Welcome to our information section about the Europeade.  We are looking forward to meeting you at Europeade!

Europeade is a like five-day party for 5,000 dancers, musicians and singers.  Over 200 dance, music, singing, and flag waving groups attend.

It is not just an event.  We create European friendship and unity through sharing our diversity.

Europeade is an independent annual meeting of 5,000 people involved in folk dance and music from all over Europe.  We meet for a week in summer every year, often in a new city in Europe, old friends and new groups together.  We have danced and made music in most countries in Europe in our more than 50-year history.

During the Europeade, we show our dances in displays in large arenas (we run two large shows and each dance group is able to perform at one of them) as well as on stages in the streets of the city.  Music groups and choirs have their own events, as do children and youth groups.  We also hold a ball, a parade, and an oecumenical Christian service.  Groups dance, sing and play their music in costume throughout the city all day and part of the night!  We share our regional culture with the local inhabitants and each other.  Please see the section in “during the Europeade” on “programme” for more detailed information.

2.1    Dance groups (adults, children and youths)
Dance groups with fewer than 10 dancers should join up with another group from the same region to form a group of over ten members.  This will help to make your performance more interesting.
Dancers should pay their participant fee as a member of this bigger group, and not individually.  

2.2    Choirs
Choirs should perform music associated with the folk culture of their country.  They may also be invited to perform religious music during the oecumenical Christian service.

2.3     Music groups
Music groups which play for dancers and those who travel independently are very welcome and will have opportunities to perform folk music in the music concerts.  They may also be invited to perform religious music during the oecumenical Christian service.  Larger bands may also be invited to play more international music for dancing during the Europeade ball 

2.4    Flag waving groups
Flag waving groups perform in the opening or closing ceremony and during the parade.

2.5 Children and youth groups
We are delighted that so many children and youth groups come to Europeade.  They have a special programme and shows but can of course also attend the other events.  They are usually accommodated in a separate school from the adult groups, so that they are not disturbed if they need to rest.

-    Please fill in the online application form and send it to the Europeade office in Antwerp by February 20th of the year of the event you wish to attend, together with 50% of the participation fee (see below). The balance should be received by the Antwerp office by the May 1st, of the same year, at the latest.  
-    Official confirmation will be sent to all groups registered to participate by March 15th, in the year of the event.
-    On our website you can follow how many groups and how many participants have already registered.
 

The participation fee per person is as follows:
    120 €     for everyone above the age of 13     
      75 €     for children from the age of 3 to 13  
        0 €     for children below the age of 3 

This amount covers all meals from Wednesday evening to Monday morning, accommodation in a school and a programme. 
 

Please make sure you always mention the name of your group when sending each payment. 

All payments must be made in advance. We regret that we cannot register any additional participants or accept payment of fees on registration day.

For organisational and safety reasons, only participants who have been registered in advance can attend the event.
  
We regret that we are unable to make refunds for groups arriving with fewer participants than originally registered and paid for.

Groups which are forced to cancel their registration – for urgent, compelling reasons – will be reimbursed after the Europeade event, and after the administration costs (35 €/person) have been deducted. Unfortunately, it is not possible to carry over the balance paid to fund attendance at Europeade the following year.

We regret that groups which cancel their registration less than 30 days before the start of the Europeade or arrive on Wednesdays with fewer participants than they have registered, cannot reimbursed, and their payment can also no longer be transferred to the following year. This is because by that time we will already have transferred the money to the organising city and they will have used it.

6.1    Arrival

Group registration takes place on the first day of the Europeade only (usually a Wednesday and is defined and published in each call). In addition to practical information and technical details, on registration every member of the group will receive a badge and a programme brochure, and there will be technical production brochure for the group.  Group leaders will also be able to confirm technical arrangements with the stage management team.

6.2    Lodging and meals

Participants will usually be accommodated in schools.  The children and their leaders will be accommodated in one or more schools which are separate from the adult accommodation.

Please note that it may not be possible for all the groups to stay in the centre of the host city.

Participants will be provided with a mattress, clothes hanger and chair, but need to bring their own sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket. 

Groups travelling together on the same coach will be lodged at the same location. Please make sure you mention if you are sharing a coach on the registration form.

    Meals will be provided for the participants as follows:
5 x breakfasts: from Thursday till Monday
4 x lunches: from Thursday till Sunday
5 x dinners: from Wednesday till Sunday

Unfortunately, we cannot meet all dietary needs, so a vegan meal will be offered that is also gluten- and lactose-free. If there are people who have other allergies, they must provide their own food. 

