70-Years-On moves towards 75-Years-On
Dive into the European Festivals Association (EFA)'s everyday business with Simon Mundy. This piece provides a unique perspective on EFA's 70-Years-On Thinking Group's ongoing work who gathered at the Arts Festivals Summit in Budva on 17 May 2026.
The 75th anniversary of EFA's founding will be marked in 2027 and the 70-Years-On Thinking Group formed to discuss the association's future direction convened on the first morning of the Arts Festivals Summit in Budva, Montenegro.
Current political trends in Europe and around the rest of the world show that autocratic government is not just taking hold, it is becoming democratically popular with up to 40% of voters in democratic countries, with supporters voicing their contempt for those they regard as weak or outsiders. These voters and the politicians that encourage them are often equally disparaging of the traditional aims of the arts; to bring people together and question authority.
For festivals, which may find themselves dependent for resources on such regimes, whether local or national, this poses clear problems of philosophy and direction. A festival could think of itself as apolitical, programming events that concentrate on arts that feel neutral (without pointing out their original often more radical intent). When audiences are conservative this can be seen as inclusive, though not socially cohesive in the way the term has been used this century. Alternatively festivals could refuse to follow political fashion and continue to adhere to liberal values, questioning complacent and aggressive authority.
While many deplored the political direction, there was a feeling that festivals could show solidarity with artists while serving many sections of the audience community. They could help audiences interact between or within events, explain and explore concerns and make sure that nobody felt ignored. Some festivals could make the process explicit, others could simply allow it to happen by giving the space to mingle and experience an event from different perspectives.
Artists can propose a necessary but different sense of reality, taking a stand without seeking confrontation. Attitudes can be broadened, if only for a short while. Making people happy is a sure way to alleviate fears and the liberal thing to do, anyway, is to engage with those you oppose, bringing together people who would not normally be in the same room. It was pointed out that liberal thinkers are less effective at mobilising support, simply because they see issues as having many sided solutions, not simple ones, easy to implement.
Festivals can create a safe place, in a building, on screen or in conversation without becoming an agent of propaganda. They are spaces where new ideas can be brought in and explored, where the different kinds of Europe, not just the 'slippery' concept of the nation, can be exhibited. They can also be places where politicians who do not hold inclusive values can be challenged without inviting conflict; where a physical connection can be established away from the shouting space of social media.
When it comes to funding it is important to remind those paying that public money is not government money: it is money owned by all taxpayers, merely administered on their behalf by the political bureaucracy. Festivals offer a unique blend of social value and free space to express ideas with a subtext. While there can be a big difference between festivals that take place in metropolitan, urban and rural areas, and between those with a long and short timescale, the fundamental principles of being agents of truth and conciliation can be the same.
The issue of boycott hangs over many festivals; the pressure to exclude performers who come from countries where governments are engaged in repression, war or genocide. While the anger and hurt of victims or those in sympathy with them has to be acknowledged, decisions by festival directors can be more nuanced than merely demonstrative. It is important that festivals do not isolate those in repressive societies who need our sympathy and protection. Reference was made to Nelson Mandela's recognition that at some point reconciliation has to happen and to the importance of presenting the work of Shostakovich and Penderecki, and performers like Mstislav Rostropovich, during the Cold War. By banning more artists than those intimately associated with or supportive of a vicious regime, festivals can do more damage than good.
By Simon Mundy
Find out more
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.
Artistic Freedom
Cultural rights, artistic freedom and their impact on festivals across Europe are central to EFA's agenda and longstanding commitment to promoting a more inclusive and resilient cultural landscape.
Arts and Politics
Festivals often serve as vibrant cultural platforms, but they also have a powerful role in shaping political dialogue. EFA gathers festivals' knowledge, questions, and needs and translates them into meaningful policy discussions.