The Festival Academy (an initiative of the European Festivals Association - EFA), calls for applications for the 14th edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers, taking place from 23 – 29 August 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden, organised in partnership with Kultur i Väst. Festival managers from across the globe are invited to apply here by 31 January 2018. 

45 participants will be selected for the 7-day training programme during which they will discuss various aspects of festival management with up to ten renowned festival managers (you can find the list of presenters during previous editions here) from pioneering festivals and outstanding art centres and institutes from all over the world. They will share their wealth of experience through presentations and give insights into programming festivals in very different contexts, as they represent festivals from various regions, disciplines and scales.

The sharing of knowledge on an equal footing and networking are key to the Atelier. The Atelier creates opportunities for festival managers to reflect on the true mission of festivals and on their role in a globalised, fast and result-oriented world, and to network with their colleagues world-wide. For the next generation of festival managers it represents an outstanding occasion to imagine innovative, pioneering, and creative projects and festival formulae.

The 14th edition takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden and participants will get to know the many facets of the city through local cultural players, artists and political representatives. Sessions will take place at various venues connected to the local community, hence the cultural life and context of the city will be experienced and analysed as part of the training programme.

All participants become part of the Alumni Network, which allows young festival managers to connect to participants and presenters from other training programmes, and supports them in their personal and professional development. After 12 Ateliers for Young Festival Managers, one special edition for festival and cultural managers in Shanghai, China, and 3 editions of the Festival Production Management Training, the network counts today 528 alumni coming from more than 70 countries.

You can have a look at the programmes of previous editions to get a better idea of what the Atelier is all about!

“We share fundamental human emotions and that's what keeps us going and connects us through powerful experiences. Essentially, the arts go beyond language and context and have the ability to touch every heart. History is evident of the power of collective human spirit overcoming the unimaginable. Many of us have echoed this through the week and it feels most relevant. (…) As artists and arts managers, it is our duty to engage in conflict against regimes that suppress knowledge that crosses physical borders and contexts, because conflict is a necessary ingredient for creativity.”  Virkein Dhar, participant of the Atelier Chiang Mai 2016. 

Find out more: Don’t hesitate to contact us on info@thefestivalacademy.eu, call +32 2 588 20 46, or visit The Festival Academy website and the Kultur i Väst website.