The Avignon Festival – one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious performing arts events – celebrated its 79th edition in July 2025 with a special focus on the Arabic language as guest of honour. For the first time in its 79-year history, the festival’s programme prominently featured performances in Arabic, showcasing artists from across the Arab world. Amid this culturally rich setting in southeastern France, Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission made its inaugural appearance at Festival Off Avignon, marking a historic moment of Saudi-French cultural exchange.
Festival Off Avignon 2025: a historic stage embraces Arabic
Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, the Avignon Festival (Festival d’Avignon) has grown into a cornerstone of global theatre and live performance. Every July, hundreds of thousands of spectators descend on Avignon – the storied “City of Popes” – to attend both the official Festival d’Avignon and the sprawling Festival Off Avignon fringe events that fill its streets and venues.
It is important to note that these are two distinct festivals. The Festival d’Avignon is the official, curated festival with a central programme, often taking place in historical venues such as the Palais des Papes. In contrast, the Festival Off Avignon, which began in 1966, is an open-access fringe festival featuring independent companies from around the world and is known for its vibrancy and diversity of productions. Although the two festivals run concurrently and overlap geographically, they operate independently.
In 2025, Arabic was invited as the language of honour – a bold initiative by Festival d’Avignon director Tiago Rodrigues – celebrating linguistic diversity and bridging cultural divides. Previous editions had spotlighted languages like English and Spanish, but this time Arabic took centre stage, recognising its status as the world’s fifth most spoken tongue – and the second most spoken in France.
Due to the shared themes, some media sources have confused the two festivals, mistakenly attributing Saudi Arabia’s participation to the official Festival d’Avignon rather than the fringe Festival Off Avignon. In fact, the Saudi programme took place entirely under the auspices of Festival Off Avignon.
Saudi Arabia’s first participation at Festival Off Avignon
Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission concluded an impactful debut at Festival Off Avignon, running from July 14 to 22. It was the Commission’s first official presence at the event, and it seized the opportunity to present a comprehensive Saudi artistic experience aligned with the festival’s Arabic theme. Over the course of the week, the Saudi delegation staged an ambitious programme of 128 performances across multiple disciplines. This included daily showcases of four traditional Saudi art forms – Al-Khatwah, Al-Liwa, the Wadi Al-Dawasir Ardah, and Al-Khubaiti – along with one contemporary Saudi play: The Hoop – Le Collier by Ahmed Albun Himdah. The Commission’s pavilion effectively became a window into the Kingdom’s heritage and modern creativity, drawing curious festivalgoers into Saudi culture.
Arabic as guest language: a natural alignment
The Saudi initiative aligned naturally with Festival Off Avignon’s Arabic focus. By contributing Arabic-language performances and folklore, Saudi Arabia helped realise the festival’s vision of cultural dialogue. The Commission noted that the festival provided “a fitting platform for showcasing the richness of Saudi cultural expressions” at a time when Arabic was in the spotlight. The strong turnout and interest from French and international audiences underscored the growing global appetite for Saudi arts and stories.
Showcasing Saudi heritage through traditional arts
A major component of Saudi Arabia’s presence was a vibrant showcase of traditional dances and musical performances, which ran multiple times each day in the courtyard of Avignon’s Musée Angladon. Billed as “The Saudi Performing Arts,” this segment offered festival audiences a “sensory journey” across the Kingdom’s diverse regions. Four great traditional dances were highlighted, each introduced with context about its origins and cultural significance:
Al-Liwah: A communal dance with powerful percussion and the hypnotic sound of the surnay (flute), rooted in Gulf maritime culture. Performed in a circle, it unleashes “a collective dance of raw energy.” Originating among Afro-Arab seafaring communities, Al-Liwah showcases the historical influence of African rhythms on the Arabian Peninsula.
Al-Khubaiti: A festive, colourful dance from Saudi’s coastal communities (especially around the Red Sea). It draws spectators into a lively seaside atmosphere with call-and-response kasrah singing, the string melodies of the simsimiyyah (lyre), and bright traditional costumes. This upbeat folkloric dance – also spelled Khabiti – features distinctive turns and drops, and is especially associated with Hijazi port cities like Jeddah.
Al-Khatwah: Often called the “Southern Step,” this is a celebratory stepping dance from the mountainous Aseer region in southern Saudi Arabia. Dancers move in synchronised rows, coordinating graceful hand, foot, and head movements to a steady drumbeat. Romantic Nabati poetry is chanted in tandem, giving the performance an elegant, poetic character. The dance’s simple yet captivating steps—performed with swords or daggers in some variants—have even become a social media sensation for their beauty and inclusivity across ages.
Ardah (Wadi Al-Dawasir variant): A local form of the famed Saudi sword dance (Ardah) from the Najd region’s Wadi Al-Dawasir valley. It embodies an ancestral warrior spirit, with rows of men in traditional dress carrying swords and singing poetry in unison. Accompanied by martial drums and tabl beats, the performers brandish their swords in rhythm, answering the calls of a poet-chanter. This powerful display – inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – “resonates with […] martial drums, glittering swords, and powerful chants.”
