Fiesta
Around the universal theme of the Party, this new edition is an opportunity to find new ways of coming together, enabling us to escape the increasing individualisation of society. We’ll be celebrating with parades, parties, banquets, balls and carnivals.
A highly varied programme – transforming public spaces, exhibitions, shows, theatre, dance, concerts, innovative events, participatory projects, literary encounters, debates and film – will enable every visitor, of whatever age, to share in the emotions, whether as a spectator or an active participant in the projects.

Why Fiesta today?
While it may seem like a kind of provocation to party in a world on high-alert (war, climate crisis, etc.), the very purpose of a party is to bring about a collective effervescence that acts as an antidote to the anxiety or anger generated by today’s world.
To have a “Fiesta” against the “Furia” of the world.
After these years of isolation and lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we can celebrate being together again and rebuild the joy of togetherness. A party restores and stimulates social bonds. Rather than neglecting the problems of the world, it is a celebration that is aware of environmental issues and the context.
In showcasing life in all its forms with the expression of bodies and living beings in all their diversity, a party is also a space for creation, and above all for freedom. Should we remind ourselves that it is in tyrannical regimes that we witness the prohibition of parties which are the very essence of democracy?
The party: a northern tradition
The reason for choosing the term “Fiesta”, which is more closely associated with Spain and hence the Mediterranean or Latin America for example, is to show how welcoming the north is, and how attentive it is to the south. What’s more, it is to say that a party represents an openness to the world, not the inward assertion of a region or an identity.
Fiesta: Three vowels and three consonants.
The party: A unifying tool
As in its previous seasons on a theme, lille3000 will gather together some major facilities, museums, operas, orchestras, conservatories and music schools, theatres, choreographic centres, performance halls and artistic communities to address this major new theme. It will lend its support to the districts of Lille, the municipalities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the Hauts-de-France region, working closely with them to build together a programme of joyful, festive and unifying events that will showcase associations, artists, communities and residents.
The purpose of these major events is to open up the artistic presentations to as many people as possible in order to capture audiences or, more broadly, populations who may feel alienated from the conventional venues of culture.
lille3000 designs the events it organises as if they were instruments for sharing culture, not only by introducing the local population to artistic creation in a very warm and friendly way, but also by involving them in a process of appropriation and creation, without compromising the excellence of the artistic presentations.
The party: A source of inspiration
« The sole source for the different art forms is celebration »
Georges Bataille
One of the interests of the topical lille3000 events is to provide a cross-sectional view focused on a theme. In this respect, the 2025 event is particularly fruitful because it has resulted in the mobilisation of a number of artists, often rarely showcased in France, who have taken over the “fiesta” in their own way.
It’s hardly surprising that this theme resonates in Spain, Portugal and Brazil (lille3000 is playing an active role in the France-Brazil season which also starts in April 2025) but also in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The 2025 edition is designed around major events:
- The opening parade in Lille on Saturday 26 April 2025
- Large-scale exhibitions
- Art in the urban space
- Participatory projects
Thanks to the success of Utopia in the summertime, we are maintaining the spring-summer dates. This allows us to strengthen the position of the city of Lille, Lille European Metropolis and the Hauts-de-France region as a tourist hotspot, as well as targeting residents who stay at home during the summer holidays.

About lille3000
When appointed European Capital of Culture in 2004 (Lille 2004), Lille and its region profoundly changed the image of the city and the territory as a whole. That exceptional year left us with incredible memories, such as the opening party, which drew a crowd of 750,000, the Parallel Worlds and countless transformations, as well as a lasting legacy, our Maison Folie art centres.
Driven by this amazing creative energy and the extraordinary popularity of the event, we were keen to continue the adventure through lille3000 to further explore the cultures and complexities of our world, with a focus on contemporary art, innovation and the future.
In 2006, Bombaysers de Lille helped us discover India, in all its rich splendour, at the meeting point between art and modernity.
In 2009, Europe took centre stage with Europe XXL: major exhibitions, 24-hour immersions, radical productions and new venues, including the refurbished station, Gare Saint Sauveur. Lille and the Eurodistrict celebrated the new dynamism of Eastern Europe, transformed since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 2012, Fantastic took over the city for four months full of surprises. Urban transformations, major exhibitions at the Tripostal, Gare Saint Sauveur and other partner cultural spaces, exceptional events and productions. The third major themed edition of lille3000 featured an intriguing programme, which transformed the everyday and revealed mysteries hidden in the streets and behind the doors of familiar places.
In 2015, Renaissance brought us an opening parade, Renaissance cities (Rio, Detroit, Eindhoven, Seoul and Phnom Penh), exhibitions, transformations, Do It Yourself, design, food, debates and innovative events, etc. From the historic Renaissance to 21st century evolutions, international artists explored the vitality of the modern world.
In 2019, it was the fabulous city of Eldorado, teeming with gold, as dreamt of by the Spanish Conquistadors. In an uncertain world, Eldorado encouraged us to look to the future. With Mexico as our honoured guest, we had an opportunity to discover the country’s immense cultural diversity and artistic vitality.
Finally, in 2022, we offered you Utopia, dedicated to Nature and Man’s relationship with his environment. The programme included exhibitions, urban transformations, participatory projects and conferences, as well as the ‘Caps’ trails, a series of walks which enabled the public to discover artworks in some of the lesser-known areas of Lille and the region.
Going beyond the major themed events, lille3000 has also offered an opportunity to showcase high-profile contemporary art exhibitions in one of Lille’s exceptional venues, the Tripostal.
This dynamic approach began in 2007 with the François Pinault Foundation (Passage of Time), followed, in 2009, by the Saatchi Gallery (The Silk Road), the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in 2011 (Collector), celebrating gallery-owner Emmanuel Perrotin’s 25th anniversary in 2013 (Happy Birthday, Galerie Perrotin/25 years), with 18 private Flemish collectors in 2014 (Secret Passions), then marking the 40th anniversary of the Centre Pompidou in 2017 (Performance), in partnership with the Design Museum Gent in 2020 (Colors, etc.) and, most recently, with the Vanhaerents Art Collection in 2023 (Au bout de mes rêves). These exhibitions offer an excellent opportunity to experience contemporary art. They bring together the biggest names on the international art scene with emerging artists, tell the stories of guest collectors and encourage us to consider the questions and indignation felt in relation to humankind and the world we live in.
Multiple visions of the future and the avant-garde are another recurring theme of lille3000. At the heart of this idea, the Futurotextiles exhibition has travelled the world in various forms since 2006, showcasing the rich diversity of new textiles.
lille3000 is pursuing and building on this momentum, attracting an ever-wider audience and offering a renewed programme of events each year, between spring and autumn, at Gare Saint Sauveur, including exhibitions, installations, festive and fun events for the whole family.