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A giant dictation organized in this Parisian palace in April

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The Editor

©La Grande Dictée / Festival du livre

On April 18th, a giant dictation event will take over the Palais de la Découverte. It's a unique opportunity to give it a try again, whether with family or on your own, in this exercise that is sure to bring back some memories!

Haven't you done dictation in years, or even whole decades? You might not have even heard the word "dictation" in ages! Well, April 2026 is going to be the perfect chance to revive some old memories. Join us on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Palais de la Découverte for a new edition of the giant dictation event, organized by Pilot as part of the Book Festival happening from April 17 to 19, 2026.


A special guest for this second edition of the giant dictation

Get your pens ready! On Saturday, April 18, 2026, three dictation sessions will be held in the Rotonde of the Palais de la Découverte at 2 PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM. And for this special occasion, none other than the

Journalist and literary critic Augustin Trapenard will host the afternoon. The texts will be dictated by the three authors who wrote them. Last year, this dictation brought together 900 participants from all generations.


Mental Health as a Central Theme

In addition to reintroducing the public to the joy and necessity of handwriting, the event will also highlight the connection between mental health and writing by hand. A remarkable 60% of people in France say that writing helps them manage their emotions. At 1 PM, a roundtable will be held in the Grand Auditorium of the Grand Palais on the theme “Writing Eases Pain”. The discussion will feature rapper and author Lord Esperanza, neuroscientist Marie Prévost, and the general manager of Pilot Pen France, Patrick Forveille.

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A 45 m2 booth will also be set up to offer visitors writing workshops focused on mental health with Lord Esperanza on Friday, April 17, and with Teesh on Saturday, April 18. There will be demonstrations of Hirameki creations — this Japanese technique that involves free drawing, following...t his imagination, starting from random shapes — will be created with Iroshizuku inks throughout the day.

Giant Dictation
Rotonde of the Palais de la Découverte
17, avenue du Général Eisenhower — 8th
Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 2 PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM
More info