Programme - Arts Festival Summit 2026

Creating bridges: eye-to-eye, East to West, arts to politics and back

Launching the works of the Arts Festivals Summit 2026, EFA’s communities will kick off the discussions in parallel sessions and will then come together for a first keynote and plenary conversation on the arts, democracy and the role of festivals in today’s world. Taking place in the heart of Budva, the first day will also bring us to the local arts and festivals community. For this first day, the focus will be on Budva as a city and Montenegro as a country, exploring the relationship between Europe, festivals, and how communities create connections. 

7.30 | Warm up! swimming session with Gert

8.00-8.45 | Breakfast Talk: A European Prize for the Performing Arts: how should it look like?

The early morning Breakfast Talk will allow you to dig into very practical and concrete questions around festival making and points you would like to discuss discretely with a small group of colleagues around a cup of coffee. During this session, participants will think and exchange on what could be in the European Prize for the Performing Arts for Europe’s performing arts festivals? What contribution could they have? Which prizes do exist? For whom is it? For What exactly? What is the relevance locally/nationally, for Europe?  

8.30-11.00 | Registration at Avala Hotel

9.00-11.00 | Conversation starters! at Avala Hotel  

Conversation 1: The Festival Academy invites: How open are our conversations?

How difficult is it today to be open - with ourselves, with each other, across borders, across political divides? Openness is being challenged on many fronts: geographically, as borders close in; socially, as polarisation turns dialogue into hostile confrontation; institutionally, as cultural spaces navigate narrowing room for cultural discourse; and personally, as fear, exhaustion, and existential threat make it harder to stay receptive. This workshop asks what stops us from being open, trying to tackle the topic from personal, curatorial to systemic and geopolitical levels. What kind of openness is disappearing, and what forms of openness are more needed than ever? The Festival Academy invites participants to reflect on these shifting conditions and to consider what practices might help us to remain open. Facilitated by Niranjani Iyer, Founder and Director of The Pocket Company and d.r.i.f.t, and Emma Hay, Senior Programme Manager at Edinburgh International Festival.

Conversation 2: Festivals, Cities and Regions: common challenges, joint strategies?

This workshop continues the conversation on the relationship between festivals and their local authorities. Building on the long-term collaboration developed through the EFFE Seal for Festival Cities and Regions initiative, the workshop invites participants to reflect on key question: What are the opportunities and challenges coming up from the relationship between festivals and their local and regional authorities? What joint strategies or vehicles could we think of to address them? The workshop will refer to Elena Polivtseva’s research Festivals in Context, the recently launched ‘About Europe’ initiative and its diverse reflections shared by artists, festival makers and politicians from local and European levels as well as a series of tandem conversations between artists and politicians by A Soul for Europe. Facilitated by Nicolas Bertrand, Manager and independent consultant, and Nele Hertling, Director of the Performing Arts section of the Academy of Arts Berlin.

Conversation 3: Smart Culture: Tapping into data intelligence and collaboration for festivals and cities

Cultural organisations generate a wealth of data yet often operate alongside a vast ocean of wider intelligence – from urban dynamics to national tourism trends. Much of this data remains untapped simply because the cross-sector partnerships needed to activate it do not yet exist. Presented by the EXCENTRIC project, this session explores how festivals can move beyond siloed spreadsheets to build collaborative data practices that address operational challenges and help them become stronger partners within their ecosystems.
Participants will dive into the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 to explore their ongoing efforts to connect internal festival data with external intelligence – such as traffic, mobility, and weather – to support smoother operations and audience experiences. Expanding from this concrete cultural producer's perspective, the conversation will open up to the realities of ecosystem collaboration. Lutz Henke, visitBerlin, and Agnia Nast, Visit Estonia, will bring in destination viewpoints at the city and national levels. 

WORKSHOP CANCELLED: Conversation 4: Arts and culture in defense of peace and democracy

The world is in a geopolitical turmoil. War is back in Europe. And democracy is under treat in many countries. That calls for resistance. We find that energy mostly in cities, were people already live with strangers, were governance is in proximity and more pragmatic. These urgencies call for rethinking the place and mission of arts and culture. Creativity and imagination are essential to inspire and mobilize. Let’s talk about our societal responsibilities with Eric Corijn, Cultural philosopher, social scientist, professor.

Conversation 5: Beyond borders regional and cross-border collaborations

This session explores how festivals across Europe, starting from the region, collaborate to share ideas, best practices and support one another. It looks at what drives cross-border partnerships today, the needs they respond to and how festivals can build sustainable networks beyond short-term projects. The discussion also considers how these collaborations shape artistic programming, audience development, knowledge exchange, and what strengthens international partnerships. Facilitated by Milica Popovic, cultural manager, marketing strategist, educator, and creative project developer.

