Open Call for Festival der Regionen 2027: The Danube Becomes the Main Protagonist of the Arts Forum

Austria’s Festival der Regionen has announced an open call for project proposals for its 2027 edition, titled Eintauchen / Diving Deeper. The central theme of the festival will be the Danube — not as a landscape, stage or transport resource, but as a living social, ecological and political reality that shapes interactions between people, communities, infrastructure and natural systems.

Festival der Regionen is one of Austria’s significant forums for contemporary art and culture, held every two years in different regions of Upper Austria. The 2027 edition will take place along the Danube upstream from Linz, with the village of Aschach an der Donau serving as the festival hub.

The Danube as a Space of Art, Politics and Ecology

The theme Eintauchen / Diving Deeper invites participants to “dive deeper” into the Danube as a complex system where culture, memory, navigation, ecological challenges, water governance, economic use and political imaginaries intersect.

In this edition, the Danube is not treated merely as a background for artistic events. Instead, it is understood as an active participant and protagonist of social, political and ecological processes. The festival raises questions about how the river transforms landscapes, economies and societies; how people can rethink coexistence with water and other forms of life; and how art can propose new models of living “on the Danube” and “with the Danube”.

What Kind of Projects Are Sought

Artists, cultural initiatives, interdisciplinary teams and participants working at the intersection of culture, ecology, social practice and political reflection are invited to apply.

Priority will be given to projects that:

• recognise the Danube as an active agent of social, ecological and political processes;

• develop new relationships between people, water, landscapes and other forms of life;

• connect local contexts in Upper Austria with broader Danube, transregional or international perspectives;

• involve cooperation with local communities, regional initiatives and specific infrastructure.

Applications may be submitted in German or English. Three funding categories are available: small projects — up to EUR 5,000; medium-sized projects — up to EUR 10,000; and large projects — up to EUR 20,000.

Why This Matters for the Ukrainian Danube Region

For Ukraine, this topic has not only cultural but also strategic significance. During the war, the Danube has become one of the key spaces of resilience — transport, humanitarian, economic and security-related. Today, the Ukrainian Danube region stands at the intersection of logistics, ecology, cross-border cooperation, European integration and a broader rethinking of the river’s role in the development of communities.

For this reason, the open call for Festival der Regionen 2027 may become an important platform for Ukrainian artists, researchers, cultural organisations and civic initiatives. Ukraine’s Danube experience — as a corridor of survival, European connectivity, a natural system and a space of borderland identity — can substantially enrich the international discussion on the future of the river.

IDR Commentary

According to the Institute of Danube Research, the decision of Festival der Regionen 2027 to address the Danube as the “main protagonist” is indicative of a broader shift in contemporary European thinking: the river is increasingly viewed not only as an infrastructural or natural object, but as an integrated space of interdependence between ecology, politics, culture and security.

Vitaliy Barvinenko, Director of the Institute of Danube Research, Doctor of Law, Professor, notes:

“For Ukraine, the Danube today is not a peripheral river, but one of the key European spaces of our resilience. Therefore, it is important that the Ukrainian voice be present not only in logistical, security or economic discussions, but also in the cultural interpretation of the Danube. Artistic and research projects can reveal what often remains outside the language of official policy: the life of river communities, ecological vulnerability, borderland experience, memory and new forms of solidarity.”

The IDR emphasises that the participation of Ukrainian initiatives in such European calls can become an additional instrument for integrating the Ukrainian Danube region into the wider Danube macro-region — not only through transport corridors and infrastructure projects, but also through culture, public dialogue and a shared vision of the river’s future.

More information: applications are submitted via the online form on the Festival der Regionen website. The application deadline is 30 April 2026.