Please indicate any persons with special dietary requirements on page H of the online registration form. 
                                
6.3    Technical arrangements

The musicians who require amplification for their instruments should mention it on the “Stage Management form – Musicians” section of the application form.
There is equipment for DVD/CD/mp3/mp4 and microphones for sound amplification on each stage.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ONLY LIVE MUSIC CAN BE PLAYED FOR THE OPENING AND CLOSING EVENTS.

6.4    Programme

The standard programme for the Europeade runs from registration upon arrival on Wednesday to Monday morning when everyone goes home.

Every group has the opportunity to perform at least once during one of the two major events (Opening or Closing Events, usually held on Thursday and Sunday), together with other groups from their region. The duration of this performance is strictly limited to 3 minutes for everyone! We urge you not to exceed this allocated time for your performance.

In addition to the big shows, a number of separate performances are usually scheduled on Thursday, Friday and Saturday:
•    Children and Youth Concert for the younger dancers and musicians
•    Music concert for instrumentalists
•    Choir concert for singers
•           Street performances (usually lasting 25 minutes per group)
There is also a very popular parade through the city for all the groups, usually on Saturday afternoon, and a ball for all participants on Saturday evening.  The oecumenical Christian service takes place on Sunday morning, and Europeade ends with the closing ceremony and show on Sunday afternoon.

The duration of these performances can be found in the relevant programmes.

6.5.1    Official City Reception

The City Council invites the groups to a reception, usually on Saturday morning of the event.
Each group should choose two representatives to attend the reception in costume.

We ask the groups not to bring any presents.  We believe that the best present you can give is your wonderful performances.

Nevertheless, your attendance at the reception is appreciated.  The reception gives your representatives the opportunity to meet other new or familiar groups, as well as members of the city council and the local and international committee.

6.5.2    Medical assistance

European Union participants must bring their own individual European health insurance card. This applies to all participants. 

 This card usually provides the following cover:

-repatriation for medical reasons

-emergency medical costs in European countries.
 

The rules vary in each EU country. It is important, therefore, to check the level of cover your country’s health insurance provides. 

In the event of an accident or if you need urgent medical care, please contact the Local Organisation Committee for help, but all medical and other expenses must be paid by the participant.

6.5.3    Insurance
     
We recommend that you take out insurance to cover any theft of luggage, instruments and/or clothing.
The IEC is not responsible for any damage sustained to the participants or their belongings.

6.5.4    Behaviour of the group

It is very important that every participant acts as a guest in the country/city and follow the local rules.
Groups that do not behave well will not be invited to participate in the future Europeade.
 
6.5.5    Friendship 

The Europeade is the biggest folk dance festival in Europe, and gives every participant a great opportunity to make new friends and meet old ones from previous years

6.5.6    Flags

Groups are requested to bring both the flag of their own region and the European flag (with 12 gold stars on a blue background) to be carried during the parade, etc.

6.5.7    Transport

All travel costs are paid by the participating groups themselves. 

On request, the groups can receive a list of transport companies in the host city area which rent buses. The rental costs of buses are paid by the group.

After the Europeade, we ask the participating groups to fill in an evaluation form. These evaluations by the various participants will help us to improve Europeade in the future. Once the Europeade starts, the website - www.europeade.eu – will contain a link to the group evaluation. We would ask you to complete this evaluation digitally as soon as you get home, and your ideas will help make the event better for everyone.

8.1    General principles  

The Europeade for European folk culture aims to promote and support unity between all people of Europe, in freedom and peace. Folk culture is linked to the individuality of a nation. The main aim of the Europeade is to develop fraternal bonds between the people of Europe. 

Any nation, however small, must be able to preserve its cultural identity in a future Europe.  Building contacts with diverse European folk cultures is a great source of enrichment. It is precisely this diversity that the Europeade wishes to support and promote.

The Europeade promotes equal opportunities for all aspects of European folk culture, from dance to song, music, flag waving, national costumes, etc. Therefore, we expect all groups to be present at all events in their traditional costumes, in the spirit of the objectives of the Europeade and as a mark of respect for the other performers.

8.2    Operation in the event of a crisis

In consultation with the local authorities, the IEC reserves the right to modify or cancel the Europeade programme, partially or in its entirety in the event of a serious security issue.

8.3    Representatives in the IEC from of your region / country

If you would like to contact the representative of IEC from your region, please look at our website
https://www.europeade.eu/en/about-europeade/iec-members