News

EFA celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2012: the Jubilee Year at a glance

11 January 2012

In 2012, the European Festivals Association (EFA) celebrates its 60th anniversary. "60 Years On: Festivals and the World" is the motto of the Jubilee. To celebrate the arts and to imagine the world, EFA is going to set up a broad range of activities, building on the achievements and milestones of its long history. “Since its foundation in 1952, the European Festivals Association has grown into an open and dynamic network. 60 years of bold initiatives that aim to open doors to Europe and to the world. Based in Brussels and Ghent, close to where international cultural policy is made, EFA’s role is to support festivals in their important mission and to position the role of culture in Europe,” EFA President Darko Brlek underlines. Highlights of 2012 at a glance: On 26 January 2012 in Brussels, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Culture, invites directors of major European festivals to the annual round table “Festivals meet Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou”, at the initiative of EFA. One of the agenda points for the continued dialogue between EFA and the European Commission is the future festival policy at EU level – “Europe for Festivals – Festivals for Europe” – which EFA presented to the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education on 22 November 2011. EFA aims to highlight the role festivals play in contributing to European integration and to the recognition of Europe as a cultural project. The 2012 EFA Collective and Affiliate Members’ Meeting (CAMM) takes place from 16-18 February 2012 in Dublin/Ireland, at the invitation of the Association of Irish Festival Events. It is the key gathering for EFA’s 16 national festival associations and cultural networks which on their behalf represent more than 1000 festivals all over Europe. They meet to discuss synergies between festivals as well as related policy issues at national and European level. The first 2012 EFA Board meeting is to take place on that occasion. With a Jubilee Gala EFA celebrates its 60th anniversary from 23 to 26 May 2012 in Bergen, Norway, hosted and co-organised by the Bergen International Festival. Together with festivals and sister networks from all over the world EFA will commemorate historical milestones and reflect on the current state and future of arts festivals at large. On 25 May, the EFA General Assembly takes place. In 2012, EFA will organise the next edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers. A group of 45 participants from all over the world is invited to take part in EFA's intense training programme. The Atelier is especially designed for those who are working or have ambitions to become involved in programming or in programming related departments within a festival. EFA will team up with European House for Culture and its partners as well as the Access to Culture Platform (ACP) to bring the voice of festivals to the broader cultural sector. Partner events include the Berlin Conference; the “Conversations about day-to-day Europe” (November 2012); a series of so called “Check-stop meetings” with House partners (March, Rome; May, Bergen; September, London); the ACP plenary; and, concluding the celebrations of 2012, a networks conference in November in Brussels discussing the cultural component of citizenship, timely with the launch of the European Year of Citizens 2013. Next to a new edition of the bi-annual Members’ Brochure, EFA is preparing an anniversary publication. It will look into EFA's history as from its foundation and will highlight the milestones that define EFA’s legacy and the challenges faced by networks, festivals and Europe in the past, present and future. As one of its Jubilee actions, EFA brings together communication, PR and marketing experts of European festivals in the Working Group “Communicating Festivals – Communicating Europe” to extend discussions of festival issues within EFA and bring them to the attention of a broader audience. The first focus was set on the use of digital and social media in festivals. In 2012, more meetings and activities are to take shape, including the launch of a blog exploring, amongst others, the application of new media in festivals. The EFA BOOKS Series puts in the spotlight the role of the arts, culture and festivals in the society of today and highlights contemporary challenges. It contributes to and stimulates further discussion on cultural issues and it involves festivals in the international debate with politicians and cultural operators. In 2012, a new edition is envisioned to be published featuring experiences of nine women who look back on their festival careers. Furthermore, an online publication of the Asia-Europe Foundation, EFA and LASALLE related to the Atelier SINGAPORE 2011 will be launched with contributions of different generations of festival managers from all over the world. All news and activity updates can be followed via EFA communication tools such as EFA website at www.efa-aef.eu; the EFA multimedia gallery; the EFA youtube channel; the facebook pages for EFA and the Atelier; and the blog (to be launched).