What it is
The URBACT City Festival is the flagship gathering of URBACT, the EU programme that has funded city-to-city exchange since 2002. The current cycle, URBACT IV (2021-2027), is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The festival is where the programme’s networks of cities show what they have done and where cities look for partners for the next round of networks. It has no fixed rhythm: earlier editions were held in Riga (2015), Tallinn (2017), Lisbon (2018), online (2021), Pantin in Greater Paris (2022) and Wrocław (2025).
The 2026 edition took place in Nicosia on 29 and 30 September, under the patronage of the city, spread across the Royal Hall, Eleftheria Square and the Old GSP Square.
How the programme worked in 2026
The 2026 programme started the evening before with a closed meeting for invited network representatives. The first full day opened with the Mayor of Nicosia, Cyprus’s Minister of Interior and the European Commission’s Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy, followed by a marketplace of local actions grouped under five themes: climate action, local economy, participative governance, social cohesion and urban planning. For the first time the outdoor exhibition was open to the general public. Sixteen thematic sessions followed, from mobility and housing to night-time cities and gender equality.
The second morning included a plenary on how the EU should support cities in the 2028-2034 funding period, with the European Urban Initiative and ESPON as well as URBACT itself. The festival ended with city visits, which needed prior registration.
Who goes and how to take part
Places were open to representatives of city, regional and national administrations from across Europe, members and Lead Experts of URBACT networks, National URBACT Points, EU institutions, partner organisations and media. URBACT reviewed every application. There were no fees, but only invited guests had accommodation reimbursed; everyone else paid their own travel and stay. For 2026, the festival was fully booked and registration closed on 26 January 2026, eight months ahead.
What came out of past editions
URBACT’s festival page describes past formats: “walkshops” that mix walking tours with workshops, “Meet the Cities” sessions and policy roundtables. Pantin in 2022 was the first carbon-neutral edition. Wrocław in 2025 showcased 116 URBACT Good Practices and served as matchmaking for the 2025 call for Transfer Networks. Before Nicosia the organiser announced 273 cities presenting local actions; its post-event page speaks of more than 300 local actions and Investment Plans.
Why it matters for cities
The festival is less a conference than a showcase of finished work: each network city presents the local actions it developed with its partners. For a city considering an URBACT application, it is the most direct way to meet future partners and see what a network delivers in practice. For a city-level view of participatory work, see the Rotterdam interview on futurehubs.
Going next time
We could not find the next festival announced. Judging by 2026, apply early: places are limited, cities are asked to agree internally on who represents them, and the event was in person only.