Shayma Helali opens the 50th Festival International de Dougga with a night of music and memory
Tunisian singer Shayma Helali headlines the opening night of the 50th Festival International de Dougga at the Roman theatre in Dougga on Friday 10 July at 22:00, preceded by the world premiere of a short documentary on the festival's century-long history.
The 50th Festival International de Dougga opens on Friday 10 July at 22:00 with a double bill at the Théâtre Romain de Dougga in Téboursouk. Tunisian singer Shayma Helali headlines the evening's concert, preceded by the premiere of a 20-minute documentary tracing the festival's origins back to 1920.
The documentary, Le Festival International de Dougga : cent ans d'histoire, un patrimoine millénaire, is directed by Fawzi Chelbi and written by Ahlem Ghayaza. Commissioned to mark the 50th edition, it sets out to preserve the collective memory of one of Tunisia's longest-running cultural events and pass it to future generations — making it a fitting curtain-raiser for the anniversary season.
The festival runs until 25 July 2026 across ten sessions at the UNESCO-listed Roman theatre, one of the best-preserved ancient performance spaces in North Africa. The wider programme includes concerts by Lotfi Bouchnak, Raouf Maher and Mortadha Ftiti alongside Egyptian and UK acts.
Tickets for the opening night are 23 TND. Book at teskerti.tn.