La Nuit des idées

Launched in 2016 by the Institut français, La Nuit des idées (The Night of Ideas) brings together French and international voices from different fields every year to discuss the major issues of our time. Over the course of an evening, conferences, exchanges, forums and round tables, as well as screenings and artistic performances, are organized in around 100 countries around a common theme, which each venue interprets in its own way.

In Canada, the Institut français du Canada, in partnership with the Alliance Française network and numerous local partners, offers an annual Canada-wide program that brings together French and Canadian thinkers from various disciplines. Through a variety of interactive formats, members of the public are invited to immerse themselves in the reflections of a diverse range of personalities and take part in discussions. The goal is to circulate ideas and engage in discourse across the country and across the Atlantic. 

Night of Ideas 2025: “Taking Action”

In 2025, 10 events will be held in 9 Canadian cities around the theme of “Taking Action.” 

The Institut français du Canada, together with the Consulate General of France in Quebec City, the Alliance Française network and local partners across the country, invites Canadian civil society and youth to share their vision of today’s world and reflect on our common means of action in the face of the major challenges of our time: climate change, information and disinformation, memory and heritage, democracy and civic engagement, among others.

This Canada-wide program is made possible by touring French speakers and experts with varied and relevant experience on the theme:

• Miriama Bono, painter, independent curator and chair of the association organising the International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival.
• Rudy Reichstadt, journalist and director of the Conspiracy Watch website.
• Réjane Sénac, Director of Research at CEVIPOF, the Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po Paris.