Three Upcoming European Capitals of Culture Present Title Year Programmes Together
On November 15, next year's twin European Capitals of Culture Tartu, Bodø (Norway), and Bad Ischl (Austria) will present their title year programmes together. The milestone event will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels. It is the first combined programme presentation in the European Capital of Culture tradition.
The gathering’s goal is to demonstrate the unity of the European Capitals of Culture, to inform the general public about the events of 2024, and to invite the audience to visit all of the cities in the same year. According to Kati Torpi, Artistic Director of Tartu 2024, Europe is currently dealing with literal survival.
Arts of Survival is Tartu 2024’s artistic concept: “People of Ukraine are fighting for survival in front of all of us, in all of our homes – in Europe. Time has taught us one of the most fundamental survival skills. Tartu and Estonia’s borders are more than just physical boundaries. We live in a time when European unity and democracy are critical to the survival of culture,” Torp says.
The Tartu 2024 programme includes 350 projects with over 1000 events. Bodø 2024 creative concept is ARCTICulation, over thousand events and 100 major cultural projects make up the programme. Bad Ischl’s programme revolves around the “Culture is the new salt” concept.
In addition to Kati Torp, Bødo 2024 creative director Henrik Sand Dagfinrud and Bad Ischl 2024 artistic director Elisabeth Schweeger will also introduce their programmes.
Tartu and Southern Estonia are expecting one million visitors. Bødo 500,000. Bad Ischl will soon disclose the projected number of visitors.
The tradition of European Capital of Culture dates back to 1985. It is one of the European Union’s most important and persistent cultural endeavours. The title has a considerable economic influence on the host city and the area as a whole. In the most successful situations, each euro invested in the operating budget generated 4-5 euros in revenue for the region, thanks to new investments, co-financing, the strengthening of the region’s image, and the visitors who visit it.
The first opening ceremony will take place at Bad Ischl, Austria, on 20 January. Tartu will take up the baton, with its opening ceremony “All Becomes One” scheduled for 26 January. The Bodø 2024 opening ceremony will take place on 3 February, in collaboration with Nordland Theatre.
Tartu and Southern Estonia will be the European Capital of Culture in 2024. In the same year, the Austrian city of Bad Ischl and the Salzkammergut region, as well as the Norwegian city of Bodø and the Nordland region, are designated as European Capitals of Culture.