Conversation 6: EFA towards 75

Share your questions and viewpoints to feed into EFA’s strategy towards its 75th anniversary in 2027 and beyond: What is at stake for festivals? How to connect long‑term thinking with emerging realities across the festival sector? What responsibilities come with visibility, networks and public support? Where should EFA focus its energy in the years to come?
Building on the 70-Years-On Thinking Group's reflections and the 70-Years-On Agenda that guides EFA’s work, this session invites a wider group to think about the current needs and opportunities of the festivals and arts sector. 

11.00-11.30 | Coffee break

11.30-12.40 | Arts, democracy, cultural rights and beyond: from arts to politics and back, at Avala Hotel in the Glass Room

Can the arts save the world? This keynote conversation between Predrag Zenović, Chief Negotiator of Montenegro with the European Union, and Boris Liješević, Theatre Director from Serbia, will explore the intersection between arts and politics in the European context, inviting for reflection on the role of arts and culture and the adhesion of Western Balkan countries to the European Union, facilitated by Svetlana Ivanović, Programme coordinator and Public relations officer of Theatre City Budva.

12.40-13.00 | Signing of the EFFE Seal for Festival Cities and Regions at Avala Hotel 

New localities will sign the EFFE Seal for Festival Cities and Regions to join this initiative and show their commitment towards festivals.

13.00-15.00 | Lunch at Hotel Mogren on upper terrace

13.00-14.00 | EFA Collective and Affiliate Members (CAMs) & EFFE Hubs lunch meeting (By invitation only)

14.30-15.00 | Planting of a tree with the European Festivals Forest 

15.00-16.00 | Free time 

16.00 | MEETING POINT Avala Hotel - Registration desk  

16.00-18.00 | Walk and Talk in small groups 

This is the moment to discover the city, the region, the people, the context and concerns in a walk and talk tour that will unveil the history, the religions, the place and the time. We will start the 'Walk and Talk' at Avala Hotel. Delegates will then split into small groups to visit the old town of Budva and its surroundings.

18.00-19.00 | Group picture, concert, and reception offered by Varna Summer International Music Festival 100th anniversary

After the 'Walk and Talk', we will come back all together for a group picture. Milena Lubarda Marojević, EFA Board member will welcome us at Theatre City Budva's main festival location "Between the Churches" in the old town. The evening continues with a concert by gusle player Dušica Kordić, and Safet Drljan at the accordion. It will conclude by a drink offered by Varna Summer International Music Festival to celebrate the festival's 100th anniversary.

19.00-21.00 | Individual dinner

Check our restaurants recommendations in the Practical Guide. 

19.45 | Evening artistic programme in the framework of the Montenegrin Showcase

Contra Mundum, conceived and directed by Veljko Mićunović at Cultural Centre Tivat will start at 21.00 and lasts moreover 1 hour. It is followed by a reception and a drink in Tivat.
The bus will leave Avala Hotel at 19.45 and will be back at the hotel around midnight.

21.00 | Golden Quiz night hosted by Tamar Brüggemann and Peter Florence at Avala Hotel in the Glass Room

‘About Festivals’: can they do it all? *

For this working day, we will travel to Cetinje, former capital of Montenegro and home to the ministry of culture. We will engage in discussions on the daily matters and business of festival making, from the role of festivals in sustainability, well-being, transnational collaboration, and much more, with the question in mind: can festivals do it all?

* The title of this working day is borrowed from EFA's publication Festivals in Context by Elena Polivtseva.

7.30 | Warm up! running session with Luana 

8.30-9.15 | Breakfast Talk: EFFEA Artists in focus, festivals as a platform for emerging artists

The session will start with a brief introduction by the artists, followed by a round table discussion, primarily from the artists’ perspective. We will explore the question: What do we do for artists, and what do artists think we do for them? 
The early morning Breakfast Talk will allow you to dig into very practical and concrete questions around festival making and points you would like to discuss discretely with a small group of colleagues around a cup of coffee.  

9.30 | Departure by bus to Cetinje 

10.30 | Arrival in Cetinje and walk through the main street to the Summit venue 

11.00-12.00 | ‘About Europe’, through the lens of the arts  

Keynote ‘About Europe’ inviting for reflection on the multifunctional role of arts and culture in societies through the lens of Ana Schnabl, with an introduction by the Ministry of Culture. 

12.00-12.20 | Snack break

You will enjoy a special local snack named priganice before dividing into smaller working groups. 

