Between April 27–30, 2025, Edinburgh hosted a new edition of the Arts Festivals Summit, organized by the European Festivals Association (EFA) in collaboration with the Edinburgh International Festival, Festivals Edinburgh, and the City of Edinburgh. The event brought together over 200 representatives from the festival community across Europe, in a space dedicated to exchanging ideas and best practices.
A key moment of the summit was the “Festivals Care! Arts and Health Seminar”, facilitated by Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director at the Cluj Cultural Centre. The session focused on the role of the arts and festivals in supporting health and well-being in society. Participants explored current challenges in the cultural sector, the need for festivals to develop activities at the intersection of arts and well-being, and the importance of building structures that foster community collaboration and support the health and well-being of artists and cultural professionals.
The discussions were enriched by valuable contributions from professionals who lead cultural initiatives for health and well-being in their communities: Katey Warran (University of Edinburgh), Caroline Donald (Edinburgh International Festival), Len McCaffer (Tonic Arts), and Volker Doberstein (Enjoy Jazz Festival).
The seminar served as a meeting point between EFA’s ongoing exploration of how festivals can better connect with their communities and the CARE – Culture for Mental Health project. Co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, CARE aims to harness the transformative power of arts and cultural participation to improve mental health and well-being among young people, working adults, and people with disabilities.
For more information about the full programme of the Arts Festivals Summit 2025, please visit the official event page.
