Around Europe in 80 Festivals

An introductory resource for arts producers who are seeking to visit or connect with international festivals in the UK & Europe

by Tom Curteis

Festivals are a great place to see a high concentration of work from different international contexts and perspectives. Depending on the programme, they can offer an opportunity for artists, makers and producers to experience diverse voices, and to see work which is perhaps a little more “risky” or responsive to current social issues and creative themes. It is through festivals that many artists can test out their ideas, begin to build tours, and experience how new audiences respond. For producers and arts managers, due to their timebound nature, festivals can also present unique networking opportunities, with the added benefit of lots of likeminded people all being in the same place around the same time. As such, many festivals offer discounted ticket rates for industry, and some even include formal networking opportunities to help facilitate new connections –keep an eye out for these!

This Around Europe in 80 Festivals resource has been created for the Producer’s Gathering network as an introductory list of performing arts festivals in the UK and Europe. All the festivals featured present work by international artists and companies. It should not be viewed as a complete list, but rather as a work-in-progress. There are 23 countries represented within this resource, with a significant number of entries from the UK.

The hope is that readers can use this resource to scope out the general landscape of international festivals in the UK and Europe, and to delve into their programmes. It can hopefully be a starting point when looking at planning visits, plotting touring ideas, or feeding into a producer’s own capacity building endeavours (such as Arts Council’s Developing Your Creative Practice – a great way to acquire support should you be looking to shift your work into an international realm).

Many of the featured festivals collaborate with touring and commissions, so it may be that in some years you will see similar work, or the same artists presented at multiple programmes. Because of this, you may like to start your international festival journey closer to home, with the UK hosting excellent festivals such as LIFT, Transform, Shubbak, GIFT, Outburst, Fierce, Edinburgh Festivals, or Brighton Festival – what with Farnham Malting’s Caravan programme, a three-day biennial showcase which presents some of the best work by UK artists, and a time when there are often many international colleagues in town.

Other places to perhaps begin would be Belgium’s Kunstenfestivaldesarts in May. This city-wide programme celebrates many international voices, and often kick-starts the festival season in Western Europe. One way to visit this festival could be via CIFAS’s Producer’s Academy which overlaps with the festival. Applications for the academy usually go live in early Spring, and the programme is a great way to connect to the festival with a cohort of likeminded producers.

In a similar vein, and should you wish to visit somewhere which is incredibly beautiful, exploring Festival d’Avignon in July could be an idea. Like Brussels, Avignon is easy to get to via the Eurostar and trains, and if you are looking to attend the festival as part of an established programme, do explore the European Theatre Convention’s, European Theatre Academy. This programme of mentoring and masterclasses is a great way to feel immersed in the festival, to be support with navigating the programme, and to connect with a group of peers. Applications for this tend to go live in early Spring. 

When using the resource, do use the tabs to help sort and narrow down entries which might be relevant to your practice, artform, and interest. This may also be a way to identify festivals to visit based on your availability, although you’ll notice that prime festival time is in June. 

This resource was created by Tom Curteis, International Arts & Cultural Manager.

The information detailed was accurate in August 2024.

For more information, or to help add to this list, please contact, producergathering@marlboroughproductions.org.uk