Paris: 48th Taize European Youth Meeting opens

From 28 December 2025 to 1 January 2026, the 48th European Youth Meeting is taking place in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Organised by the ecumenical Taizé Community, this five-day Meeting brings together young Europeans aged 18 to 35, at the invitation of local churches and in close collaboration with the civil authorities.

The European Meeting is bringing together around 15,000 young people, including 10,000 aged 18 to 35 from all over Europe and around 5,000 from Paris and the Île-de-France region. It is being held in the French capital at the invitation of Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, the bishops of the Île-de-France region, and Protestant and Orthodox leaders at the national and local levels.

Against a backdrop of war, geopolitical tensions and polarisation, this gathering will send a strong message of peace, reconciliation and unity. Young people and church leaders from different Christian denominations - Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Eastern Churches- will together send a strong signal of dialogue and unity. Common prayers will take place in the morning in the 150 host parishes throughout the region, at midday in the major Parisian churches (see map below) and on the evenings of 30 and 31 December at the Accor Arena in Paris Bercy.

Thousands of families will open their doors, welcoming young people into their homes in Paris and throughout the region. More than 170 speakers will lead workshops on current topics: faith and spirituality, solidarity and ecology, justice and peace, art and culture, combining civic reflection and personal commitment. New Year's Eve will be a time of prayer for peace and intercultural encounters in the host parishes - an original way to celebrate the New Year in a spirit of celebration and fraternity.

For more information see: www.taize.fr