What it is
Energy Cities is a network of local authorities working towards climate neutrality, active since 1990 and made up of several hundred local authority representatives from 30 countries. Its Annual Forum is the network’s main yearly meeting, hosted each time by a different member city. Since 2023 it has run under the title “Grafting Cities”, a gardening image for cities building on what they already have to speed up their transition.
The 2026 forum took place in Guimarães, European Green Capital 2026, from 28 to 30 April, under the theme “nurturing the cities’ roots”. About 300 members and partners attended, according to the network’s report on the forum. The working languages were English and French.
How the programme works
The forum combines debate with site visits run by the host city. In Guimarães the last day was organised as five thematic “journeys”, each pairing a morning visit with an afternoon workshop. They covered climate governance with local industry, affordable housing through procurement and partnerships, community-led fossil-free heating and cooling, a fair energy transition, and food security. One journey showed how Guimarães set up an energy community while fitting solar installations into a historic UNESCO-listed setting. Another heard from Valladolid, Zagreb and Sofia on bringing the private sector into climate policy.
Who goes and how to take part
The 2026 event page describes the forum as the place where municipalities, organisations and stakeholders share experience on the transition to climate neutrality. Both front-runners and beginners belong to the network. We could not find ticket prices published, or a rule limiting attendance to members. For 2027, the tickets page says registration will open at the beginning of February, and that an infopack on travel, accommodation and venues in Athens will follow.
Why it matters for cities
The forum is run by cities for cities, which makes it more practical than most EU-level conferences: much of the time is spent in the host city’s own projects. The network is chaired by Mohamed Ridouani, mayor of Leuven, and the 2026 report frames the next EU budget and local democracy as the main political concerns. For cities that have signed the Covenant of Mayors, it is a smaller setting to compare notes on the same plans.
Going, or following from home
The 2027 forum will be hosted by Athens, where the city’s development company presents its Energy Poverty Alleviation Office as an example of the approach it wants to share. The exact dates are not yet settled in the organiser’s own pages: the forum home page shows 14-16 April with the year 2026 next to Athens, while the news page says “Let’s meet in Athens in April 2027”. Treat April 2027 as the likely month and wait for the programme before booking.