NEB Festival 2026
From 9 to 13 June 2026, the Festival of the New European Bauhaus returns to Brussels and to many locations across Europe and beyond. This year the focus is on how democratic engagement can shape more inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods, including affordable housing and quality in the built environment.
Buildings and common spaces should be designed around the people who live in them. Communities are at the heart of the 2026 Festival which creates a place to understand people’s needs and aspirations and showcase projects that successfully reflect them. It demonstrates ways to foster community, strengthen resilience and boost competitiveness.
The Festival programme is available.
The Festival will reflect on the NEB journey of the past five years and its future, following the Commission Communication in 2025.
It will also present the new scope and objectives of the NEB Academy as the core infrastructure for skills, knowledge and innovation, as well as its future hubs in Europe and beyond, including Ukraine, Japan, and Brazil.
Aim of the event
The Forum (conference) part of the programme features contributions from:
• President Ursula von der Leyen
• Executive Vice-Presidents Henna Virkkunen and Raffaele Fitto
• Commissioners Jessika Roswall, Dan Jørgensen and Ekaterina Zaharieva
• European Council President António Costa
Other leading international voices will join the discussion, including e.g. Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, Johan Rockström.
Who should attend?
Changemakers and NEB enthusiasts from all parts of the NEB family including arts, SSH, built environment, architects, engineers, ecologists and biodiversity experts, town planners, civil society and beyond.
Programme outline
The programme is modular comprising multiple ways to get involved:
Forum – Discuss the future of Europe through live debates on affordable, sustainable and inclusive living
Fair – Explore innovative concepts and prototypes that are already transforming Europe
Fest – Celebrate the movement through music, dance, art, and hands-on creative workshops
Satellite events – Discover events showcasing NEB values across Europe and beyond.
Events are clearly tagged to one of these tracks within the programme. It is possible to move fluidly between tracks on the day.
The Festival will also feature:
• Film screenings in collaboration with BOZAR
• Guided site visits across Brussels
• Hands-on workshops and labs
• Networking opportunities
• Family-friendly activities (Saturday)
Technical specifications
To get the most out of the NEB Festival in Brussels event including the Forum, Fair and Fest, participants are strongly advised to attend in person. (N.B. Some of the Satellite events being run by NEB practitioners in specific countries may choose to make events partly available online as well as locally in person.)
There is no need to register for most sessions which are on a first-come first-served basis. However a few sessions may still be moved onto a registration basis so please continue to monitor the Festival’s website.
Please note that not all session timings have been finalised.