FEST FORUM in Poland
FEST FORUM will take place in Krakow on 7 April. Festival organisers will exchange ideas, reflect on challenges, and jointly develop tools to enable festivals to not only survive but also grow sustainably. Community-building, sustainability, trends, legal frameworks, funding, and cultural policy will be on the table.
Opening of a dialogue on the future of festivals in Poland
On 7 April 2025, FEST FORUM – an event inaugurating a series of nationwide meetings of the festival industry organised by the Krakow Festival Office in cooperation with partners from around Poland – shall take place at the Potocki Palace in Krakow. The first meeting to be held in spring is aimed at opening a discussion and sketching out prospects for necessary actions. The forum is co-organised by the National Cultural Centre and the Centre for the Development of Creative Industries. The European Festivals Association (EFA) is a partner of the event, and the opening lecture shall be given by the President of EFA Jan Briers. He will share his expertise in bringing festivals together in Flanders, Belgium and Europe.
FEST FORUM is born out of the need to create a space for festival organisers to share experiences, reflect on challenges and jointly develop the tools that will allow festivals not only to survive but also to grow in a sustainable way. The organisers believe that thanks to the recommendations worked out during the forum, Polish festivals shall become an even stronger, more socially significant and conscious element of the cultural landscape.
The April meeting and further editions shall focus on key issues for the future of festivals in Poland, such as the creation of communities, sustainability, trends, legal frameworks and funding, and cultural policy. The topic of community and the ways in which festivals build it shall play a special role in this year’s discussion. The aim of the forum is not only to initiate discussions within the community but also to highlight its readiness for a dialogue with communities and local, regional and national authorities. The organisers hope that the event shall become a platform for real influence on the future of festivals in Poland.
The April edition of the FEST FORUM is intended to open up a conversation and prepare the tools for the next edition of the event. Participants shall have an opportunity to build networks, participate in workshops and define key issues for in-depth analysis at future meetings. The programme of the event includes introductory lectures, an inspirational panel, a moderated long table discussion with all participants of the meeting, and industry workshops on selected legal and financial issues and the implementation of cultural policy. During the event, the Observatory of Trends for Culture research station shall operate.
The formal part of the meeting will be followed by an afterparty at the HEVRE club, enriched with 360-degree projections of festival spots and photos. The organisers encourage participants to send promotional material of their festivals to be included in the screenings. Anyone interested in participating or obtaining more information is invited to contact the Krakow Festival Office by e-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required.
FEST FORUM programme 7 April
Location
Potocki Palace | Green Hall
Rynek Główny 20, Krakow
Opening of doors
10. 00 - 11.00 | Welcoming the guests
Lectures
11.10 - 11.30 | Opening lecture: Jan Briers, President of EFA
11.30 - 12.00 | Focused lecture: Waldemar Kuligowski
Panel – Inspirations – The TED Talks formula
Moderators: Katarzyna Jakubowiak, Jarosław Wasik
12.15 - 12.30 | Carolina Pietyra
12.30 - 12.45 | Jerzy Kornowicz
12.45 - 13.00 | Magdalena Sroka
13.00 - 13.15 | Tomasz Panczyk
13.15 - 13.30 | Aleksandra Zając
13.30 - 14.30 | Break
Interactions
14.30 - 16.30 | Debate and exchange of experiences in the LONG TABLE formula. Moderator: Bogna Świątkowska
16.30 - 18.00 | Workshop tables (law, sustainable development, cultural policy)
18.00 - 18.15 | Closing of the official part
Afterparty
19.00 | HEVRE Club (ul. Meiselsa 18, Krakow)
Credits
Co-organisation: Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Museum of Polish Song in Opole, SLOT Art Festival, Krakow Festival Office, National Cultural Centre, Centre for the Development of Creative Industries, European Festivals Association
FEST FORUM Programme Council: Katarzyna Jakubowiak, Waldemar Kuligowski, Carolina Pietyra, Jarosław Wasik, Aleksandra Zając
Host city: Krakow