The NECE Festival is an annual event that brings together stakeholders from civil society, politics, academia, media, and culture for an interactive and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and actions. The festival is held in various European cities and focuses on a specific topic that is highly relevant to civic education.
In 2025, we were exploring HOPE. In 2026, we are focusing on TRUST.
European festival of civic education: TRUST
14-16 October 2026, Lisbon
Programme
The NECE Festival provides a platform for courageous and visionary thinkers to present bold ideas and drive forward initiatives that address these challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to network with over 200 participants from civil society, politics, science, media, and culture, sharing best practices and exploring possibilities for civic educators.
Join us in October 2026 for an inspiring and engaging festival across Lisbon, Sintra, and Cascais—the European Capital of Democracy 2026! Together, we will explore the role of trust in civic education and how it can foster resilient, ethical, and sustainable transformation in communities across Europe and beyond.
Read more about the programme here.
Participation
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to get together with other civic educators from all over Europe and even beyond. Participation in the NECE festival is free of charge. Join us in Portugal from 14 to 16 October 2026.
Find more information here.
The NECE Festival 2026 is organised in cooperation with the Instituto Padre António Vieira (IPAV), Cascais European Capital of Democracy, Câmara Municipal de Sintra and Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (OEI), and supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Embassy of Canada to Portugal, in Lisbon.
The NECE Festival 2026 is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
