About

Illustration generated by DALL·E

17-18th of May 2024

2 days of discussions

15 European cities

2000+ eager participants

Concept

Hybrid European Democracy Festival is a discussion festival that seeks to connect people from all over Europe. Participants will be able to discuss new solutions, ideas and perspectives for the challenges facing Europe.  For two days in May 2024, you can join the festival from over 15 locations around Europe to be part of seamless hyperlocal public discussions

A democracy festival with two full days of discussions

HEDF is a democracy festival where people can physically get together, talk to each other, get inspired, exchange opinions and debate their ideas. It is more than a discussion event – it’s a meeting place that gets you inspired and excited about the future. 

The experience of a hyperlocal discussion

Festival will introduce a new way for pan-European public debate – hyperlocal discussions. You will get to seamlessly exchange ideas, views and questions with people all over Europe without having to leave your home city with the feeling of a physical discussion. 

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Connecting local and international challenges

Discussions at HEDF help to create understanding between local and international challenges. We do not dive into complex politics but focus our discussions on personal and local experiences to ensure that everyone can be engaged into the discussion. 

Seamless festival hubs in 20+ European cities

HEDF will take place in 20+ different cities all over Europe. Each festival hub will give you a chance to meet up with inspiring people. Discussions will connect you with other festival hubs from diverse cities and countries – just find the nearest one for you to take part. 

Let's make the European public discussion cool again

HEDF aims to create a new kind of public discussion in Europe. The kind that is accessible to people without expensive travel or digital skills. A human discussion enhanced by digital means. Making the discussion on global issues actually global.

Purpose

Europe is facing deepening challenges and political disruptions that require cross-border solutions and cooperation more than ever.  At the same time, we rarely share the ground to talk about the ways forward together. This is why we await anybody and everybody to join the festival for free to share different perspectives, create understanding and inspiration for action. The festival is a place to connect with people from your own hometown and also form new connections with your neighbors from another country.”

We're building a European public sphere for the 21st century

The salons of the future are neither physical nor digital, they are hyperlocal. Despite all the technological advances, humans stay human. And humans like human contact. So the new public sphere that can enable a truly democratic Europe has to be on a human level – this is what we call a hyperlocal format.

We see that global challenges need global discussions

With the ever deepening environmental challenges, geopolitical disruptions and technological advances the global governance needs to speed up to keep up. Our hyperlocal discussions are a testing platform for a new form of international democratic discussion, allowing for a truly international thoughtful public opinion to emerge.

We're looking for hope and spreading it far and wide

Discussions are not just about information – they are as much, if not more about social movements, about inspiration, about activization. So we see the bleakness of our prospects as a species and answer with a dash of hope.

A team effort

Hybrid European Democracy Festival comes into life in cooperation of organisations who are passionate about bringing innovation to public discussion and democracy.

Miltton Events creates the hyperlocal solutions for the festival discussions
Arvamusfestival is the main organiser of Tartu [eel]arvamusfestival in 2024. They have carried the culture of democracy festivals in Estonia for over 10 years 

HEDF if part of the official programme of event for the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024

Timeout Foundation trains and facilitate dialogues over Europe and helps to put together the discussion programme for the festival

Üliõpilaskonna Sihtasutus engages Tartu student organisations to the creation of the festival