several Le Monde writers will also be present to share more about their investigations and reports, with Le Monde's director Jérôme Fenoglio acting as referee for this friendly match.
Eighty years of news also means 80 years of firsts. The first time Le Monde wrote "smartphone," the first "kebab," first "armistice"... Come and guess when and on what occasion these words were first published in the newspaper, with theatrical performances by the Nuit Orange collective.
Politics, international, pixels, books, economics... 27 departments and over 60 journalists will be present during the festival to answer all your questions about what goes on behind the scenes. You can also get hands-on by making the day's front page with newsroom director Caroline Monnot, take part in writing workshops with senior reporter Luc Bronner, discover the mechanisms of artificial intelligence, decipher investigative videos, and create content for social media.
Inaugurated four years ago, the headquarters of the Le Monde Group was designed by the Snohetta agency. This building is rarely accessible to the general public, but during Le Monde's Festival, we will open our doors to small groups, guided by Le Monde journalists or a management representative. This is an opportunity to visit several of the building's emblematic locations: the offices, the editorial conference room, the rooftop terrace and, as a highlight, founder Beuve-Méry's office.
For three days, the forecourt beneath the arch of our building will become the vibrant heart of the festival: a "village square" where visitors can gather in a unique setting, imagined by designers from studio 5.5 using waste from Le Monde's printing plant, which has been transformed into stools, tables and signage. In this space, freely accessible to the public, you'll be able to meet and chat with Le Monde's journalists, attend shows, concerts and performances, and more.
On Saturday evening, under the lights of Le Monde's arch, singer Yael Naim will give a unique, intimate concert. Music from all around the world will also resonate in the forecourt, with jazz that brings you from Rio to Manaus via Conakry by Amine Mezaache and the Maracuja quartet, and Brazilian popular music by Maïcé, with pianist Philippe Powell.
Dance and movement will also be in the spotlight all weekend long, with young talents that Le Monde is excited to feature. On Friday, discover the hip-hop virtuosity of Solal Mariotte, the unique performance of Olga Dukhovnaya – who single-handedly interprets the entire corps de ballet of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake – and the secrets of breakdance with Valentine Nagata-Ramos and the Uzumaki company. On Sunday evening, Brandon Masele and the Mazelfreten company will electrify the forecourt with electro dance. Circus artists Marica Marinoni and Juan Ignacio Tula will also explore the body, its challenges, its limits through their weightless Cyr wheel performances.
After the artists perform, the floor will go to our visitors. As night falls, Le Monde's forecourt will be transformed into a huge dance floor! On Friday evening, come dance with Club 2050, the eco-friendly disco-house-techno trio, Saturday with Mazelfreten's DJ set, and Sunday, to close the festival, with our in-house DJ, Jean-Guillaume Santi, who will mix Britney Spears, Rihanna and Madonna like never before. On your marks, get set... dance!
Le Monde and the 13th arrondissement have been together for 20 years! In themed tours of the arrondissement with our journalists, Olivier Razemon takes you from station to station to understand what goes on behind the rails; Clément Ghys takes you to the filming locations of movies by Agnès Varda, Jacques Audiard and Christophe Honoré; Stéphane Mandard plunges you into the Seine (not literally) and the Bassin d'Austerlitz, the size of 20 Olympic swimming pools; Anne-Lise Carlo tells you the secrets of the unassuming Rue Croulebarbe and Tiphaine Thuillier takes families on a street art stroll.
Conceived by studio 5.5 designers Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc in partnership with Tetra Pak to celebrate the newspaper's 80th anniversary, 80 lamps tell the story of the world and Le Monde since 1944. Each reading light is eco-designed – in cardboard, newsprint and recycled Tetra Pak packaging – and printed with a historic Le Monde front page from the corresponding year that bears the stamp of current events, from the 1945 Armistice to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, from the first step on the Moon to the 1998 World Cup victory of Les Bleus. Previously shown at Paris Design Week, these 80 lamps will be exhibited during the festival in Le Monde's editorial offices, before an online sale open to all.
He's made the pages of Le Monde his raw material. For 30 years, artist Yves François has been creating what he calls "Erectibles": columns of paper, cut and recycled, similar to honeycombs. These sculptures reflect the passage of time and will be on display in Le Monde's building during the festival. The artist's other works will also be on display, allowing visitors to discover the full range of his work.
Throughout the festival, let Le Monde's food court take your taste buds on a journey. First to the Mediterranean with cocas, delicious, savory flatbreads filled with shakshouka or cheese by Odette, ma fille!. Then on to Asia and Africa with Savane & Mousson, which bridges the gap between the two continents with delicious bowls combining plantain, cassava and ginger. Then it's immediate boarding for Vietnam with Rolls, which revisits the spring roll, before sailing to the Atlantic with marinated shrimp or tuna tataki from La Cabane de Cape Cod.
Then it's off to western France with our partner Les Vins de Bordeaux, present throughout the festival to help you discover subtle and surprising wines that go well with all kinds of street food. And for dessert, don't miss the delights of the Tour d'Argent, including crêpes, cookies and croissants, accompanied by exceptional coffee from Terres de café, which will also be offering several tastings.
The tourist offices of Brazil and Turkey, our festival partners, will also be offering tastings, chef demonstrations and cultural and culinary exchanges all weekend long at their stands. Olive oil will be one of the stars of the show, as the festival Olio Nuovo Days – whose jury of chefs and personalities will award the prize for the best olive oil in the southern hemisphere on September 19 at Le Monde – will give visitors the chance to taste and judge exceptional oils.
The Le Monde festival runs from September 19 to 22, at 67-69 avenue Pierre Mendès-France, Paris 13th arrondissement.
Reserve your tickets here (limited availability).
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.