Looking up at the sky for Nuit Blanche 2026 at the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme

For Nuit Blanche, the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Foundation presents “Des étoiles et des peuples,” a free evening blending astronomy, the humanities, storytelling and lectures, in Paris on June 6, 2026.

Gazing at the stars is also about the stories civilizations have built around them... For Nuit Blanche 2026, the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme presents Des étoiles et des peuples, a free evening blending talks, screenings, theatre and storytelling around the sky, on Saturday, June 6, 2026. From 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., visitors are invited to discover how the stars have accompanied societies—from foundational myths to modern scientific tools—in a format welcoming to both young people and adults.

The evening, chaired by scientist and journalist Dominique Leglu, kicks off with La marche à l’étoile, a discussion framed by documentary excerpts about the voyage undertaken by astronomer Stephen Rater and director Boris Wilmart as they meet local communities and explore their vision of the cosmos. The program continues with À l’école du ciel, examining the symbols and powers of the stars in ancient cultures, followed by the show Imaginaires du ciel, led by storyteller Karine Mazel and musician Anaël Noury. Later in the evening, François Bellec and Pauline Zarrouk explore the role of celestial bodies in navigation, the discoveries and cartography of galaxies, before a second storytelling segment centered on an imaginary constellation.

This proposal gives Nuit Blanche a more scientific color without losing the event’s artistic thread. Every year, this free festival invites the public to move around Paris and its greater urban area to discover venues, works, and performances in a new light. For the 2026 edition, artistic direction goes to Barbara Butch, with a program built around love and the idea of collective connection. At the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, this link unfolds through the sky: what the stars tell us, what they have helped us understand, and how they continue to link cultures, knowledge, and imaginaries. All that remains is to lift your eyes to the sky...

The 2026 Nuit Blanche lineup at the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme:

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