20 Years of partnership between EFA and ChinaSPAF
In 2025, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival and its Performing Arts Fair (ChinaSPAF) celebrate 20 years of partnership with the European Festivals Association (EFA). This anniversary marks two decades of artistic dialogue, joint activities and annual visits to the festival in Shanghai with a delegation of EFA Members.
The start of a longstanding collaboration
The 24th edition of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) and its Performing Arts Fair (SPAF) took place in Shanghai from 17 till 20 October 2025. It was exactly 20 years ago that EFA first attended the festival, following the visit of the CSIAF Director to EFA’s General Assembly in London in 2004. That initial encounter laid the foundation for a fruitful relationship and an annual presence of EFA members in Shanghai.
Darko Brlek, General and Artistic Director of the Ljubljana Festival and EFA President from 2005 to 2017, remembered his first visit: “The China Shanghai International Arts Festival was very small at the time. It's pleasing to see it grow over the years into the huge multidisciplinary festival it is now. This is thanks to the fantastic work done by the Directors of the festival. Shanghai has also changed a lot over the last quarter of a century. In the early 2000s, you could still see bicycles everywhere, and the city was half the size it is today. This evolution is due to the enormous increase in China's GDP.”
Ties became stronger in 2006 when 3 colleagues of CSIAF participated in the first Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Görlitz, Germany. In 2017, EFA organised the first Atelier in Shanghai, bringing together 44 inspiring festival managers from around the world - part of a growing group that today counts over 1,400 alumni.
Danas Skramtai, Senior Producer at the Vilnius Festival, is travelling every year to Shanghai for 19 years, except during COVID. He was one of the participants of the Görlitz Atelier that connected him with China. After the organisation of the EFA General Assembly in Vilnius in 2009, China intensified its regional cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe. “Vilnius Festival was introduced to the biggest festivals in China. Every year, we were programming artists from Lithuania in one of these festivals”, explained Danas. Since then, many artistic exchanges have flourished - from the Ljubljana Festival’s invitations to Chinese orchestras and ballets, to collaborations with the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Poland.
Shanghai, the cultural bridge between Asia and Europe
In 2008, EFA, CSIAF, and AAPAF - Asian Association for Performing Arts Festivals joined forces for the first time, initiating a series of collaborations that led to international exchanges, internships, and new collaborations in Asia and beyond. The Network of the Silk Road Arts Festival was born out of this cooperation, a network now uniting 196 members from 52 countries and regions. This year, Darko Brlek was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution Award for his role in nurturing these global ties.
Danas Skramtai also highlighted how ChinaSPAF has evolved into a vibrant international market place — a meeting point where artists and promoters from all over the world come together to share ideas, projects, and culture. “The festival has become truly global,” he said. “Shanghai is now the crossroads where the world’s performing arts meet.”
EFA President Jan Briers echoed this opinion in his speech at this year’s festival: “The China Shanghai International Arts Festival and Fair gave us the floor to build those marvellous cultural bridges between our different cultures. Last year, we had the pleasure to come with 15 EFA Members, and this year, for the 20 years of collaboration, we are here with 27 people to celebrate this important milestone and develop new projects together.”
China, connecting the past and the future
Hospitality is the first word that comes to mind for Jan, Darko, and Danas when recalling their experiences in Shanghai: from the warm airport welcomes to fine food, elegant hotels, and the package including access to the performances and conference, everything is done to guaranty that guests will have a good time. China’s cultural richness is as vast as its geography: a land of many nationalities, languages, religions, and traditions. China is a huge continent-country that is fascinating. Even politically, the whole world thinks that China has a one-party system but the Communist Party of China counts many different fractions.
As Darko Brlek concluded, “Collaboration between European and Asian festivals is very enriching for both sides”. What began as a professional exchange has evolved into a bridge between continents. We need platforms to discuss the future challenges of international collaboration, especially between Asia and Europe. A big part of the future is happening there, and we need to understand each other better. Arts, culture, and festivals can play an essential role in connecting us all.
By Audrey Brisack