Cultural summer 2025: bringing culture where you least expect it!

Since 2020, Cultural Summer has been organized each year to give access to cultural life to those who are typically distanced from it—particularly people who don’t go away on holiday. As the Ministry of Culture notes, special attention is paid to rural areas and priority neighborhoods in urban settings.

Moments of exchange, discovery, and wonder

Cultural Summer transforms the holiday season into “a time for encounters between artists, audiences, and communities,” with a programme spread across mainland France and the overseas territories.

In 2024, no fewer than 2,400 events brought culture to all corners of the country—and especially to places “where no one expects it.” That’s the mission of the operation: to meet people “where they are—on a village square, in a city neighborhood, a community center, or even poolside at a campsite!” The Ministry emphasizes that this year’s edition returns with the same goal: to offer moments of exchange, discovery, and wonder across the whole of France.Des moments d’échange, de découverte et d’émerveillement 

Bringing more value to local heritage

In 2025, the initiative will move even closer to the public by offering an even broader range of free cultural activities. More than 500 campsites will host Cultural Summer events. All kinds of accommodations are included—from unclassified campsites to four- and five-star resorts. This new component, developed in partnership with the National Federation of Outdoor Hospitality, also aims to highlight local heritage through collaborations with the Centre des monuments nationaux. Planned activities include the distribution of game and book kits on art history, youth short story collections published by the Centre national du Livre, and opportunities for musical practice and discovery.

A 50-concert summer tour

But there’s more than heritage on the programme—live performance is a central part of the season too. This summer, the Jeunesses Musicales de France will tour campsites across the country with 50 concerts performed by young, local musicians. As the Ministry of Culture notes, the initiative draws on musical groups and artists from each region: Harmattan Brothers and Tonycello in Hauts-de-France, Les Géantes in Brittany, and Potsikei in Centre-Val de Loire, among others.

Reaching rural areas and embracing regional diversity is a key focus of the programme. Across France, the national network of rural cultural centers (Foyers Ruraux) will offer a wide array of cultural events, youth programming, and media literacy activities, particularly in regions like Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Grand Est, and Pays de la Loire.Une tournée de 50 concerts

A springboard for recent arts graduates

Cultural Summer is also “a springboard for the professional integration of young artists,” most of whom are recent graduates from higher education institutions in the arts and culture sector.

Across the country, these young artists are supported through a variety of initiatives. 

• In the Grand Est region, the “Jeunes Estivants” programme supports young artists working in rural residencies.
• In other areas, youth authors and illustrators take part in “Estivants du Livre,” an artist residency project organized in partnership with local library networks.
• In Normandy, the “Soudain l’été prochain” project offers visual artists—including those working in design and audiovisual arts—a chance to participate in summer residencies.