On June 7, 2026, Grand Nord Grand Large brings the polar community together for an exceptional day at Théâtre de la Tour Eiffel, in Paris. From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Les Nuits Polaires 2026 features films, talks and author signings around Arctic and Antarctic exploration. Mathieu Blanchard, glaciologist Heidi Sevestre, explorer Matthieu Tordeur and other guests will share their extraordinary expeditions. A program open to everyone, offering a chance to feel the intensity of vast icy landscapes.
A dive into the extreme Grand Nord Grand Large unveils the program for Les Nuits Polaires The return of Les Nuits polaires Polar nights disappear every year, but always return to remind us of the intensity and magic of these distant latitudes. On June 7, 2026, Grand Nord Grand Large, the polar travel specialist, is organizing the 2026 edition of its Nuits polaires at Théâtre de la Tour Eiffel in Paris, bringing the entire polar community together for a day. Discover a program infused with the spirit of exploration and the harshness of the polar world. Grand Nord Grand Large is unveiling the full program for Les Nuits polaires today: athlete Mathieu Blanchard, explorer Matthieu Tordeur, glaciologist Heidi Sevestre, photographers and authors will share their extraordinary expeditions through talks, screenings and signings, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mathieu Blanchard Mathieu Blanchard will present “L’appel du silence,” a previously unreleased 52-minute film shot during his participation in the Yukon Arctic Ultra in February 2025. Covering 600 kilometers on foot, semi-self-supported, in extreme polar conditions, he takes on a journey that goes beyond pure performance. Inspired by Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, his route becomes an inner exploration shaped by cold, isolation and fatigue. Across the frozen expanses of the Yukon, the experience turns into a search for meaning, nourished by the stories and resilience of the Premières Nations, ultimately revealing a form of stripping back and a renewed relationship with silence. The screening will be followed by a discussion with him. Heidi Sevestre, Matthieu Tordeur, Férial & more Glaciologist Heidi Sevestre and explorer Matthieu Tordeur will look back on their crossing of the Antarctique during their Under Antarctica expedition, combining extreme exploration with scientific data collection on ice and climate change. The festival will also welcome committed artist Férial, who will present her photographic work from Groenland, combining extreme landscapes with a sensitive perspective on scientific and environmental issues. An inspiring conversation will also bring together photographer Christine Dufossé, who has an eye disease that has drastically reduced her vision, and Vincent Dufour, Terres Polaires expert at Grand Nord Grand Large, who accompanied her in fulfilling her dream: observing polar bears in Spitzberg. PROGRAM 2:00 P.M. - L’APPEL DU SILENCE Mathieu Blanchard, a Franco-Quebec ultra-trail runner with a world-class record, sets off in February 2025 across 600 km in the Arctic Yukon. In -40°C conditions, carried by the work of Jack London, he moves forward alone against the cold, isolation and the spirits of the Premières Nations. A brutal and intimate quest. L’appel du silence. Duration: 52 min 3:25 P.M. - NORTHERN IMPRESSIONS Interview with Férial, a committed photographer who has been exploring the polar regions since 2017. Her slideshow presents images from the Arctic and Antarctic, bearing witness to the fragile beauty and climate transformations of these territories. Duration: 25 min 3:50 P.M. - SEEING BIGGER IN SPITZBERG A former motorcyclist and accomplished athlete, Christine Dufossé teaches people with disabilities. Living with retinitis pigmentosa, she takes as many trips as possible before losing her sight. At nearly 60, she takes on her ultimate challenge with our polar expert Vincent Dufour: observing polar bears by kayak in Spitzberg. Duration: 25 min 4:15 P.M. - SIGNINGS Signing session with Stéphane Dugast, Matthieu Tordeur, Heidi Sevestre, Gérard Bodineau, Nicolas Ngo and Férial. 5:10 P.M. - GROENLAND, IN THE WAKE OF COMMANDANT CHARCOT A geochemist from the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle and a climate journalist return to the fjords of Groenland, 100 years after Charcot, to measure the evolution of the Arctic climate by comparing samples taken from the same place. Duration: 52 min 6:30 P.M. - WILDLIFE AND FLORA Explorer and guide in the Arctic and Antarctic, Gérard Bodineau has brought together decades of field experience in a naturalist guide to Arctic biodiversity, species by species, to observe, understand and marvel at the Grand Nord. Duration: 25 min 7:00 P.M. - UNDER ANTARCTICA Six months after the worldwide success of their Under Antarctica expedition, glaciologist Heïdi Sevestre and explorer Matthieu Tordeur will immerse you in their 3-month kite-ski crossing of the Antarctique, in service of science and the study of rising sea levels. Duration: 50 min The polar virus Since 1982, Grand Nord Grand Large has been taking lovers of polar lands from the Grand Nord to the Grand Sud, from the ice of Groenland to the tundras of Spitzberg, from Lappish taigas to the Antarctic coasts. At the edges of the polar world, cold, silence and isolation are the real challenge. Each expedition is designed to unsettle reference points, awaken the senses and offer a path toward oneself, a face-to-face encounter with what is essential, turning every adventure into a sensory and transformative experience. Les nuits polaires offers a glimpse of this philosophy in an afternoon open to everyone: talks, screenings and encounters reveal stories of extreme expeditions, convey what it means to face the intensity of polar lands and invite you to imagine yourself there. PRACTICAL INFORMATION: SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2026 FROM 2 P.M. TO 8 P.M. THÉÂTRE DE LA TOUR EIFFEL - 4 SQUARE RAPP, 75007 PARIS ADMISSION: €10 PER SEAT Since 1982, Grand Nord Grand Large, the agency specializing in polar travel, has created unique expeditions in the most remote places on the planet, driven by the belief that facing the extreme means discovering entirely new sensations and encountering oneself. From the Grand Sud to the Grand Nord, it takes a handful of explorers across tundras and taigas, to challenge the polar ice cap and cut through frozen seas. So that, immersed in these isolated environments, everyone can feel more intensely alive.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Grand Nord Grand Large