On the border between France and Spain, Hendaye is much more than just a town in the Basque Country. It is a place of crossings, where influences meet and perspectives come together.
Between the Atlantic Ocean and the slopes of the Pyrenees, the town offers a unique setting. Here the light changes, perspectives shift and every viewpoint tells a different story.
Towering over land and ocean, the Three Crowns shape the horizon. This iconic peak, visible from Hendaye, acts as a landmark. On its own, it symbolises what makes the area so rich: connecting, observing, crossing.
It is in this unique setting that a new cultural event is now being born: a photography festival in Hendaye, designed as a space for dialogue between images, artists and the public.
The Three Crowns Festival grew out of a collective reflection led by the members of the Argia collective.
Through conversations between photographers, one thing became clear: the Basque Country needed an event dedicated to contemporary photography that would both bridge the three cross-border cultures and be open to the world.
The idea was to create a cross-border festival where photography would not just be exhibited, but shared.
« We imagined this festival as a time for encounters, where photography becomes a common language between people, generations and places. »
Arnaud Elissalde, President of the Argia Collective
From this wish the Three Crowns Festival was born, a project conceived from the start as a human as much as an artistic experience.
It is no coincidence that this Basque Country photography festival has found its home in Hendaye.
The town naturally embodies the idea of a border. Not as a limit, but as a meeting point between three countries, three cultures and three ways of seeing the world.
Hendaye is also an inspiring town. It welcomed and influenced figures such as Antoine d’Abbadie and Pierre Loti, and today it still attracts artists and perspectives from many different backgrounds.
The Three Crowns Festival therefore makes perfect sense.
The Three Crowns are not just part of the landscape: they become the festival's starting point. They embody a founding principle: bringing three major perspectives of contemporary photography into dialogue. Three approaches, three generations or three visual styles, invited to respond to and challenge each other.
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The Three Crowns Festival has a clear aim: to offer a demanding yet accessible approach to contemporary photography.
Designed as a living space, the Three Crowns photography festival programme will be selected by the Argia Collective's artistic direction and will welcome three guest-of-honour photographers, joined by photographers selected through an open call.
This diversity will bring practices into dialogue, mix experiences and generations, and open up new perspectives.
The festival will offer different formats:
many opportunities to discover visual worlds and immerse yourself in photographic stories.
The first edition, planned for April 2027, will also be part of the bicentenary of photography, giving the programme a special resonance.
At the heart of the project lies a strong line: humanist photography, attentive to people, their environment and their place. A photography that questions borders, whether geographical or symbolic.
The Three Crowns Festival aims to become a lasting cultural event.
This Hendaye photography festival aims to be a place for encounters, passing on knowledge and dialogue. A space where visitors take the time to look, talk and understand images.
The festival will feature mediation with the public (talks, activities, book signings, portfolio reviews, etc.). It will also present a photography project created by school pupils.
Established photographers, emerging talent, amateurs and visitors: everyone has their place in a spirit of exchange and discovery.
The first edition of the Three Crowns Festival will take place in spring 2027 in Hendaye. Planned as a biennial event, it is set to become a lasting part of the Basque Country's cultural landscape.
In the coming months, the programme will take shape, with the announcement of the guest photographers and the opening of the call for entries.
To follow news of the Hendaye photography festival, find out how to take part or become a partner, visit the dedicated page on the Argia collective website.
Ahead of the Three Crowns Festival, in 2026 the Argia Collective is organising three photography events called "Crossed Perspectives", bringing photography into dialogue with History, music and journalism.
Stay tuned: the call for entries and the Festival's rules will soon be published on the collective's website and social media.
More photography articles are waiting for you!
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