Since our last check in, there have been plenty of updates…not just to the dates!
Whether you joined us last year in Wrocław (PL) or are new to the URBACT City Festival experience, find out what’s in store for Nicosia!
URBACT City Festival: an origin story
The URBACT City Festival story starts in 2015 in Riga (LV). Morphing over the years, through physical and hybrid formats, the Festival has evolved into a key feature of URBACT’s event repertoire. According to Chiara Petroli, Events Officer for the URBACT Joint Secretariat, “[The Festival] has become the main check-in appointment for the URBACT family”. This meeting is open to not only URBACT cities but also other European cities interested in getting involved in the programme. Representatives from other European programmes will also be in attendance. For Chiara, this makes the Festival “the perfect entry point to the URBACT solar system, as well as other European opportunities and initiatives.”
Each year’s festival promises a new location, collaborative dynamic and set of objectives. Last year, 116 newly awarded URBACT Good Practices took the stage. The 2026 edition coincides with a few URBACT IV programme milestones. In December 2025, 30 URBACT Action Planning Networks completed their network journey, followed by 10 URBACT Innovation Transfer Networks that have wrapped up activities in August 2026. The 27 cities involved in the URBACT Pioneer Accelerator programme have their final event on 17 September 2026.
The Festival will be the perfect moment to get inspired by the real-life experiences and lessons learnt from these URBACT networks and parties, and much more.
Touching down in Cyprus
Another special feature of the next URBACT City Festival is the destination itself. Nicosia is the southern-most capital city in the EU. It has a rich history of coexistence among different languages, cultures and religions.
Far from just being a background setting, Nicosia will be a main character of the Festival programme. First of all, the event will take place around three of Nicosia's most vibrant spots: the Royal Hall, the Eleftheria (Freedom) Square and the Old GSP Square. Specifically, guided tours of historical and modern gems will showcase the city’s EU involvement, social cohesion and other sustainable urban development thematics.
Finally, the farewell party ‘Nicosia After Dark’ will capitalise on the city’s involvement with URBACT – most notably on the night economy – as part of the Cities After Dark Action Planning Network.
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Programme updates
The programme will converge around the following pillars:
• On Day 2, four additional sessions will be animated by Innovation Transfer Networks (ITNs), who will present their results and showcase how cities have adapted and transferred innovative urban solutions through transnational cooperation. The sessions will cover topics including night-time cities, culture and heritage, housing and talent economy. They will draw on the experience of URBACT cities and the URBACT Knowledge Hub (the programme’s repository of thematic expertise and resources).
• The Marketplace, on Day 1, a large exhibition space will showcase local actions carried out by the cities involved in URBACT Action Planning Networks, Innovation Transfer, Pioneer Accelerator, and more. [New feature: this space will be open to the public; this means that Nicosian civil society, academia and the local community will have a chance to mingle with the URBACT community.]
• New session added: Looking ahead: future urban challenges and EU support for cities. Day 2 will also feature a high-level discussion on how the EU can best support cities in times of uncertainty and change, with a focus on future funding opportunities under the 2028–2034 EU financial programming period. Speakers will include representatives from the European Commission, European Parliament, European Committee of the Regions, European Economic and Social Committee, European Urban Initiative, ESPON, URBACT and more, offering different perspectives on the future urban funding landscape.
• City visits will run on Day 2, letting participants take in Nicosia’s unique urban landscape, including walking tours of the city, urban regeneration projects, museums and cultural site visits. [Find the full list of visits in this article.]
Not registered?
The 2026 URBACT City Festival is now fully booked, but you can still follow the action online! Stay tuned to URBACT’s social media channels and follow #URBACTfest for updates, highlights and key moments throughout the Festival.
After the event, presentations, session materials and other resources will be made available online, so you can catch up on the discussions and discover the work showcased in Nicosia.
