Europalia

europalia

2023 europalia georgia festival banner
Genre	Biennale; focuses on the cultural heritage and art scene of one invited country, and includes visual arts, performing arts, film, music, literature and debate
Frequency	Biennial
Location(s)	Brussels, Belgium
Inaugurated	1969
Website	europalia.eu/en

Europalia (stylized as europalia since 2023) is a Brussels-based, international biennial arts festival that highlights the cultural heritage and art scene of one invited country. On multiple occasions, the festival has also dedicated editions to a theme rather than a country. Europalia was established with the aim of bringing the arts and culture of European countries to the heart of Europe itself. Although, since 1989 – with Europalia Japan – non-european countries have also featured. The very first festival in 1969 was dedicated to Italy.

The name europalia is a combination of two words: "Europe" and "Opalia", an ancient Roman harvest festival held in mid-December in honour of Ops, earth-goddess and fertility deity. Her name lies at the root of the Latin word "Opus", that denotes a work of art.

For approximately four months (traditionally starting in October), and in partnership with a wide network of cultural partners (museums, theatre and concert halls and other venues), europalia presents a series of artistic and socio-cultural projects that bring together visual arts, performing arts, film, music, literature and debate. In recent years, newly commissioned projects and artistic residencies have started occupying a central place in the multidisciplinary programme, which focuses on both the heritage and the contemporary art scene of the invited country.

The opening event takes place in the capital, but the programme also unfolds in other cities across Belgium, such as Liège and Antwerp, among others. Other European cities (in countries such as the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany) have also hosted europalia events.

The festival expenses are shared between Belgium and the invited country. Europalia is financially supported by Belgium’s national, regional and community governments, among others.

The upcoming festival, starting in October 2025, will be europalia españa.

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History of festivals

1969 Italy
1971 The Netherlands
1973 Great Britain
1975 France
1977 Federal Republic of Germany
1980 Belgium
1982 Greece
1985 Spain
1987 Austria
1989 Japan
1991 Portugal
1993 Mexico
1996 Victor Horta
1998 Czech Republic
1999 Hungary
2000 Brussels
2001 Poland
2002 Bulgaria
2003 Italy
2005 Russia
2007 EU-27
2009 China
2011 Brazil
2013 India
2015 Turkey
2017 Indonesia
2019 Romania
2021 Trains & Tracks
2023 Georgia
2025 España

Selection of notable events

1971 – Rembrandt and his Time (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Netherlands)
1973 – David Hockney (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Great Britain)
1980 – Bruegel, a Dynasty of Painters (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Belgium)
2003 – Venus Unveiled (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Italia) – curator: Umberto Eco
2009 – The State of Things (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia China) – curators: Ai Wei Wei and Luc Tuymans
2011 – Tropicália (concert) by Tom Zé & Quintet at VIERNULVIER (Ghent), DE SINGEL (Antwerp) and other venues (Europalia Brazil)
2017 – Power and Other Things (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Indonesia)
2019 – Brancusi. Sublimation of Form (exhibition) at Bozar, Brussels (Europalia Romania)
2021 – La Ronde by Boris Charmatz/Terrain (performance) at Brussels North Station (Europalia Trains & Tracks)
2023 – Georgian Polyphony: Triple Bill Basiani Ensemble, Gori Women’s Choir & Georgian State Chamber Choir (concert) at Concertgebouw (Bruges) and other venues (Europalia Georgia)