Our history

24 February 2026

FEST FORUM was born out of a simple but crucial need: to integrate the industry and create a space where festival organisers can finally meet at the same table. Launched in 2025, the project quickly evolved from a local meeting into a nationwide platform for sharing knowledge and experiences.

April 2025: Opening

It all started in spring in the Kraków’s Potocki Palace. The first edition, organised under the slogan ‘Opening’, was the symbolic start of a new chapter for the Polish festival industry. In the presence of Jan Briers, President of the European Festivals Association, we outlined the perspectives of the necessary actions and opened a discussion on how to build strong communities around cultural events. It was a moment when we diagnosed that, regardless of the scale of the event – be it a large music festival or an intimate literary event – we share the same challenges. The first meeting also resulted in a report with recommendations – a proof that we’re able to diagnose problems and work together to find solutions.

November 2025: Balance

Just six months later, we were back with another FEST FORUM. The autumn edition of the event was held under the theme ‘Balance’ and we focused on developing sustainable solutions in key areas: People, Environment and Accessibility during the first day as well as Legal Aspects and Funding during the second day of the event. . The November FEST FORUM also featured two debates, which are available as online video: Festivals – rescue or threat? and Why FEST FORUM?

January 2026: Knowledge as a common good

We have entered the year 2026 with the opening of the digital chapter of FEST FORUM. The winter online edition is a tribute to the democratisation of knowledge. Through open meetings and workshops on topics such as crowdfunding, the Act on Protecting Minors or working with local communities, we give development tools to anyone who wants to professionalise their cultural activities.

FEST FORUM is constantly writing its history and its next chapters are an invitation to participate. We’re moving beyond Kraków and want our industry meetings to be hosted in various corners of Poland, creating a new map of festival cooperation. Cities and organisations interested in playing the role of host for future events can get involved – details of the partnership rules are available in the tab Become a host.