Programme
Forecast for Nicosia: sunny skies of urban knowledge and opportunity! Hundreds of European cities involved in URBACT Action Planning Networks, Innovation Transfer Networks and Pioneers Accelerator cities will shine in full sunlight: discover their stories and actions at our vibrant outdoor exhibition and marketplace – for the first time open to the general public! – and dive deeper through thematic sessions and city visits. Plus, connect with peer cities and European funders in dedicated networking spaces and unlock new opportunities for your city.
Land in Cyprus, take off with new ideas, contacts and opportunities for your city’s next journey.
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Preparatory meeting for Action Planning Networks, Innovation Transfer Networks, and Pioneers Accelerator cities (upon invitation)
Registration 17:00-17:30 Royal Hall
Closed meeting followed by dinner, for invited representatives of URBACT Action Planning Networks, Innovation Transfer Networks, and Pioneers Accelerator cities only.
Registration
National networking coffee
Get your badge at the registration desk and join your country corner for a coffee with your National URBACT Point - find a home base before diving into the URBACT City Festival!
3, 2, 1... action! Opening plenary
The URBACT City Festival kicks-off in a dynamic way!
After a warm welcome, find out what is happening over the next two days and what are the stories to discover. Understand the flow of the URBACT City Festival and don't miss a thing!
Speakers:
- Charalambos Prountzos, Mayor of Nicosia
- Konstantinos Ioannou, Minister of Interior, Cyprus
- Themis Christophidou, European Commission's Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy
A trailer to the marketplace
Get a taste of what awaits you at the local actions marketplace. Uncover where each city shines in the exhibition space, and hear short teasers from a few of them: just enough to make you want to see more.
Local actions marketplace
Discover hundreds of local actions from European cities driving sustainable urban development!
The local actions in the marketplace are clustered under five thematic areas: climate action, local economy, participative governance, social cohesion, and urban planning.
Walk around the stands, find out the story behind each action and think how this could work in your city.
National networking lunch
Local actions in sessions
In these thematic sessions, discover the local actions carried out by URBACT cities to make a change on common challenges, and get inspired from them.
Each session builds on the actions implemented by different cities on a selected topic. These sessions showcase collaboration in practice, and the impact of URBACT Action Planning Networks, Innovation Transfer Networks and Pioneers Accelerator cities on driving real change.
Local actions in sessions (continues)
Pursue the thematic exploration of the local actions implemented by URBACT Action Planning Networks and Innovation Transfer Networks partner cities.
Welcome coffee
Highlights and preview of the day
Start early and fresh with getting a good snapshot about what’s yet to come.
Local actions in sessions (continues)
The thematic discovery of URBACT cities continues in these sessions, which build on the experience of Action Planning Networks and Innovation Transfer Networks’ partners.
Future urban challeges and cities' capacities: how can EU best support cities in times of uncertainty and change?
In this session, the City Festival will highlight the role of cities in achieving EU priorities and discuss ideas about future funding opportunities for cities in the framework of the next EU financial programming period (2028-2034). We will look not only at the future URBACT, but also at other European initiatives and programmes like the European Urban Initiative (EUI) and ESPON that offer tailored support and knowledge for cities. The session will explore how the future programmes and their interplay could be designed, in order to make cities an accessible, coherent and appealing offer in times of uncertainty and change.
Speakers:
Elena Calistru, President of the ECO section of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Tim Caulfield, Director of European Urban Initiative (EUI)
Teofil Gherca, URBACT Programme Director
Kieran McCarthy, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, Member of Cork City Council (IE)
Marcos Ros Sempere, Member of the European Parliament
Hugo Sobral, Deputy Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Wiktor Szydarowski, Director of ESPON EGTC
Karen Van Dantzig, Dutch Urban Envoy
Happy ending: closing plenary
Before we split in city visits, let's look back at the highlights of the 2026 URBACT City Festival.
Lunch
City visits
These tours, implemented in collaboration with the Nicosia Tourism Board and other local actors, ONG and associations, will take you to discover the rich history and dynamic present of our host city.
Each of these itineraries will showcase Nicosia under a different angle, including cultural diversity, architecture, and recent innovation created with European support.
Participation is by prior registration only.
Nicosia After Dark Party
Let’s wrap up the URBACT City Festival 2026 with an unforgettable Goodbye Party at the OLD GSP Square in Nicosia!
Live performances, DJ sets, interactive urban art, and local food experiences powered by the URBACT Action Planning Network "Cities After Dark"-- all in a unique riverside industrial space.
As we say goodbye to the 2026 edition, let’s celebrate the cities, people, and ideas that are shaping the future of urban Europe!