Following a closure that began in November 2025 for extensive renovations, Toulouse’s Quai des Savoirs fully reopened its doors on Friday, October 16, 2026, marking its milestone tenth anniversary with entirely reimagined public spaces.
The cultural hub on allée Matilda used its year-long hiatus to construct a brand-new 120-seat auditorium equipped with 7.1 sound, launch a major immersive digital installation, and expand its signature autumn festival. For residents crossing the city this weekend, the venue offers a completely overhauled layout designed to bridge the gap between complex scientific inquiry and the general public.
Building the Agora for Future Debates
The centerpiece of the renovation is the Agora des futurs, a 120-seat auditorium engineered specifically as a permanent venue for dialogue between science and society. Rather than functioning strictly as a lecture hall, the space is built to host year-round debates, projections, and collaborative sessions tackling the future trajectory of science and technology.
The Agora officially opened its doors on Friday, October 16, kicking off its inaugural slate with a quantum physics lecture-performance by Julien Bobroff alongside the 4e Forum des futurs désirables. The venue serves as the beating heart for expanded festival programming, bringing researchers, artists, and makers directly into contact with curious audiences.
Stepping Inside the XYZT Immersive Landscape
Complementing the architectural changes is XYZT, les paysages abstraits, a high-profile interactive installation produced by the Cie Adrien M & Claire B, a Lyon-based company. Running through December 20, the exhibition translates everyday physical sensations into responsive digital environments where visitors manipulate grass, sand, water surfaces, and clouds through raw movement.
The installation relies entirely on visitor participation rather than passive observation, allowing both children and adults to alter projections in real time without requiring prior technical knowledge. Standard admission is set at 9 euros, with reduced rates at 5 euros, while entry remains completely free for children under six, social aid beneficiaries, and disabled visitors accompanied by a caregiver. Furthermore, the exhibition will be entirely free and open without reservations from the evening of October 30 through November 1.
An Extended Lumières sur le Quai Festival
The 12th edition of the Lumières sur le Quai festival breaks tradition this year by stretching across the entire autumn school holiday period, running from October 17 through November 1 under the theme “Nos futurs ensemble.” Operating within a fully renovated building for the first time, the festival offers an expanded catalog of open-access roundtables, outdoor screenings, and art-science encounters.
Among the most anticipated events is the Clutch nocturnal gathering scheduled for October 30, which incorporates vibrating vests to ensure full accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees. Additionally, the venue’s dedicated children’s space, the Quai des Petits, will waive admission fees on October 30 and November 1.
Located near metro and tramway lines at allée Matilda—with secondary access at 39 allées Jules-Guesde—the Quai des Savoirs operates during festival weeks from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays.
