Quais du Polar

The festival is for all audiences: from bulimic crime fiction readers, amateur detectives, crime column fans and thrill-seeking moviegoers to curious passers-by, citizens well-informed in world affairs, party goers who love meeting people, and graphics and comic book enthusiasts… Whatever your age, whatever your gang, day and night, Quais du Polar is the place to be!

Why Lyon? 

Lyon is a perfect match for this event. What better host city than the birthplace of film pioneers the Lumière Brothers, as well as forensic medicine, anthropological criminology and scientific investigation methods? Lyon is a city with a rich past, particularly during the Renaissance, when ideas, culture and humanism were spread by printing, trade, banking and fairs. Important political ideas were developed here, while the city witnessed popular revolts during the French Revolution and the time of the Canuts, as Lyon’s former silk workers were known.
Today, Lyon is a  major city overflowing with ideas, culture and creativity, complemented by a wonderful art of living.

Quais du Polar is a local festival with an international outlook, which delves deeply into this rich heritage to share it with others.  

Finally, Lyon has just joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of literature (linking 53 cities worldwide)

The 2026 edition of Quais du Polar

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Quais du Polar

This new edition will explore the theme of Story seekers: Science and Fiction. A theme that delves into the heart of the inspirations of crime writers, including hard sciences, technology, artificial intelligence, medicine, history and the humanities. On this occasion, researchers will be invited to share their knowledge and exchange ideas with authors, with whom they share several commonalities: a taste for exploration, doubt and truth. 
Through this theme, the festival highlights the importance of evidence, reasoning and critical thinking. It reaffirms the power of stories to shed light on the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

As every year, Quais du polar invites you to three days of meetings, conferences, book signings, film screenings, tours, shows, games and many other activities.

The authors present in Lyon for the 22^th Quais du Polar

This 22nd edition of Quais du Polar will see more than 132 guests from 21 different countries in attendance. It is a world tour of writing that crosses geographical and literary boundaries.   

England: M.J. ARLIDGE, Matthew BLAKE, L.M. CHILTON, Jonathan COE, R.J. ELLORY, Nick HARKAWAY, Peter JAMES, Diane JEFFREY, D.B. JOHN, Thomas R. WEAVER 
Belgium: Sandrine GOEYVAERTS, Anne-Sophie KALBFLEISCH, Clarence PITZ 
Canada: Victoria CHARLTON, Shari LAPENA, Andrée A.MICHAUD, Robert POBI 
Denmark : Søren SVEISTRUP
France: Natacha APPANAH, Michel BUSSI, Laurent GUILLAUME, Bernard MINIER, Guillaume MUSSO, Franck THILLIEZ, Olivier TRUC... 
Italy: Leo GIORDA, Gilda PIERSANTI
Norway: Thomas ENGER
Spain: Víctor DEL ÁRBOL, Rosa MONTERO, Dolores REDONDO
Sweden: Maria GRUND, Karin SMIRNOFF
Scotland: Chris BROOKMYRE, Abir MUKHERJEE
South Corea : KANG Ji-Young, LEE Heejoo 
United States: Jake ADELSTEIN, S.A. COSBY, John LANGAN, Sarai WALKER, Henry WISE 
Ukraine : Andreï KOURKOV
And many more...

The full program will be revealed in March 2026!

A solidary festival

True to its commitment to being an event open to everyone, Quais du Polar has made welcoming individuals with disabilities a priority. Quais du Polar’s programme has also been made more accessible by offering eight conferences translated into French sign language, as well as sessions dedicated to raising awareness about books published in large print and those adapted for individuals with dyslexia. The adaptation of festival signage and the establishment of an accessibility hub, consisting of team members and volunteers reachable in advance by phone or email, have ensured an experience tailored to each individual.

Quais du Polar is environmentally conscious and has been working towards limiting its carbon footprint and waste production for years. All service providers and suppliers are local businesses, the festival limits paper printing, and favours train travel for French and European guests. For
many years, agreements with TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (regional trains) and TCL (Lyon public transport network) have been developed to offer preferential rates for regional transportation to festivalgoers.

One final thing: you can rest assured that the festival will be as welcoming and fun as ever; it couldn’t be any other way! This is evidenced by the event’s increasing popularity, among authors, booksellers and partners, as well as an ever more enthusiastic public.