Continental events support

Supporting key Africa-Europe performing arts events

This programme supports major performing arts events that bring together artists and audiences from across Africa and Europe. We fund festivals, conferences, showcases, and cultural gatherings that have genuine continental reach and contribute to building stronger networks within Africa and between Africa and Europe.

Who can apply: Established festivals, cultural institutions, and event organizers with proven capacity to deliver large-scale performing arts events. Applicants must demonstrate existing continental networks and the ability to attract participants from multiple African countries and Europe.

What we support: Events that showcase the diversity of African performing arts while fostering dialogue with European artistic communities. This includes festival programming, artist travel and accommodation, venue costs, technical requirements, and promotional activities. Events should create meaningful encounters between artists from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Event criteria: Events must have clear continental significance, attracting participants from at least five African countries. They should provide professional development opportunities for artists, create networking platforms for cultural professionals, and offer audiences access to diverse performing arts from across Africa and Europe.

Types of events: Multi-disciplinary festivals, performing arts showcases, cultural conferences with artistic components, artist residency gatherings, and celebration events that highlight African-European cultural connections. Events may be annual or one-off initiatives with significant cultural impact.

Geographic focus: Events must take place in Sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrate how they contribute to continental cultural development rather than serving primarily local or national audiences. Strong applications show clear strategies for continental outreach and participation.

Financial support: Substantial grants cover artist fees, travel costs, venue expenses, technical equipment, accommodation, and promotion. Budgets should reflect the scale of creating genuinely continental events that bring together diverse artistic communities.

How to apply: Applications assessed on continental reach, artistic quality of programming, institutional capacity, and potential for lasting impact on Africa-Europe cultural networks. We prioritize events that create ongoing relationships rather than one-time presentations.

Launch Date: 15.09.2025
Cut-off Date: 30.11.2025
Implementation Phase: 01.02.2026 - 31.12.2027