The New European Bauhaus Festival returns to Brussels

The European Commission launches the second edition of the Festival of The New European Bauhaus (NEB) taking place from 9 to 13 April in the Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Art & History Museum in Brussels. Designed around the pillars of Forum, Fair and Fest, the Festival embarks the public on a 5-days journey of interactive sessions, workshops, demonstrations, and artistic performances, hosting international high-level speakers and guest. Additionally, the Festival is featuring the awards ceremony of the fourth edition of New European Bauhaus Prizes, where the Belgian project “The Station”, is nominated under Strand B and 20 winners will be awarded a total of €390,000. Next to the event in Brussels, the Festival will also be spreading throughout Europe and beyond via Satellite Events.

Brussels, 14/03/24 – The European Commission, in collaboration with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, organises the second edition of the Festival of the New European Bauhaus, an initiative connecting the European Green Deal to our daily lives and living spaces. The official opening will take place on 9 April in the presence of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commissioners Iliana Ivanova and Elisa Ferreira, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and State Secretary Thomas Dermine, as well as the Director General of IIASA Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber.

The pillars of the event

The Festival represents an important bridge between the New European Bauhaus movement, high-level EU representatives, policymakers, industry leaders in art, architecture, design, sustainability, innovation and the wider public.

· The Forum will features keynotes, panel discussions, debates, exploring the diverse facets of the NEB values. High-level figures will engage in conversation around topics from science and technology to culture and education, as well as regional and local development and international perspectives. Architects, artists, scientists, and climate activists will also contribute to the discourse, offering perspectives on science, technology, culture, education, and global development. Every session will also be streamed and available online around the world.

· The Fair invites the public to explore over 70 innovators’ exhibitions, showcasing NEB-style projects that address the urgent need for a more sustainable and equitable future with innovative solutions. The visitors can engage with immersive displays and interactive experiences to discover cutting-edge designs that address societal and environmental needs.

· The Fest will be the place where culture, art and fun are coming together to celebrate creativity, innovation and diversity. Audiences can look forward to dance, theatre, and music shows from artists from around the globe – such as Sibil•la and Besac Arthur – as well as scientific experiments or upcycling workshops.

The New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 awards ceremony: € 390.000 to be awarded, support to Ukraine and to EU’s regions

This year’s edition of the Festival hosts the awards ceremony of the fourth edition of the prestigious NEB Prizes. The NEB Prizes will be awarded in four categories : Reconnecting with nature; Regaining a sense of belonging; Prioritizing the places and people that need it the most; Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking. 50 finalists are running in the last stage of the competition, including applicants with completed projects, as well as young people with innovative ideas, all of them a testament of the creativity, talent and commitment of people from across Europe and beyond to build a more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful world.

For the first time, the NEB Prizes welcomes projects from Ukraine, in addition to EU Member States and the Western Balkans. A “Special Recognition to Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Recovery Effort” will also be granted to projects and ideas that align with NEB values and actively contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine, in a spirit of recognising and supporting Ukraine’s effort and commitment to build back better. The NEB Prizes 2024 also focus on those regions facing more intensively socio-economic issues, as well as those challenged the most by the adaptation to carbon neutrality, by awarding a fourth of the Prizes to projects and ideas that bring positive transformation for those places.

Among this year’s nominees, “The Station” (Belgium), aiming to construct a renewable energy-powered workshop station in a Belgian meadow, allowing the community to collaboratively transform seasonal harvests into food, colors, and materials, thereby maximising the potential of the surrounding plants.

During the awards ceremony, 20 out of the 50 finalists will be rewarded with a total of € 390,000. As part of the experience, the public is invited to participate in the voting process to determine one winner from each category. Since 2021, the NEB Prizes already engaged over 5000 applicants, and the 2024 edition is again a testament of this ever-growing community. The whole list of nominees for the Prizes 2024 can be found on the official Prizes website.

The New European Bauhaus Festival is free and open to all, offering a unique opportunity to be part of a transformative experience. Note that while the Festival is open to the public, the Opening Ceremony and NEB Prizes Ceremony require registration.

To access photos from the NEB Festival, please visit the link.

Background information

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a European movement that calls on everyone to imagine and build a better future together: beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive places, products, and ways of living. Launched by the European Commission in 2021, this interdisciplinary initiative is closely linked to the European Green Deal and provides a platform for experimentation, connection, and positive change on the ground through bottom-up projects. Focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on the transformation of our living spaces, the New European Bauhaus creates a bridge between the world of science and technology, art and culture, to craft innovative solutions that are environmentally friendly and accessible for everyone. Through teamwork and community involvement, it empowers local and regional communities, industries, and creative minds to enhance our quality of life.