This opportunity invites cities to take center stage in fostering cultural dialogue, innovation, and sustainable development across Europe. By hosting, cities will contribute to shaping key cultural conversations while showcasing their local creative strengths to an engaged European audience.

Conferences 
Each will explore the agreed predefined themes of culture in enhancing well-being, audience engagement, and the sustainable growth of cultural and creative sectors. Each gathering aims to build capacity, strengthen connections among member cities, and support the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme. Member cities are encouraged to customise their approach while adhering to these overarching themes, ensuring relevance to local contexts and challenges.

Thematic Working Groups (TWGs)
For those eager to dive deeper, TWGs provide a collaborative framework to address pressing cultural topics. From exploring the intersection of culture and democracy to creating fair working conditions for artists, the TWGs aim to deliver impactful insights that feed directly into the conferences. These efforts align with Culture Next’s mission to integrate culture into sustainable development while reinforcing democracy, inclusivity, and innovation across Europe.

Conference 2028 in Cluj 
The 8th Conference under the theme “Advocating for ECoC reform, and SDG tool for culture” will be hosted by the city of Cluj as the secretariat of the network during Fall 2028. The main aim of this conference  will be to discuss and reimagine the need and possibilities of international cultural cooperations inside and outside the Culture Next Network. The results on the main policy papers of the CN Network, the ECoC reform proposal and the SDG tool for culture, will also be discussed.

All you need to know to apply for hosting conference or TWG 
The deadline for applications is March 16, 2026. Don’t miss this chance to lead the way in cultural collaboration and contribute to the long-term success of the ECoC programme. Visit the official application page for more details and guidelines.

Cities who have hosted a conference in the last 4 years period are excluded from this Open Call.

Timeline: 
Open Call Launch – 16.02.2026
Online Q&A – 25.02.2026, 10:00 CET (during the CN monthly meeting)
Open Call Deadline – 16.03.2026, 23:59 CET
Potential Clarifications Requests – 16.03.2026 – 15.04.2026
Announcement – 17.04.2026
How are conferences and thematic working groups linked

The CN Conferences and the Thematic Working Groups (TWG) already have predefined themes. Members who apply to host these conferences must respect these themes and build the CN Conference program and the work of the TWG, in partnership with the Board and the Culture Next executive team, in respect of the themes pre-selected. 

Each thematic working group will use one conference for progress on the topic and the next one for the results of the TWG. (example: The TWG Culture for the Planet will use the 5th Conference for making progress on the topic, and the 6th Conference to present the results of the Working Group)
Application Process to host CN Conferences
Culture Next conferences take place twice a year. Agendas include keynote speeches, workshops, working sessions, networking activities for members, connections with other European networks and platforms, as well as a programme dedicated to exploring the local context.

Member cities are invited to apply as CN Conference hosts, with the opportunity to decide on the specific focus of each of the conferences based on their local needs. The CN Conferences provided excellent ground for capacity building, networking and exchanging expertise at the European level.

Other info here.