Month: March 2026

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LAUNCH OF THE 2026 FAA PROGRAM

© Robert Young

Festival Accès Asie returns in May for its 31st Edition and invites the Montreal public to discover a rich, multidisciplinary program showcasing artistic voices from Asian diasporas. Throughout the month, shows, concerts, films, visual arts, dance, and performances will be presented at various cultural venues across the city, offering a vibrant panorama of contemporary creation.

For more than thirty years, Festival Accès Asie has been dedicated to promoting Asian and Asian-Canadian artists while fostering encounters between cultures, disciplines, and generations. This new edition continues this mission with a program that explores plural identities, migratory memories, and today’s artistic imaginations.

“This edition, presented throughout Asian Heritage Month in Canada, pays tribute to artistic commitment and innovation. In turn, it reflects the Festival’s ongoing commitment to showcasing the full diversity of Asian voices and highlighting their impact on the cultural landscape as well as the emergence of new perspectives,” said Ziya Tabassian, artistic director of Festival Accès Asie.

Discover the FAA’s 2026 program here.

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For this 31st edition : a message from Artistic Director, Ziya Tabassian

Ziya Tabassian – Festival Accès Asie’s Artistic Director – © Pantea Pezeshkan

A Message from Our Artistic Director:

This year, the Festival Accès Asie celebrates its 31^st edition, continuing its mission to highlight the richness and diversity of Asian cultures through an interdisciplinary, inclusive, and accessible artistic program. Founded in 1995, the festival is the oldest in Canada to celebrate Asian Heritage Month and remains a cornerstone of Montreal’s cultural landscape, bringing together established and emerging artists from across Asia and its diaspora.

The festival serves as a true space for encounter, dialogue, and discovery, showcasing the voices and practices of artists from Asia and its diaspora across a wide range of disciplines: performing arts, classical and contemporary music, dance, theater, cinema, visual and media arts, literature, interdisciplinary arts, and culinary arts.

For over 30 years, Festival Accès Asie has celebrated the vitality and diversity of Asian artistic expression, fostering exchanges and collaborations with other cultural traditions. By connecting generations and disciplines, it has become a space for exploration and transmission, highlighting unique artistic journeys and bold, innovative creations.

This edition, presented throughout Asian Heritage Month in Canada, honors artistic commitment and innovation. It reflects the festival’s ongoing dedication to amplifying Asian voices in all their diversity and to showcasing its impact on the cultural landscape while fostering new perspectives.

It is my honor to present this year’s program, an invitation to explore stories, aesthetics, and sensibilities that shape an open and ever-evolving artistic scene.

May this celebration of Asian heritage be a time of sharing, discovery, and inspiration.
Wishing everyone a wonderful edition!

Ziya Tabassian – Festival Accès Asie’s Artistic Director

For more information, visit Ziya Tabassian’s website.

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