Calendar / Blue Chair Film Festival
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Film Festivals in Luang Prabang
Blue Chair Film Festival
Dec 4–8, 2026ConfirmedBlue Chair 2026
Run by Blue Chair, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why go
The Blue Chair Film Festival, known for its first sixteen years as the Luang Prabang Film Festival, is Laos's window onto Southeast Asian cinema. Founded in 2010, it fills the UNESCO town each December with free open-air screenings shown after dark on a big screen, with the audience seated in the hundreds of blue plastic chairs that gave the festival its new name. The programme is drawn entirely from the ASEAN region, so a few evenings here is a crash course in the films of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Laos itself, a national cinema most visitors never encounter. Alongside the screenings the festival runs a Talent Lab for emerging regional directors and small filmmaker grants, which makes it a genuine industry gathering rather than just a projection under the stars.
When it runs
Runs for several days in early December in Luang Prabang, now on a roughly biennial cycle under the Blue Chair name (formerly the annual Luang Prabang Film Festival). Upcoming: 4 to 8 December 2026; a following edition is expected in December 2028.
- Dec 4–8, 2026ConfirmedBlue Chair 2026
- Dec 4–8, 2028ExpectedBlue Chair 2028
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The festival runs for several days in early December, and every screening and public talk is free and open to the public. December is peak dry season in Luang Prabang, cool and clear, ideal for open-air cinema. Note that the festival now runs on a roughly biennial cycle under its Blue Chair name; confirm the current edition's dates and venues on the official site before planning around it.
Getting there & around
Luang Prabang has an international airport and a station on the fast China-Laos railway, and screenings take place at a handful of venues around the walkable old town. Screenings are free with no ticketing, so the main thing to book is a bed, since early December is high season and the festival draws visitors. Check the official site for the venue list and schedule each edition.
Where it happens
Luang Prabang, Laos.
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