EFFE, Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe

THE 2ND EFFE EDITION OPENED 5 DECEMBER. APPLY NOW!

Read more and apply at EFFE.EU. Festivals can apply for the new EFFE Label until 17 February 2017. The new label will be valid for 2017-18. Sweden Festivals is the Swedish coordinator of EFFE 2017-18.

SOME EFFE HISTORY

250 festival representatives from across Europe gathered in Paris on 27 September for the EFFE Community Launch and announcement of the first ever EFFE Awards.

EFFE is proud to announce the results of Europe’s finest festivals honored with the EFFE Label 2015-2016. Following a process of intense evaluation from national experts to an international jury, 761 festivals from 31 countries now belong to the first generation of EFFE Label recipients. You can access all EFFE Label festivals here. On Sunday 27 September 2015 in Paris, Europe’s festival community is invited to the EFFE Award Ceremony and EFFE Community Launch to celebrate the first edition of the EFFE Labels and Awards. This day will celebrate the diversity and importance of festivals and is presented in collaboration with the Festival d'Automne à Paris, the Théâtre de la Ville and the Google Cultural Institute.

We would like to thank all of the 896 festivals that applied for the EFFE Label. Festivals from 32 different countries programming various genres showed interest to be part of the EFFE Platform. From the applicant festivals, 71% program music, 40% dance, and 38% theater. Many other genres such as film, literature, photography and opera are also well represented in the applications.
The evaluation process started in January and will continue over the next several months.
During the meeting with Festival Hubs on 29 January 2015 it was decided that the festivals will be informed about the result of their application on 8 May 2015 by e-mail.

EFFE – Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe - is a new international festival platform in the making looking to connect festivals that are deeply committed to the arts and their communities. Launched by the European Festivals Association (EFA), the new pilot project of the European Commission opened a European-wide application process to gather interested festivals. The most innovative arts festivals are selected for the EFFE Festival Label and Award. An International Festival Jury and experts from the arts, culture, business, and political sectors steer the selection process. Festival Hubs work across the European Union’s 28 Member States to establish, develop and promote the EFFE Platform in their countries. The EFFE Festival Label and Awards will be announced and a multimedia festival guide launched in autumn 2015 at a gala at one of Europe’s greatest festivals. Festivals are invited to apply until 15 December 2014.

The EFFE Festival Label is a quality label offering international recognition for the work of festivals and providing better access to their information for their peers and public. The festival label and award are a form of branding that encourages more people to know about and take part in festivals.

Experts across Europe assess applications to determine if festivals meet the three criteria - artistic commitment, involvement in their local communities and a European and global outlook. In addition to the label, an international jury will give awards to the most trend-setting festivals. The International Festival Jury will be composed of high-level and diverse jurors representing key stakeholders in the festival industry. Jury members will be announced in December 2014. All festivals from the 28 EU Member States are eligible to apply for the label and invited to explain how they fulfil the aforementioned criteria.

The label recipients and award winners benefit from increased visibility, new networking opportunities, further involvement of festivals in the artistic community, and recognition for their outstanding values. The Festival Guide, both in book and online formats, featuring festival details, articles, and facts and figures will be launched at the Festival Gala in autumn 2015.

EFFE believes it is an important advantage for Europe’s festivals to be recognised by their peers and the European Union for their outstanding artistic quality and community involvement. The platform invites artists, directors, managers and audiences worldwide to discover Europe’s very best, most creative festivals in a festival journey through Europe’s diversity.