2026 URBACT City Festival

The URBACT City Festival 2026 will take place from 31 March to 1 April 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Organized under the URBACT program, this European festival brings together nearly 500 urban actors from across Europe — city representatives, regional authorities, urban experts, researchers, and institutional partners — to draw inspiration from local actions carried out within URBACT networks and to explore key topics in sustainable urban development.

The event will notably showcase 273 local actions developed by European cities within 30 URBACT Action Planning Networks, offering a rich overview of concrete examples to address contemporary urban challenges.

URBACT City Festival 2026 aims to:

• Share and celebrate innovative urban practices, highlighting inspiring local actions led by European cities.

• Promote knowledge exchange, learning, and networking among policymakers, practitioners, experts, and representatives of European institutions.

• Prepare and encourage future participation in URBACT calls for proposals, providing opportunities for information, exchanges, and connections for new urban networks.

• Strengthen cooperation between cities and European partners, particularly around mobility, green urban economy, social inclusion, participatory governance, and nature-based solutions.

The festival will offer a rich and dynamic program, including:

• A Local Actions Market, a vibrant outdoor space where urban solutions from 273 cities will be showcased, open to the public for the first time.

• Thematic sessions and workshops on topics such as mobility, nature-based solutions, green urban economy, urban planning, citizen engagement, and urban health and well-being.

• Information and guidance workshops to familiarize participants with upcoming URBACT calls for proposals and meet potential partners.

• Meetings with European funding programs, allowing participants to discover financing opportunities for their urban projects.

• Guided tours of Nicosia, providing insight into the host city, its historical heritage, and recent urban developments.

• Festive moments, including the “Nicosia After Dark” evening, combining informal networking, exchanges, and entertainment to close the festival while celebrating urban creativity.

📅 31 March – 1 April 2026
📍 Nicosia, Cyprus
💬 English
📌 Format: In-person only (on-site registration, interactive meetings, and workshops)
🎟️ Participation is free, but places are limited and registration must be done online.

👉 For the full program, registration, and practical information, visit the official festival website.