Lumière Festival 2026: tickets, accessibility and transport

The Lumière Festival runs in Lyon from October 10 to 18, 2026, across several venues in the metropolitan area. To build a workable itinerary, choose your essential screenings first, check the accessibility feature attached to each one, and only then calculate travel time. The program honors Joel and Ethan Coen while also presenting retrospectives, guests, premieres and live-scored films. Sales, availability and transport conditions may change, so confirm details through the official links before setting out.

Start with the least flexible screenings

The 18th edition uses numerous venues and honors the Coen brothers, according to the France Télévisions overview. Major events include opening night on October 10 at 6 p.m. and *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* with Zhang Ziyi on October 11 at 3 p.m., both at Halle Tony Garnier. The family Chaplin cine-concert is held there on October 11 at 10:15 a.m. All times are local to Lyon.

The schedule also lists an evening with Agnès Jaoui on October 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Auditorium de Lyon; Coen Brothers Night on October 17 at Halle Tony Garnier; and the closing screening of *The Big Lebowski* there on October 18 at 3 p.m. When checked, the official page showed sales suspended for opening night and the Prix Lumière ceremony, while other events had a purchase option. That does not necessarily mean permanently sold out: consult the official ticket page for current status.

Ticket prices

Regular screenings cost €8.50; accredited attendees pay €6.50 and children under 14 pay €5. Special events have separate prices. Published examples include €12 for adults at the Chaplin family screening, €16 for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, €19 for the evening with Agnès Jaoui, €25 for Coen Brothers Night and €18 for the closing screening. Specific discounted prices require supporting documentation.

The organizers recommend buying ahead and state that a seat is guaranteed only until 15 minutes before the screening begins. They also say tickets will be sold at the venue before every screening, subject to availability. Online purchases must be shown either on paper or on a smartphone; they cannot be collected from movie theaters.

Where to buy or try on the day

In addition to online sales, tickets are sold at Hangar du Premier-Film, rue du Premier-Film, Lyon 8e, Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and at Galerie photo cinéma de l’Institut Lumière, 20 rue du Premier Film, Lyon 8e, daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the festival. The festival Village is at Cité de la Métropole de Lyon–Grand Hôtel-Dieu, 4 Grand Cloître du Grand Hôtel-Dieu, Lyon 2e, from October 10 to 18.

During those dates, sales are also available at Pathé Bellecour, Cinéma Comœdia, UGC Astoria and UGC Ciné Cité Confluence. If a priority screening remains on sale, purchasing early reduces risk; for alternatives, keep two options that are reasonably close in both time and location.

What ST-SME, LSF and AD mean

The program uses ST-SME for subtitles adapted for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, LSF for French Sign Language interpretation and AD for audio description. The accessibility page lists 14 accessible screenings or events between October 11 and 18, with at least one option each day; some combine multiple services.

There are nine ST-SME screenings, four events or presentations with LSF interpretation and seven audio-described screenings. Delivery varies: some subtitles appear on the screen, while certain screenings use Greta, Twavox, La Bavarde or equipment supplied by the theater. Recognizing the code alone is therefore insufficient; check the stated technology and any preparation it requires.

For accessible screenings that appear fully booked, the organizers direct interested attendees to jdiaz@festival-lumiere.org. A venue may release reserved seats for the relevant audience, but only subject to availability.

Getting around without missing the next screening

Institut Lumière in Lyon 8e is served by Métro D at Monplaisir-Lumière and bus C16 at Monplaisir Lumière and Place Ambroise Courtois. Village Cinéma at Grand Hôtel-Dieu in Lyon 2e is near Cordeliers and Bellecour on Métro A; from Part-Dieu, the page indicates C13 or TB11 to Cordeliers.

For the Amphithéâtre at the Centre de Congrès, the listed routes are C1, C2, C5, C26 and 70. The page’s last-departure references are based on September 2026 and should not be treated as guaranteed October schedules. The official access guide recommends checking the TCL website or app for routes and live operating information.

Bellecour, Cordeliers and Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu, along with most of the TCL network, are described as accessible to people with reduced mobility via elevators. Check TCL for live elevator availability and accessibility along every leg. Between venues, allow time for exiting, walking, waiting and arriving before the ticket’s 15-minute cutoff.

A more reliable itinerary

Group screenings by venue or neighborhood whenever possible, and do not schedule consecutive events based only on film running times: introductions and discussions may affect exit time. Save the ticket on your phone, carry proof for discounted admission and, on the day, confirm the exact theater, ticket status, accessibility feature and TCL route. That brief check makes a large program far easier to navigate.