Biot International Glass Festival 2026: when glass becomes art through fire, creativity and tradition

For three days, Biot, in the Alpes-Maritimes, will once again become one of Europe’s capitals of glass art. From September 18 to 20, 2026, the French village will host the fifth edition of the Biot International Glass Festival (BIG), an event bringing together artists and master glassmakers from around the world to showcase one of the most fascinating traditional crafts through live demonstrations, performances and activities open to the public.

Admission to the festival is free, and the event will transform Biot’s historic centre and glass workshops into a large-scale celebration of creativity. Nearly 200 artists and glassmaking professionals will take part in the 2026 edition, in a programme designed to bring visitors closer to the material and, above all, to the techniques required to transform it.

Glassmaking comes to life in front of the public

The appeal of the Biot International Glass Festival lies first and foremost in the opportunity to watch molten glass being shaped live. Furnaces will be fired up and master glassmakers will demonstrate the different stages of the process, from the molten material to the creation of objects and forms through blowing, rotating and shaping.

It is a chance to observe techniques rooted in an ancient tradition while discovering how contemporary artists continue to reinterpret them.

Visitors will not simply be spectators. Among the experiences offered by the festival will be the opportunity to try blowing their own glass bubble, allowing them to come directly into contact with a craft that is normally experienced only inside specialised workshops.

From ancient techniques to contemporary creativity

One of the most fascinating aspects of BIG 2026 will be its journey through the history of glassmaking. Atelier Cobalt will recreate techniques used by some of the earliest glassmakers during the Iron Age and Antiquity.

The demonstrations will use a clay furnace heated to temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius, recreating the conditions in which objects such as beads and bracelets were produced.

The result will be an open-air historical workshop where visitors can discover just how ancient some of the techniques still used in artisanal glassmaking today really are.

The festival will therefore create a dialogue between past and present: on one side, the rediscovery of processes developed by ancient civilisations; on the other, the experimentation of contemporary artists who use glass as a medium for artistic expression.

When glass meets pastry

The 2026 edition will also explore the connection between glass art and pastry-making. At first glance, the combination may seem unusual, but both disciplines share a strong emphasis on precision, craftsmanship and manual skill.

Stéphane Chion, a pastry chef and glassmaker from Biot, will demonstrate how sugar can be blown and shaped using techniques inspired by traditional glassmaking.

Pastry chef Arnaud Filbet, from the Plaza Athénée in Paris, will also take part in a demonstration dedicated to sugar. The material will be worked and shaped until it takes on a crystal-like appearance, creating a fascinating encounter between high-end pastry and the arts of fire.

A festival celebrating Biot’s identity

The Biot International Glass Festival is not simply an event for specialists. One of its greatest strengths is its ability to transform a traditional craft into an accessible experience for a wide audience, bringing together visitors, families, art enthusiasts and the simply curious.

Throughout the weekend, Biot will become a large open-air workshop, with activities taking place in the historic centre and in the village’s glass workshops. Glass will be showcased not only through finished works, but above all through the creative process itself: the heat of the furnaces, the skill of the artisans and the transformation of the material will all become part of the experience.

The festival once again highlights the close relationship between Biot and its glassmaking heritage, bringing the craft beyond the workshop walls and directly into the streets of the village.

Three days to discover glass art in Biot

From September 18 to 20, 2026, BIG will offer a unique opportunity to discover Biot from a different perspective. The programme will bring together art, craftsmanship, history and experimentation, with nearly 200 professionals sharing their techniques and expertise with the public.

From furnaces dedicated to ancient glassmaking methods to demonstrations combining glass and sugar, the festival will reveal how a delicate and seemingly simple material can be transformed, through human skill and creativity, into a work of art.

For anyone looking for an original event on the French Riviera in September 2026, the Biot International Glass Festival is certainly one to mark on the calendar: three days celebrating fire, craftsmanship and creativity, with Biot once again showcasing its deep connection to the world of glass.