International Festivals and Policy in light of COVID-19 - online debate

The UNESCO ResiliArt debate: 'International Festivals and Policy in light of COVID-19' is organised by Festival Cities Network and takes place online on 28 July. Free registration is open.

Panellists from five festival cities (Adelaide, Edinburgh, Krakow, Montreal, & Singapore) will discuss ways in which local and national governments can develop policies that support the recovery and health of the festival sector moving forward.

The first half of 2020 has seen the COVID-19 pandemic pose a myriad of major hurdles for cities around the world. The creative economy has been especially devastated, with millions of artists, arts companies, cultural organisations affected and the global culture value chain severely disrupted. The festival sector, like the entire live performance industry, has taken a particularly hard hit. While many national and local governments have put in place measures to alleviate the effects of the crisis on festivals and their broader ecosystems, the longer-term policy implications and interventions are not yet clear.

The webinar is part of the UNESCO ResiliArt online debate series with key industry professionals. The series aims to raise awareness about the far-reaching impact of the pandemic on the culture sector as well as the importance of cultural and creative industries for economic development and social cohesion.

Panellists include:

• Mr Low Eng Teong, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Sector Development), National Arts Council, Singapore

• Professor Susan Deacon CBE, Chair of the Edinburgh Festivals Forum, former Member of Scottish Parliament and Health Minister.

• Mr Pawel Potoroczyn, Diplomat and culture manager, film and music producer, publisher. Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw from 2008 to 2016.

• Mr Douglas Gautier AM, CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre. Chair of the Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centre and Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership.

Moderated by:

• Hiroko Tsuboi-Friedman, former senior policy researcher at the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan. UNESCO Expert Facility member, 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Time: Adelaide, 21:30 | Singapore, 20:00 | Krakow, 14:00 | Edinburgh, 13:00 | Montreal, 8:00

Language: English