Béjaïa International Theatre Festival 2026 Kicks Off With New Competitive Format: Full Programme, Performances, and Dates
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The Arab Post
- . October 16, 2026
- . Update: October 16, 2026 3:53 pm
The 15th edition of Béjaïa International Theatre Festival 2026 (FITB) has officially kicked off at the Abdelmalek Bouguermouh Regional Theatre in Algeria. Béjaïa Theatre Festival, The nine-day event runs from October 15 to 23 and for the first time ever an official international competition for seven theatre troupes from three continents is to be held to win the newly created Gouraya Trophy.
The 15th Béjaïa International Theatre Festival 2026 has officially kicked off in the north of Algeria from Thursday, October 15 to Friday, October 23. This year’s milestone edition will be held mainly in the Abdelmalek Bouguermouh Regional Theatre, while it has been important to welcome this year an official international competition between the countries that participate in the festival.
Seven Troupes Compete for the Gouraya Trophy Competition
The festival, which is based on the theme “Theatre and the City” (Le théâtre et la cité) has named Lebanon its guest of honor, with a special tribute to renowned Lebanese actor and director Kassem Istanbouli. The annual fall event is also a major stage performance and a forum for international playwrights, directors and academic scholars to engage in a strategic exchange of ideas, the Algeria Press Service (APS) said.
Seven theatrical productions – two from Morocco, and five from abroad – are competing throughout the nine-day programme, Festival Commissioner Ali Aissaoui said during a pre-opening press conference. As described by Horizons, each of the participants will compete for the first time in the “Yemma Gouraya Trophy” whose name is inspired by the famous mountain of Yemma Gouraya above the bay of Béjaïa.
Jurors will be giving awards in five categories – Grand Prix for Best Production, Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, Best Scenography and the special Jury Prize.
Algeria has two well-known indigenous film productions representing the country at the official selection, according to the Algerian newspaper, La Sentinelle. The Algerian National Theatre (TNA) is hosting the play Djanazet Ayoub (The Funeral of Ayoub) which was awarded the Grand Prix at the 18th edition of the National Professional Theatre Festival, and the Kateb Yacine Regional Theatre of Tizi Ouzou has mounted the play Lawhat El Dem.
International Performances and Off-Stage Programme
In addition to the main competition held at the Abdelmalek Bouguermouh Regional Theatre, the programme enters into the urban public space and the municipal space as well as the neighboring villages in order to make performing arts come immediately to the people’s doors. Italy is also sending its “Lupo” to the festival (the company Tir Opera Urbana will be there on October 18 and 19) as reported by Italian news agency 9Colonne.
In order to widen the public’s access to Algerian cultural events, parallel film and documentary films screenings have been organized at Béjaïa Cinémathèque. On top of that, interactive masterclasses are happening at the Casbah citadel, the Sarrasine Gate, the House of Culture, and other neighboring communes like Amizour, Aokas and Souk Oufella as well as street theatre, storytelling and children’s clowns and magic shows.
Key Dates and Closing Ceremony Details – Béjaïa Theatre Festival
The performances and academic workshops will be held every day until the end of the festival next week. Artistic events with some of the most important cultural figures will be held during the closing ceremony on 23rd October, which includes the final deliberations, with Ahmed Goum Hanini, Abdelkader Ferrah, Liliane El Hachemi, Aïssa Redaf, Hassan El Chafii and Zerrouki Boukhari appearing in person and delivering speeches.
The Béjaïa International Theatre Festival 2026 is a fusion of international competition and local street performances, further solidifying the coastal city’s status as a cultural hub in the Mediterranean region.
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