The Festival. One Week One Europe | Share the European Spirit

Barcelona, December 6 2011 // It’s time to move on. Since 2006 we only focused on Berlin as the potential first host city of The Festival. But - nothing in life is more constant than change… Barcelona is a metropolitan city widely loved and admired by people from all over Europe. The weather conditions in June/July are superb for a cultural festival. Football, food, fun - Barcelona speaks for itself.

Barcelona, April 24 2011 // Spontaneous, flashmob style, European - on July 23 we will share the European spirit for the first time in the real world. Where? On the vibrating beach of Barcelona! This is not an event, this is not a party, it’s a manifesto. It’s a milestone on the long, sweaty path to making The Festival happen.

Berlin, March 29 2011 // Three weeks ago, our man for institutional affairs Boris Jarosch delivered the association articles of the “I am European e.V.” to the notary Raible & Dr. Fritzen in Berlin. It means that our NGO vehicle is about to be launched. This important step offers three key benefits…

Berlin, December 2010 // For our new “moving” landing page at thefestival.eu we need YOU! Do you live in Berlin? Do you like to support this project from the very front row? We will cast and film five volunteers - YOU will be our first visual contact for any person interested in this project.

Barcelona, July 21 2010 // The 7th of July 2010 will always remain a milestone for The Festival project. This is the day when we really “went public” for the first time. We presented the project at TEDxBarcelona. 600 TED fans confirmed with their positive reactions throughout the entire presentation that The Festival is definitely an idea worth spreading. Thank you, TEDxBarcelona!

Hungary might be considered a small country, but it has a lot to offer. Only think about their cuisine: Pörkölt, gulyás, pepper, tokaji… yummy! Since the beginnings of the rise of information technologies Hungarians have also been very active in the world of electronic music. One of the headliner groups of the Hungarian electronic music scene is Zagar. - Today, incredible European coincidences made it possible to bring Zagar and The Festival together…

Dear Friends, Partners, Supporters, Fans, Addicts and Lovers of The Festival!

In 2009 we experienced a whole lot of enthusiasm and support for The Festival. After three years our vision has remained the same - to create the first communication platform for Europeans to meet on a non-political level…

The night of the 6th of September 1997 was the night that changed the way I looked at Europe forever… I had arrived to the beautiful city of Barcelona a couple of days beforehand. The summer still covered this Mediterranean town with its hot and humid sheet. Barcelona had exceeded my best expectations, for I had never been to the city of Mediterranean wonders. Gaudí’s crazy constructions, the warm summer beaches, the picturesque Barrio Gótico. Straight away I felt at home. There I was, an ERASMUS student far away from home. Great!

More than any regulation, norm, treaty, or even a common currency could ever accomplish, music has always touched the hearts of people. We needed a song, a hymn for our pro-European movement. There has never been an uplifting, authentic, pro-European song out there which could hit the dance floors across the continent. We needed a producer…

“I know that we are still far away from a European identity or even a European citizenship. Nevertheless, it’s always been a dream of mine. I am proud of my European roots, and The Festival is an important step to make this tree of togetherness grow stronger and bigger. I agree with the team behind The Festival; we can only create a shared European feeling among our people, if we unite. I don’t know where you are going to be in July 2011. I will be in Berlin and support this movement. See you there. Love, Sarah”