70-Years-On Agenda
For over seventy years, EFA has been inviting for a continued agenda setting for festivals. The starting point for the ongoing and evolving reflections is the 70-Years-On Agenda.
Founded in 1952, in the aftermath of the Second World War, EFA aligned with the mission to rebuild Europe and the world through the arts. Seventy years later, we find ourselves partially standing in the ruins of that attempt. We acknowledge that culture has been both vulnerable and often instrumentalised by political powers.
EFA connects a wide range of stakeholders who embrace and advocate for various social, political, and economic dimensions and causes. EFA's mission is to unite perspectives and connect festival makers in their efforts to support artists and society.
In this spirit, EFA launched the 70-Years-On initiative in 2022, guided by a Thinking Group that developed an initial Agenda of 15 key points. This living framework informs EFA’s interactions with festivals, policymakers, media, funders, and cultural partners. It remains "under continual construction" and is updated annually to address current and emerging priorities within the sector.
To bring the Agenda to life, EFA hosts 70-Years-On Conversations, a series of online discussions where artists and festival directors exchange insights, challenge perspectives, and envision the future of festival-making. It is the occasion to listen, learn, question, and share perspectives from participating festivals, leading to lively and passionate debates. Notable participants have included Sasha Waltz, Romeo Castellucci, Thomas Ostermeier, Bartosz Szydlowski, Akram Khan, Tiago Rodrigues, and more.
Under Continual Construction
