EUROPEADE: HIGH FEAST OF EUROPEAN FOLK CULTURE
Since its foundation in Antwerp in 1964, the EUROPEADE has developed into the most important festival of European folk culture. It is the expression of the faith in friendship and fraternity between European peoples based on the idea of "unity in diversity".
The actual 'embodiment' of the Europeade can be found in the annual meeting of thousands of Europeans who come together for five days to express this conviction. The folk art and traditions in their regions are the lining that hold them together.
The organisation of this event is in the hands of an international committee formed by members represent the different European regions. An executive committee answers to the international committee.
To spread the basic idea, the Europeade travels around. Every year, the festival is held in a different European country (usually in a small picturesque town). The practical organisation is entrusted to a local committee that operates in conjunction with and under the responsibility of the international committee.
On average, about 250 folk music and folk dance groups from all over Europe take part in the Europeade. Usually about five to seven thousand European folk artists participate in the event. They form the backbone of the whole event.
The idea behind the Europeade is that folk art bonds people from different countries and regions. Fraternisation between peoples is the main goal of the event. By uniting European folk cultures in an annually recurring meeting in one location, the organisers hope to contribute effectively to the European awareness process. The Europeade's final goal is that people feel European in their hearts too.