Open call: Join in the action to build peace
Every year we are looking for NGOs and other civil society actors and societal stakeholders to implement impactful programme reflecting the festival’s theme. Theme of the 2025 festival is Peace.
Peace in the world is disturbed in ever-increasing ways, with societal stability and people’s sense of security being threatened. Peace is not just an absence of war and conflict – it is also needed to solve societal tensions and ecological crises. Equally, many of us wish for peace in our everyday lives, work, home and the environment: enjoying peaceful life and interaction, peace of mind, peace to be ourselves.
We are looking for specific and brave proposals linked to the theme that will inspire the audience for action for a fairer world:
- Talks and discussions
- Films
- Exhibitions
- Workshops
- Kids’ programme
World Village Festival is Finland’s largest sustainable development event attracting 45,000 festivalgoers in 2024. The talks and discussions programme had an on-site audience of around 3,000 and an online audience of another 3,000 people. Audiences want to improve their understanding of global issues and are interested in the work of various actors and the impacts of their work. Half of those attending World Village Festival responded in our visitor survey that the event provided them with information that has influenced their own activities. The festival’s values are diversity, inspiration, equality, responsibility and communality.
What are we offering and hoping for?
World Village Festival will offer the event technology and venue, production support as well as various training and info events for the selected programme providers. Programme partners will gain visibility in festival communication relating to the programme item. Talks and discussions programme partners will also receive sparring support to develop their programme item as well as a multicamera recording of their festival appearance that can be published online or used in other ways after the event. Producing programme for World Village Festival offers a unique opportunity to draw attention to your themes and increase the impact of your organisation at the largest global topics event of the year.
Programme providers will be responsible to produce their programme item: contents, participants, script and any interpreter(s) and communication materials (images, texts and related copyright aspects). Programme producers will also usually be responsible for the costs, such as performance rights, travel, accommodation and fees, of those appearing in programme items. Where separately agreed, the festival may contribute towards costs.
Opportunity to make use of fee-based programme slots
Would you like to make sure your programme content will be included in World Village Festival? You can reserve a programme slot through fee-based programme partnership and ensure your organisation’s visibility in the festival programme. Applying for a fee-based programme slot means your organisation will not take part in the normal call for programme submissions process. Please note that fee-based programme partnership contents must also be in line with the World Village Festival theme and values.
Pluralistic discussion arena that is free from discrimination and harassment
World Village Festival is a discrimination-free space and committed to promoting the principles of equality, justice and non-discrimination. Everyone is welcome to the festival as they are, and we do not tolerate any discrimination or harassment. Read more on our discrimination-free festival page. World Village Festival provides an arena for discussions on global topics, with an emphasis on open dialogue and cooperation.
Fingo, the organiser of World Village Festival, has updated its programme policy effective:
- We will invite performers to our events with a view to maximising diversity, including in particular:
- People representing a variety of backgrounds – such as ethnicity, cultural background, gender, age, etc.
- People representing a variety of societal and political views.
- As regards political representativeness, we pay attention to our events also including participants from political parties that have typically not been oriented towards our topics.
- All those appearing in festival programme are required to commit themselves to Fingo’s Safer Space Guidelines.
- We will not invite as a speaker anyone who to our knowledge has been sentenced under Finnish law for agitation against a population group or for a hate crime.
- As regards persons whose criminal proceedings are still underway, we will assess the situation specifically for each case, taking account of the nature of the matter and the information available.
- As regards sentences imposed a very long time ago, we will pay particular attention to how the person has demonstrated change and commitment to promoting equality and responsibility.
- Fingo must not be associated with unlawful activity, but we may, on a case-by-case basis, invite to our events persons who have used unlawful actions to seek goals that are in line with Fingo’s values.
- We will not invite as a speaker anyone who is or has been a Member of Parliament and has been dismissed from an established parliamentary group due to their conduct (not due to political differences of opinion).
Programme producers must check the backgrounds of those appearing in their programme.
Call for factual programme has closed
The call for factual programme was open 10 October to 1 December.
The venue for talks and discussions programme and film screenings included in the factual programme will be the Speaker’s Stage of Tiivistämö space. The programme item duration will in most cases be 25 minutes. Programme may also feature remote participants, but virtual-only programme items will not be accepted for the festival programme. Talks and discussions programme will be livestreamed online.
Programme selections will be made by 16 December 2024. There will be a focus in the selections on specific, pluralistic and brave talks, discussions and films relevant to the Peace theme and providing the theme with a unique and informed perspective. We will also take representation aspects into account, as we want to ensure that the festival will showcase as many voices and perspectives as possible.
We will organise a training event for the selected organisations in January 2025 and provide them with programme-specific sparring to develop their talks and discussions programme. The programme will need to be ready in terms of speakers, presentation texts and images by 25 February. Factual programme producers will be charged a small production fee if they will not participate in the festival in another role, such as exhibitor or advertiser. The production fee for organisations only producing factual programme is EUR 350. Look at the festival exhibitor and vendor space and advertising space price list.
Call for cultural programme has closed
The call for cultural programme was open 10 October to 10 January. Organisations could make suggestions for kid’s programme, exhibitions, workshops, performances and other cultural programme numbers. Our hope is that the cultural programme is also linked to the theme as much as possible. Programme selections will be made by 14 February.
Call for Street Art Area opens 13 February
The Street Art Area of World Village Festival is open for everyone, regardless of whether your thing is music, dance, circus, theatre, poetry, improvisation, Tai Chi demonstrations or any other performance. The festival is especially looking for street artists and amateur groups to perform in the Street Art Area. The application period is open from 13 February to 14 April. More information can be found here.
More information about programme cooperation
Check out the contact details for Programme Manager and Programme Producer for more information.
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