Why this toolkit?

This resource is meant to share the knowledge of an international group of festival leaders. It activates the knowledge by making it accesible to the public. It is designed for festival makers - particularly those working in underrepresented or crisis-affected regions - who wish to strengthen the social role of festivals and lead them in innovative, sustainable, and inclusive ways. It offers both reflection and practice: examples of how others have worked through challenges, and adaptable tools you can use in your own context. Its guiding principles are:

• Civic engagement and common values: Festivals as spaces for dialogue, participation, and solidarity.

• Innovation in vocational education: Equipping cultural leaders with adaptable tools for lifelong learning.

• Resilience and recovery: Supporting cultural sustainability during and after conflict, with special attention to the Ukrainian festival sector.

Over the course of the project, 9 emerging festival leaders from the Mediterranean, Baltic, Balkan regions, and Ukraine took part in a 9-months long programme. Their experiences - from online conversations to in-person encounters, from moments of uncertainty to collective breakthroughs - form the heart of this publication.

Each chapter reflects shared learning across diverse contexts: how festivals can operate in fragile environments, how leadership can adapt in times of uncertainty, and how transnational cooperation can strengthen cultural ecosystems. The result is not a static manual, but an evolving collection of practices - adaptable, participatory, and rooted in lived experience.

This toolkit is meant for cultural practitioners, educators, and policymakers who support or run festivals as spaces of civic engagement and artistic collaboration. It aims to inspire both emerging and established leaders to apply resilient leadership approaches, foster meaningful partnerships, and build bridges across communities and borders.

Behind this publication lies a common belief: that festivals are catalysts for change - sites where creativity meets responsibility, and where art contributes to rebuilding trust, identity, and solidarity. Through the collective knowledge gathered here, we hope to support a new generation of festival leaders committed to shaping a more resilient, inclusive, and interconnected cultural landscape.