What to know | Reference Festival Debuts in Paris with "FREIE KUNST", FKA Twigs Set for October 25 Finale Screening
The key details: The first Paris edition of Reference Festival, "FREIE KUNST", runs from October 19 to 25 to coincide with Art Basel Paris, bringing together FKA Twigs, Donna Huanca, Miles Greenberg, and others for installations, panels, and all-night music programs across four venues.
Organized by Reference Studios, Reference Festival is holding its first-ever local edition in Paris from October 19 to 25, 2026, corresponding with the concurrent Art Basel Paris art fair week. The theme for this edition is "FREIE KUNST", derived from the German phrase for "free art", encompassing immersive installations, live performances, in-depth panels, and all-night music programs scheduled to continue until October 25.
Archival event photos provided by Reference Festival, not actual footage from the current Paris session Image: Reference FestivalArchival event photos provided by Reference Festival, not actual footage from the current Paris session Image: Reference Festival
What is this event?
Reference Festival was originally known as the "24-Hour Fashion and Music Festival in Berlin", founded in 2019 by founder Mumi Haïati. Since its inaugural edition, the festival has expanded from the music sector into cross-disciplinary exchanges in art, technology, and fashion. This Paris edition marks the festival's debut in France, timed to coincide with Art Basel Paris.
Where is the event taking place?
The program is planned across four venues, including Dover Street Market Paris, Reference Salon, Silencio, and the Institut du Monde Arabe. Among them, Dover Street Market Paris hosted an Open House event and held a celebration party for Jordan Firstman's debut feature film "CLUB KID" within a space conceived by David Lynch. The Institut du Monde Arabe presents all-day live performances, music, and art displays.
Which artists are participating?
This year's lineup spans multiple fields including music, visual arts, and conversations. FKA Twigs is scheduled to present a film screening alongside director Jordan Hemingway on October 25 as the closing program, alongside a conversation session co-produced with Arte. In terms of installations, works by Donna Huanca, Dozie Kanu, Gabriel Moses, Kolya Nemoi, and Bjarne Melgaard are exhibited during the all-night club events, while immersive works by Eartheater and Josh Johnson set the tone for the Friday all-night program. Panel guests include Klaus Biesenbach, Chris Dercon, Isamaya Ffrench, Sky Gellatly, Tariq Krim, Chris Kulendran Thomas, Bettina Milz, Benjamin Paulin, Johannes Schön, and Miles Greenberg, among others.
What special programs are featured?
Highlights include a 24-hour experience co-curated by John Gerrard and Richie Hawtin. Michèle Lamy brings a ritualistic live performance, and GmbH presents a collection inspired by director Fassbinder.
What did the founder say?
Haïati stated that this year's theme aims to explore the combination of freedom and creativity today, pointing out that the studio has pursued this purpose since its inception and now hopes to gather its entire creative network in one place, fostering collisions centered around the concept of unrestricted exchange of ideas. Haïati further stated the hope to provide a space that does not require anyone to behave, noting that for them, freedom is a question mark at this moment, but this is also a necessary condition behind their creative work.
