The Time We Spend Together: Gozo Forum 2026
Addressing the uncertainties and challenges of the arts, the importance of well-being, and the role they play in individual and collective welfare, we are inviting EFA Members to participate in the "The Time We Spend Together" Gozo Forum and Retreat in Malta from 4 to 6 July 2026.
Registrations for The Time We Spend Together: Gozo Forum 2026 are now closed
Hosted and co-organised by the Victoria 2031 Foundation, the European Festivals Association (EFA) and A Soul for Europe (ASfE), with the support of the Ministry of Gozo and Planning, the idea behind the Forum is rooted in the belief that the role of arts for individual and collective welfare is essential: there is a need for forging collective values and behavioral change to address our complex, uncertain and challenging global realities.
This full 3-day forum and gathering will offer space and time for togetherness, reflection, and care on the topic of the arts, festivals and Europe. This moment will provide a shared platform for plenary conversations, creating a space for connection and exchange among multiple stakeholders that are in one or another way involved in dealing with the topic of arts and well-being: artists, festival makers, policy makers from local to EU level, but also community workers, volunteers, NGO and citizens on the ground. It is designed to foster meaningful, human connections, moving from personal to structural conversations, and onward to systemic debates evolving into a ‘laboratory for care’ with diverse experiences and perspectives.
Programme
Please note that the programme can still be subject to change.
3 July, Day 1 arrival
4 July, Day 2 programme
Breakfast from 7.30-10.30
7.30-8.30 | Morning Yoga session (optional)
9.45-10.30 | Registration and Coffees
10.00 | Welcome & Framework discussion
10.30-12.00 | Invitation to a conversation between arts and politics ‘About Europe’ in tandem conversations with politicians and policymakers (Venue: Reef Hotel)
12.00 | Light lunch at the hotel
13.30-14.00 | Registration and Coffees
14.00-16.00 | Victoria2031: Culture, Community and European Cooperation. An introduction by Victoria Local Council Mayor Brian Azzopardi, followed by an interactive, experiential conversation among participants. (Venue: Reef Hotel)
19.00 PM: Meeting point: Reef Hotel
19.30 PM: Dinner in Marsalforn: Il-Kartell (approximately 5 Minute walk)
5 July, Day 3 programme
Breakfast from 7.30-10:30
7.30-8.30 | Morning Yoga session (optional)
10.30-11.00 | Registrations and Coffees
11.00-13.00 | A workshop with Lou Ghirlando: "An Embodied Arts Experience: Pathways to Soul, Health, and Connection" (Venue: Reef Hotel)
13.00 | Light lunch at Reef Hotel
14.30 | Leave Hotel to Mgarr Harbour (meeting Point: Reef Hotel)
15.00-21.00 | Comino excursion with boat ride and swimming in the sea
19.30-21.00 | Sunset barbecue
Pick-up from Mgarr Harbour (between 9 PM and 10 PM) to Reef Hotel, Marsalforn.
6 July, Day 4 programme
Breakfast from 7.30-10:30
7.30-8.30 | Morning Yoga session (optional)
10.30 | Registrations and Coffees
11.00-12.30 | Well-being workshop led by Rarita Zbranca and Mahir Namur (Venue: Reef Hotel)
12:30 | Networking Lunch at the hotel
17.00 | Leave hotel for Victoria (meeting point: Reef Hotel)
17.00 - 19.30 | Meeting with the Victoria Candidate City artistic team to give an overview of the artistic programme (Venue: Cittadella)
19.30 - 20.30 | Site Visits in Victoria to the theatres: Teatru Astra and Teatru Aurora
20.00 | (optional, approximately 1 hour) | Victoria International Arts Festival: Violoncello and Pianoforte Recital
21.30 | Dinner in Victoria, at ROŻA
Pick-up from Victoria (approximately 23.00) to Reef Hotel, Marsalforn.
7 July, Day 5 departure
Aim
The retreat aims to help participants explore their role and possibilities as festival and cultural professionals as well as policy makers to integrate care, empathy, and reciprocity into their work and their engagement with communities. This gathering is not only about community building but also about placemaking, allowing participants to experience Gozo and its arts through grassroots projects, local engagement, and the island’s unique environment.
Victoria and the island of Gozo
Gozo, Malta’s second island, is a small but culturally vibrant Mediterranean community where cultural life is closely connected to everyday social structures, traditions, and landscape. The island hosts a wide range of festivals, artistic initiatives, and community-based cultural practices that operate throughout the year. Victoria, the island’s capital, serves as an important cultural and civic hub and is currently leading the Victoria 2031 candidature for the title of European Capital of Culture. Within this context, the forum seeks to connect local artistic practice and community life with wider conversations on culture, care, and well-being, and to speak ‘About Europe’.
Practicalities
The Gozo Forum and Retreat ‘The Time We Spend Together’ will start on 4 July in the morning and conclude on 6 July in the evening. Participants are expected to arrive on 3 July and leave on 7 July.
Venues:
Hotel:
- Reef Hotel & Spa
Participants can book a room from 3 to 7 July at the Gozo Forum Hotel: the Reef Hotel at a preferential rate of 135€/night. Contact EFA for more info.
Restaurants:
Meetings/Places in Victoria:
- Cittadella
- Aula Mgr. G. Farrugia (within St George’s Basilica)
- Teatru Astra
- Teatru Aurora
Credits
The Time We Spend Together: Gozo Forum is hosted and co-organised by the Victoria 2031 Foundation, the European Festivals Association (EFA) and A Soul for Europe (ASfE), with the support of the Ministry of Gozo and Planning, Victoria Local Council, the Gozo Regional Council, and the European Union.
