This year’s URBACT City Festival will showcase the 116 newly recognised URBACT Good Practices - impactful, participatory, and easy to transfer initiatives offering invaluable ideas for cities across Europe. Designed to put you at the centre, the City Festival is far from a typical conference. Here’s a taste of what’s in store:
Discover the 116 URBACT Good Practices
What better way to begin than by recognising cities already leading the way in urban innovation? The City Festival opens with an awards ceremony honouring the 99 cities and 116 initiatives recently awarded the URBACT Good Practice label, celebrating ideas set to inspire change across Europe. These urban good practices are impactful, participatory, integrated, relevant and transferable to other European cities.
Besides the award, the City Festival will provide a space and a unique opportunity to explore the latest URBACT Good Practices showcased by their creators. Connect directly with representatives, learn about these impactful initiatives, and dive into the details of how they work.
Sessions and networking go hand in hand
With over 600 urban practitioners in attendance, the City Festival offers an ideal setting to connect with like-minded people and build meaningful relationships. Thematic sessions will offer opportunities to fully engage with the Good Practices, while the real magic happens outside formal talks – whether over coffee or in spontaneous conversations. It’s the energy of so many professionals coming together that truly fuels the event. At its core, the City Festival is about community. Since 2015, URBACT City Festivals have fostered partnerships and provided valuable insights into urban development. This year’s event will carry forward this tradition with in-depth sessions where city representatives share experiences, tackle challenges, and explore aspirations and solutions together.
The URBACT Call for Transfer Networks: what’s in it for your city?
The City Festival will also launch URBACT’s Call for Transfer Networks, inviting cities to adopt and adapt successful Good Practices. The call will be running from April to June 2025 so it’s the perfect time to hear from cities already involved, explore the support on offer, and gain insight into joining a network as a lead or project partner. Best of all, the information will come directly from those who truly know what it’s like to take part.
A historic setting: The Centennial Hall, Wrocław
This year’s venue, Wrocław’s Centennial Hall, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a standout of modernist architecture. Its inspiring design creates the perfect backdrop for creative exchanges, making it the heart of the City Festival for three days of transformative urban ideas.
Discover Wrocław through a variety of study visits
Step outside and explore Wrocław’s own Good Practices! Organised study visits will give you the chance to see these initiatives in action, gaining insights directly from the teams behind the projects and witnessing their impact on local communities.
URBACT City Festival participants will get inspired by three URBACT Good Practices in Wrocław: Microgrants, a city programme that supports grassroots initiatives through annual open calls; Wroclaw Urban Farm, a sustainable farm producing quality vegetables while involving individuals at risk, and the Czasoprzestrzeń Culture Centre, a revitalised tram depot now thriving as a dynamic cultural centre.
In addition, participants will be able to visit other city projects developed under the URBACT GreenPlace network. Cherry on top, some site visiting will also take place across the city centre!
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Going green: a commitment to a low carbon event
URBACT’s commitment to sustainability is a core focus of this year’s City Festival. Following the success of the 2022 low carbon event, the 2025 URBACT City Festival continues to minimise its environmental impact: providing vegetarian meals, cutting out conference goodies and keeping print to a minimum all align with URBACT’s mission of eco-friendly urban development. The event’s carbon footprint will be measured and offset by financing sustainable projects.
Party in a former tram depot
Wrap up your URBACT City Festival experience at the Centre for Youth Culture and Local Initiatives CZASOPRZESTRZEŃ, one of those URBACT Good Practices you have heard about. This unique setting in a disused tram depot promises an unforgettable farewell celebration, where festival-goers can gather and celebrate until late.
Explore the full City Festival lineup
There’s much more in store than we can cover here. For the full programme, take a look here.
Whether you’re a long-standing member of the URBACT community or a first-time attendee, the City Festival in Wrocław offers an exceptional chance to connect, learn, and celebrate the strides European cities are making in urban transformation.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect, learn, and inspire change - register now!
