Peralada and Girona host a summit of international festivals that will bring together 200 delegates from 35 different countries

2023-04-18 19:58:41

The castle of Peralada and Girona will host a summit of international festivals next week, l’Arts Festivals Summitwhich will gather 200 delegates from 35 different countries. From 2017 – except for the break due to the pandemic – this annual meeting will weave alliances between the different contests and look for synergies. The one of this 2023, which will be celebrated between April 23 and 26, will put the focus on them business models of the contests and the role he plays in them private sector (for example, through thesponsorship). It will also be discussed in depth about the organization of festivals, art and its role in society. The summit will be attended by some of the biggest and oldest festivals in Europe.

The European Association of Festivals (EFA), born in 1952, gathers under its umbrella organizers of competitions from all over the world. The goal is exchange impressionswork and collaborate with each other beyond borders. Since 2017, the EFA has annually held the Arts Festivals Summit, a meeting point to discuss the future of the sector and build alliances. Except for 2020, when the pandemic prevented it, this forum has been held in places like Lisbon, Armenia, Ireland, Ljubljana.

We buy, for the first time, the summit will be held in Catalonia. It will take place next week between Peralada and Girona, between the 23rd and 26th, and will be attended by more than 200 festival delegates from up to 35 different countries. The program includes, among others, different meetings, conversations and networking sessions.

This 2023, the Arts Festivals Summit will focus on the intersection between the cultural and business worlds. What is the power of festivals? After the coronavirus, which ones resources do they need to be fully re-energized? What is the role to be played there private sector? These are questions, the organizers say, that the attendees will try to answer.

Also, analyzing the role that can be played bysponsorship with the festivals. Which, according to the organization, can help “create a window into a business-driven culture, which helps create brand image“.

Among the festivals represented, there will be some of the largest and oldest in Europesuch as the Edinburgh International Festival, l’Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, el Festival of Flanders, el BOZAR, el Gdańsk Shakespeare Festivalla Music Biennale Zagreb, el Varna Summer International Music Festival o and the Valle d’Itria Festival.

Connect festivals

The organization of the Arts Festivals Summit explains that the aim of the summit is also to offer “a platform for dialogue” to connect festivals and make them “continue weaving one solid alliance around him”. Especially, in front of the uncertainties -and also challenges– that generate situations such as the war in Ukraine, inflation and the escalation of energy or raw material prices.

“The Arts Festivals Summit is the time to talk about our role and responsibility in today’s world,” explains EFA President Jan Briers. “Girona is a good example of how festivals can be life changing of people and how festivals can facilitate the transformative power of l’art. It is an interesting model for everyone to discover how festivals can change the meaning of a city and help to transform it”, adds the director of the Castell de Peralada Festival, Oriol Aguilà.