Read to the fullest: the free literary festival celebrating Hachette’s bicentennial at Palais Brongniart

From March 13 to 15, 2026, the Palais Brongniart will host the "Grandes Rencontres Hachette - Lire à la folie" festival, a free event celebrating two centuries of publishing. With signings, talks, and workshops, this festival encourages visitors of all ages to explore the fascinating world behind the pages of a book.

In 2026, the publishing house Hachette Livre will mark its 200th anniversary, founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette. To celebrate, the publisher is launching the Grand Encounters - Reading with Passion, set to take place from March 13 to 15, 2026, at the Palais Brongniart. This is a free event open to everyone, dedicated to books. It will gather authors, publishing houses, and passionate readers or curious visitors for three days of activities and interactions.

Forty publishing houses from the group will be on site, offering festival-goers the chance to purchase books they discover during the event—before having them signed in one of seven dedicated spaces where writers and industry professionals from all backgrounds will be waiting for literary meet-and-greets. The program also features themed conferences tackling major topics such as the future of reading, the rise of audiobooks, and behind-the-scenes insights into the world of Astérix. Plus, don’t miss the masterclasses with your favorite authors.

Exciting exchanges are on the horizon, complemented by lively animations and interactive workshops. Visitors can look forward to contests, mixology demonstrations, quizzes on the French language, and even the chance to participate in the world's largest adult coloring activity. Kids are also well catered to with a dedicated area offering storytime, educational workshops, and meet-and-greets with beloved characters from children’s books.

In addition to these events, a heritage exhibition is taking center stage at the festival, offering visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the group's archives. Through an immersive journey, the exhibit traces the vision of founder Louis Hachette—from the invention of railway station libraries to the wider dissemination of knowledge—and highlights key milestones in Hachette’s history since 1826. Rare documents, correspondence from renowned writers, and retrospectives bring this history vividly to life.

While entry to the festival is free, visitors still need to register in advance, subject to availability.