Get your finest pen and your graph paper ready, the Great Dictation is back in Paris! After several grand editions at the Champ-de-Mars and in the legendary Oval Hall of the BnF, the Great Dictation is once again making a splash in the capital for the Festival of Books taking place at the Grand Palais from April 11 to 13. And it’s the little brother of the Grand Palais, I’m talking about the Petit Palais, that will host the event. Mark your calendars for Friday, April 11, 2025, with three sessions at 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, and 4:30 PM.
A dictation in a mythical monument of Paris
The concept of the Great Dictation is simple: to provide access to reading and writing for as many people as possible while celebrating French cultural heritage. And this time, the organizers have really gone big: the Petit Palais, an exhibition space housing countless treasures, is open to the public.
1900 World Exposition.See this post on Instagram
Of course, the event is open and accessible to everyone, whether you're a seasoned pro or a casual fan, in your forties, retired, or still in school... The key is to be ready to take on the challenge! Three sessions of different levels will be offered throughout the day: 2:30 PM for the dé...butants, 3:30 PM for intermediates and 4:30 PM for experts. Each dictation will be followed by a correction, and of course, it's 100% free! Don't wait to register because spots are limited.
Several hundred people expected
For this new edition of the Great Dictation, there are over 300 participants expected. Since its creation in 2013 by Rachid Santaki, a French journalist and novelist, nearly 180 dictations have taken place across France, bringing together more than 35,000 people in total. But that's not all; the Great Dictation also holds an impressively high world record: 1473, the number of people gathered on March 31, 2018, for a large-scale dictation organized at the Stade de France.
If you weren't convinced yet, know that this edition will be centered around discovery, featuring unpublished texts on the theme of...mer. It will be presented by Augustin Trapenard, host of the show La Grande Librairie, and Rachid Santaki, and broadcast on France 5.