Galway | Arts Festivals Summit 2020 - SUMMIT POSTPONED

The Arts Festivals Summit brings together 250 festival makers from all over Europe and the world each year.

The Arts Festival Summit 2020 has been postponed - check here for further information

Instead: a Cultural Summit for Hope in November 2020 - DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

The impact of coronavirus and decisions taken by the Irish and more EU governments forced EFA to postpone this year’s Arts Festivals Summit 2020 (27-30 April) in Galway to November 2020 (dates to be confirmed).  The European Festivals Association had to take this decision with a heavy heart and great thankfulness to Colm Croffy and the Association of Irish Festivals and Events (AOIFE), the city of Galway and all local partners and people who have shown their flexibility to invite us all later this year to Galway in the full trust that circumstances will allow. 

It was originally planned take place from 27-29 April in Galway/Ireland and is hosted by the Association of Irish Festivals and Events (AOIFE). 

The European Festivals Association’s annual rendez-vous “Under continual Construction”, the get-together of 250 festival makers at the Arts Festivals Summit comes to Ireland.  Galway has always been a place celebrating the community, the arts, science and story telling. On the western edge of Europe,  we come together  in Europe's 2020 European Capital of Culture to share our wisdom, concerns, artistic proposals, reflections. We also come together to speak about the arts and festivals, and to collect: surprising insights, convincing perspectives, strong proposals, valuable questions. Join!

Europe is under continual construction. Here and now. So is the world’s community. So are festivals.

Each of us individually, but also on the festivals’ and organized civil society level has a say and delivers a contribution to this permanent construction exercise.“Under continual Construction” is our guiding line, throwing light on all sorts of building blocks informing, influencing and enabling the work of festival makers: the world that demands; the arts that create; a festival that offers a platform; cities that host; policy makers who enable. We ask to listen to people that are inviting us to their universe of permanent construction and re-construction, of creation from idea to practice: artists, thinkers, writers, philosophers, academics.

We connect festival programmers to exchange on the insights of the latest artistic trends, we connect shakers and makers and invite to throw in the best of their potential to embrace the tasks and opportunities that are presenting themselves to us today: an alliance in full construction.

With inspirational presentations, eye-to-eye encounters, one-on-one formats combined with group – in/to – group conversations, cultural visits, arts and the obligatory Irish pub: the  3-days Arts Festivals Summit has something unexpected and expected for all of us: EFA and AOIFE members, the Festival Academy Alumni, EFFE Labels and Hubs, cities representatives and guests.

Registration is open