Shape the Reiefestival 2026 program
After a successful first edition in 2023, the Reiefestival will return to Bruges in 2026. This triennial arts festival, which connects performing arts with the city’s rich heritage, will take place from 28 to 30 August 2026. Artists can already participate in the open call that will shape the programme. They will work on the central theme of ‘Flow’.
What artists are we looking for?
- You are active in one or more stage-related artistic disciplines such as theatre, musical theatre, performance, dance, music, sound art, spoken word, etc.
- The theme of this second edition – ‘flow’ – is thought-provoking to you.
- You find Bruges’s tangible and intangible heritage a great source of inspiration and want to use it innovatively.
- You want to perform in the open air in all weather conditions, day and night, near or – why not? – in Bruges’s canals.
Reiefestival offers opportunities to artists
The Reiefestival offers opportunities to both emerging and established talent. We invite artists of all ages, nationalities, and orientations to share their artistic practice with us. We are open to all forms of artistry, individual or collective. The result does need to be a stage-related performance, and it must be possible to perform it outdoors at venues near or on Bruges’s canals.
What is the Reiefestival?
The Reiefestival in Bruges is a triennial, multiday, multidisciplinary arts festival that connects heritage with contemporary performing arts. The second edition will take place from 28 to 30 August 2026 at various open-air locations on and around the canals of Bruges. The festival will programme six existing productions alongside the same number of new creations selected from this open call. The festival is partly free and partly paid.
Important dates
Submit your project proposal no later than 15 May 2025 by filling in this form. Do you know any interested parties? Feel free to forward this call to them.
A shortlist will be compiled by 30 May 2025. Those selected for the shortlist will be contacted for an exploratory interview (online or otherwise). Those who are not selected will, of course, be notified as well. The final selection will be announced by the end of June 2025.
After the announcement of the selection, we will contact those selected to discuss further production planning. Site visits can be scheduled. Co-production agreements will be drawn up.
The exact performance days and hours, as well as the number of performances, has not yet been determined. We are aiming for at least two performances per creation. The organisation reserves the right to decide whether or not the audience has to pay to attend the performance.
