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Boarding Pass Plus 2025–2027

Outdoor Arts Italia's internationalization project
February 3, 2026 by
Boarding Pass Plus 2025–2027
Outdoor Arts Italia ETS, Redazione OAI

The Boarding Pass Plus 2025–2027 project, developed by Outdoor Arts Italia within the program of the Ministry of Culture — Directorate General for Performing Arts, is an internationalization strategy dedicated to contemporary circus and performing arts in public space. The objective is to strengthen the international mobility of Italian artists and professionals, support the circulation of works and consolidate lasting partnerships with European festivals, networks and reference organizations.

The program supports the development of artistic and professional careers, access to new markets and the construction of stable international cooperation relationships. Outdoor Arts Italia operates as an intermediate organization capable of connecting the Italian ecosystem with the main European interlocutors, contributing both to artistic growth and to the overall development of the sector.

The Boarding Pass Plus call specifically supports medium to long-term mobility, exchange and cooperation actions, recognizing the value of organizations that act as network nodes and can generate impacts beyond the single beneficiary.

Specific objectives

  • support the internationalization of artistic and professional careers through delegations of programmers, curators and artistic directors and field learning paths;
  • favor the mobility and circulation of works through artistic residencies, presentations and focus dedicated to Italy in international festivals;
  • promote reciprocity of exchanges, balancing the presence of Italian artists abroad with the hospitality of foreign operators and artists in Italy;
  • develop the sector systemically through the exchange of practices, organizational models and tools among intermediate organizations;
  • strengthen Italy's international recognition, also through a final national event and the OUT Showcase, the first Italian showcase dedicated to contemporary circus and outdoor arts.

Partners and international network

Main actions

The project includes a series of activities distributed between 2026 and 2027, including:

  • open calls for artists, companies and young professionals;
  • Italian delegations at international festivals with field training activities and networking;
  • artistic residencies and public presentations;
  • professional meetings and exchanges of practices among organizations;
  • monitoring and feedback moments;
  • final event in Italy with national OUT Showcase.  

Among the main stages of 2026: Umore Azoka (Spain), Out There Festival (United Kingdom), Chalon dans la Rue (France), and Passage Festival (Denmark). In 2027, activities are planned at Imaginarius (Portugal), Fira Tàrrega (Spain) and Fresh Circus (Sweden).

One of the first actions carried out within the project is the structured collaboration with Imaginarius Festival (Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal), which integrates professional mobility and artistic development.

Outdoor Arts Italia will coordinate the participation of Italian programmers — particularly young curators — in the festival's professional program in the 2026 and 2027 editions, offering a field learning experience and opportunities for direct dialogue with international operators.

At the end of February 2026, an open call will also be launched to identify Italian artists and companies with strong international potential. Selected projects will participate in professional meetings and dedicated B2B sessions. The selection will involve the artistic direction of Imaginarius together with Outdoor Arts Italia and the network of Italian partner festivals, ensuring shared criteria and coherence with the festival's curatorial vision.

Among the selected projects, one company will be chosen for an artistic residency in Santa Maria da Feira in 2026, culminating in a public presentation at the end of the residency or within the official festival program in 2027.

Stay informed about Boarding Pass Plus activities by following the updates published on this page.