Performers from Saudi Arabia showcased these traditional dances during the Festival Off Avignon’s “Saudi Performing Arts” segment, offering French audiences a window into the Kingdom’s heritage. Each of these performances was met with curiosity and enthusiasm by festival crowds. Staged in an open-air courtyard setting, the shows encouraged audience engagement – visitors clapped along to drum rhythms, and some even joined impromptu dance lines. The programme was purposefully designed to be “accessible to all audiences.” Before each routine, Saudi troupe members gave a short introduction about the dance’s history, ensuring the cultural context was shared. The live musical accompaniment (from booming drums to reed flutes and chanting) created an immersive atmosphere that one local newspaper described as “un voyage sensoriel en Arabie saoudite” – a sensory journey to Saudi Arabia. Over the festival week, a total of 128 such traditional performances were delivered, reflecting the Commission’s commitment to highlighting the rich diversity of Saudi heritage on the world stage.
“Tawq”: Saudi Contemporary Theater Makes a Mark
In addition to folklore, Saudi Arabia brought contemporary theatre to Avignon in the form of “Tawq” – an original Saudi play that ran for eight performances during the festival titled “The Hoop” (Le Cercle). Tawq (Arabic for “collar” or “ring”) is a modern dramatic work that offered French audiences a rare glimpse of the burgeoning Saudi theater scene. It was written and produced under the Commission’s STAR Program, an initiative supporting local theatrical productions, and notably earned the Best Contemporary Performance Award at the Riyadh Theater Festival in 2024. Such accolades had built anticipation for its international debut in Avignon.
Directed by Saudi playwright Fahad Al-Dossari, Tawq features a talented young cast including actors Ahmed Al-Zekrallah, Fatima Al-Jishi, Maryam Hussein, Abdulaziz Al-Zayani, Khaled Al-Huwaidi, and Shahab Al-Shahab. The play’s narrative delves into contemporary social themes (the specifics of its story were new to Avignon’s audiences, who experienced it through Arabic dialogue with likely French surtitles). Despite any language barrier, the production captivated attendees – a testament to what Al-Dossari calls the “universal language” of theatre. Tawq’s performances in Avignon drew large, full-capacity audiences and “enthusiastic responses from French and international attendees,” according to the Saudi Commission Many festival-goers, some encountering Saudi drama for the first time, praised the play’s emotional depth and the actors’ compelling stage presence.
Director Fahad Al-Dossari highlighted the significance of this moment. Participating in Avignon, he said, was like opening a “window to the world” for Saudi theater. “For me, any theatrical work is an integrated work – the harmony between all the elements, from idea and direction to performance and scenography, is what creates its strength,” Al-Dossari told Arab News, underscoring the professional caliber to which Saudi theatre aspires. He noted that bringing Tawq to an esteemed international festival validated the creative strides happening back home. It also allowed the team to network with global theatre-makers and gauge their work against international standards. The positive reception in Avignon reinforced Al-Dossari’s belief that Saudi stories can resonate abroad: “the language of theater transcends borders,” he said, “conveying messages and cultural narratives” that different audiences can connect with.
Cultural Exchange and Reception in France
Saudi Arabia’s multifaceted participation at Avignon 2025 was widely seen as a cultural diplomacy success. Throughout the festival, the Saudi pavilion became a hub of exchange – French spectators and artists mingled with Saudi performers after shows, often lingering to ask questions or share impressions. The enthusiasm of audiences was evident: traditional dance sessions ended with applause and calls for encores, and Tawq’s cast received standing ovations on multiple nights. This warm reception “underscored the growing global interest in the Saudi cultural scene,” as noted by the Saudi Commission. For many festival attendees, it was a first encounter with Saudi Arabia’s heritage beyond the headlines – experiencing its music, dance, and drama in person helped humanize and deepen understanding of the Kingdom’s culture.
French cultural observers also welcomed the Saudi presence. Local media in Provence highlighted the Saudi show as “a journey across Saudi Arabia” that added color and diversity to the festival. The Avignon Off Festival organizers had only introduced the concept of international “guests of honor” in recent years (with countries like Taiwan and Brazil given spotlight in the fringe festival). Saudi Arabia’s contribution – under the main festival’s Arabic theme – complemented this trend by fostering people-to-people connection. Visitors could enjoy an Afternoon of Saudi folklore then an evening Arabic play from Lebanon or Tunisia, all in the same festival, creating a rich tapestry of the Arabic-speaking world’s arts. “It stands as a testament to the dynamic cultural landscape of Saudi Arabia and its dedication to sharing its artistic heritage with the world,” wrote one review of the Saudi program.
Saudi officials have emphasized that such cultural showcases are part of a broader strategy to expand the international presence of Saudi art. The Theater and Performing Arts Commission – established under Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture – has been actively supporting artists to perform abroad, whether at global expos, touring exhibitions, or festivals like Avignon. Programs like the STAR initiative, which incubated Tawq, aim to elevate Saudi performing arts to a level where they can confidently engage global audiences. The success in Avignon provided a morale boost and learning experience for the Saudi artists involved, exposing them to new influences and feedback. “This important participation,” said Al-Dossari, “is what we seek – to show our stories and talents in a universal forum”.
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