12.30-14.30 | Let’s talk: the balancing acts, in parallel 

Workshop 1: The Music Focus 

Music festivals today navigate shifting audience expectations, partnerships, business models, and organisational realities. Exchange practices, explore opportunities for collaboration across local and international contexts and discuss innovative approaches with colleagues from the field. Facilitated by Donika Rudi Berishaj, composer, festival director and project director of European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), and Ward Bosmans, musicologist, archivist, and culture worker, with the contribution of Daniela Tomaz, musician and cultural entrepreneur.

Workshop 2: Festivals and environmental sustainability: cross-cultural cooperation in a green sustainable & social context

What are the dilemmas in green and socially sustainable cultural mobility and cooperation? What are the tensions between being environmentally friendly and being socially fair, especially for those working for on the periphery? This workshop will invite festival makers to discuss sustainable practices taking into account budget, touring, audience travels, etc. Facilitated by Matina Magkou, Researcher, Lecturer and Consultant, Peter Florence, co-Founder of the European Festivals Forest and Tamar Brüggemann, director of Wonderfeel.

Workshop 3: Festivals, health and well-being in their local contexts

This workshop explores arts, health, and well-being through the lens of the relation between festivals and their local authorities, within existing local policy frameworks. Participants will reflect on key questions: How can festivals contribute to health and wellbeing — both for the communities they serve and for the artists and cultural workers who make them? What kinds of partnerships between festivals, the health sector, and local or regional authorities make this possible? What kinds of local cultural policies are needed to support such partnerships and to care for the wellbeing of cultural workers as well as audiences?  This workshop is part of the Creative Europe-supported project CARE – Culture for Mental Health, facilitated by Rarita Zbranca, programme director of Cluj Cultural Centre and Mahir Namur, cultural manager, psychological counselor, and lecturer.

Workshop 4: Measuring what matters: Social impact and shared data practices in festivals

Festivals create value in many ways: through audiences, artistic production, community relations, partnerships, local economies, and cultural participation. Yet many of these effects are difficult to capture through conventional indicators alone. This session, presented by the EXCENTRIC project, explores how cultural and creative actors can develop meaningful data practices and impact assessment approaches that reflect the complexity of their work, while remaining attentive to economic, cultural, social, and environmental value.
We will dive into the early-stage journey of the Krakow Festival Office (KBF) as they develop a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework to align their operational scale with their core mission. To provide a reality check on the road ahead, KBF will be joined by a constellation of practical “Sparkle Cases” – including Edinburgh Festivals and Arts Council Ireland – sharing hard-earned lessons and navigating the “good and bad weather” of impact measurement. Speakers: Monica Corcoran, Strategic Development Manager at the Arts Council of Ireland; Andy Gawin Warby, Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; James McVeigh, Head of Innovation and Marketing at Festivals Edinburgh; Margarita Vladimirova, Cultural manager, creative (re)searcher and practitioner, host: Stefano Russo, Researcher and lecturer at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Workshop 5: Optimising the cost of funding 

Fundraising, reporting, and compliance demand significant time and resources from festival teams. How can we make these tasks work for our own goals instead of just adding to our workload? In this workshop, we will share strategies and tactics to optimise the cost of funding and adopt efficient evaluation and documentation practices. Facilitated by Fanny Martin, executive director of Music Biennale Zagreb.

Workshop 6: Beyond audience development

How do festivals move from audience development to building lasting relationships with communities rooted in inclusion and trust? This session aims to discuss tested approaches, from artistic formats to organisational strategies and emerging tools, including AI, that can help festivals connect with underrepresented groups and sustain engagement across festival editions. Facilitated by Max Beckham-Ortner and Hannah Falvey. 

14.30 | Bus to cable car with a lunch box

15.30 | Cable car to discover the Montenegrin bays

Delegates will take the cable car that offers stunning views on the mountains of Boka Bay, Kotor Bay, and Tivat Bay.
Klapa Camerton will be performing in this amazing setting. Klapa Camerton nurtures authentic traditional klapa singing, as well as vocal-instrumental performances accompanied by piano. Their repertoire includes traditional and popular klapa songs, alongside arrangements of well-known domestic and international melodies. The concert is organised by KotorArt International Festival.

18.00-19.00 | EFA Board meeting (By invitation only)

20.30 | Last evening dinner at Bruno Restaurant at Avala Hotel

The dinner at Bruno Restaurant will propose excellent Montenegrin cuisine and fresh seafood. 
The GISELLE band will animate the evening with music. GISELLE is an original electro-acoustic band of colorful sound, energetic performance and vibrant repertory comes in the combination of Giselle Marković, lead vocal and percussion section, Nenad Obradović-keyboards and back vocal and Stefan Pavićević- saxophone.