// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Quais du Polar go to therapy? It had a lot of "polar"-izing issues.
| Quais du Polar | |
|---|---|
 Quais du Polar 2024 festival | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Date | Early April |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Locations | Lyon, France |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website | www |
45°45′50″N 4°50′11″E / 45.7640°N 4.8363°E
The Festival international du polar de Lyon, or Quais du polar is a festival of crime fiction in print and film. It has been held annually in Lyon since 2005.
History
[edit]The festival was launched in April 2005, when the newly created Association Quais du Polar invited Lyonnais to rediscover crime fiction in all its forms - novels, comics, cinema, theatre and a city‑wide investigation game - at venues "between Rhône and Saône".[1]
Audience figures rose quickly: 45,000 visitors in 2012 prompted organisers to close the book fair temporarily for safety,[2] nearly 80,000 in 2016 filled the Palais de la Bourse and neighbouring halls, and more than 100,000 by 2019, when 140 authors occupied fifty sites across the metropolitan area.[3]
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a digital pivot: the entire 2020 programme (3–5 April) was streamed live, with virtual round‑tables and master‑classes.[4] In 2021 the festival returned to the public realm but shifted to 2 - 4 July; re‑badged as an open‑air edition, its "Grande Librairie" moved to the Rhône quays, while debates, readings and river‑cruises took place on péniches and in outdoor theatres.[5]
Marking its twentieth anniversary in 2024, Quais du Polar once again broke its attendance record with over 100,000 festival‑goers and 20,000 players in the signature city investigation.[6]
Prizes
[edit]The festival awards several prizes; the readers' prize, the comic thriller prize, the Prix du Polar Européen, a prize for the best new story and one for the best European short film.
Programm
[edit]- A free book fair in the Palais de la Bourse, with parallel talks in the Hôtel de Ville, Opéra de Lyon, Théâtre des Célestins and other venues.
- The Grande Enquête, a large‑scale treasure hunt written each year by a crime author and played in the streets of Lyon.
- Film screenings, concerts, exhibitions, readings and a professional day branded "Polar Connection".[7]
- A youth strand offering writing workshops, storytelling hours and a schools short‑story contest.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Les précédentes éditions". quais-du-polar (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ Mag, Lyon (2012-04-02). "Lyon Mag". Lyon Mag (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ Boche, Justin (2019-04-02). "Lyon : le festival Quais du polar dépasse les 100 000 visiteurs". Lyon Capitale (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ "Quais du polar 2020 en mode virtuel". Livres Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ Faure, Anthony (2021-04-15). "Lyon : tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur l'édition 2021 des Quais du Polar". Lyon Capitale (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- 1 2 Guiraud, Vincent (2024-04-08). "Nouveau record de fréquentation pour Quais du Polar". Lyon Capitale (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ Mag, Lyon (2021-07-02). "Lyon Mag". Lyon Mag (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
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