On 20 October 2010 in Brussels, the European Festivals Association (EFA) invited for a participatory session “Festivals: Open Doors. Open Minds. Build Societies!” in the frame of the EU Forum “Building together a society for all”. The role of festivals in social developments was the central topic debated. This FestFlash presents some of the findings of the Open Space Session. Participants agreed: It is key that barriers to access the arts are removed as much as possible. In their very essence and with their manifold activities festivals are able to provide access for all kinds of audiences, making space and time available for a real encounter between arts/life, artists and audience. Most importantly, festivals offer artists a platform to challenge the audiences, to change their minds, to offer them different perspectives of life, to propose to them imaginary worlds, to increase their understanding of the other. Follow the key moments of the discussion in this short film clip and read the fifth edition of the FestFlash for more details on the session! Furthermore, the FestFlash features a series of projects and interviews that present concrete examples of how festivals indeed open doors: Flanders Festival International (Belgium); Berliner Festspiele (Germany); MITO SettembreMusica (Italy); Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival (Poland); Belgrade Music Festival / BEMUS (Serbia); Festival Ljubljana (Slovenia); CULTURESCPAES (Switzerland); Istanbul International Music Festival (Turkey); Media Facades Festival (Europe); and Traveling Notes (USA)! How to commit to “Open The Door” The European Festivals Association invites all arts festivals to commit to the initiative “Open The Door” at the dedicated website: www.Open-The-Door.eu. Festivals who express their commitment are invited to submit their best practice. Related links and documents: • Download the FestFlash of the European Festivals Association 5 / 2010. • Interview Juriaan Cooiman, Director CULTURESCAPES (2 July 2010) • Interview Sophie Detremmerie, Business Director Flanders Festival International Brussels (6 July 2010) • Interview Jan Briers, Jan Briers, General Manager Flanders Festival International (8 July 2010) • Interview Yesim Gürer Oymak, Director International Istanbul Music Festival (17 August 2010) • Interview Darko Brlek, EFA President, General and Artistic Director Festival Ljubljana (31 August 2010) • Interview Kathrin Deventer, EFA Secretary General (17 November 2010) • www.Open-The-Door.eu