13 September 2022, 9.30 - 11.00

This session launched EFA’s 70 Years-On Agenda (formulated by the members of the 70 Years-On Thinking group), the EFFE Seal for Festival Cities and Regions and the International Festivals Declare Emergency campaign. Read more about Ready, steady, join us: 70 Years-On here.

13 September 2022, 11.30-13.30 & 14.30-16.30

In the 70 Years-On Conversations, festival makers talked and listened: The 4-hour session brought the voice of 4 dialogue partners under the motto ‘the unknown mayor’, the ‘unknown Europe’, the ‘unknown business leader’ and the ‘unknown artist’, a certain sense of idealism ‘broken down’ to daily festival making and management in the successive group discussions.

14 September 2022, 14.00-16.00

This workshop digged into different initiatives and presented best practices coming from the festival sector. Some of the sustainable initiatives carried out by festivals and cultural organisations were presented and discussed, as well as further ways to professionally work in a sustainable way in the cultural sector.

12 September 2022, 9.00-11.30

Cities from all over Europe, as well as civil society and public institutions from Yerevan and the region are invited to participate in the 3 hours conversation. The Festival Cities Meeting is a joint research, a common talk, a joint thinking among cities and civil society from the region on the question: how can we help to find a new shared basis for a better inclusion of people, citizens, and civil society in local politics? What role can the arts, and arts festivals play in this context

14 September 2022, 11.00-13.00

The session "Through the Looking-glass and what we find about the others (ourselves?) or the continuous segregation dilemma" is dedicated to encounters with festivals from the region: Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine. It will also unveil the festival duos formed so far by Joining hands and hearts, Festivals for Ukraine to see how important it is for European festivals to continue to collaborate with festivals and artists in Ukraine.

12 September 2022, 15.00-17.00

The Denis de Rougemont Forum is the format for festivals to pitch concrete projects in order to collaborate and co-produce with colleague festivals. We also looked into different European funding opportunities.