CONTEXT
Basque Street Arts Italia 2026 is the international cooperation programme launched in 2024 by Outdoor Arts Italia ETS and Artekale – Basque Street Arts Association – with the aim of building a lasting framework for artistic and professional exchange between Italy and the Basque Country in the fields of street performance, performing arts in public space, and contemporary circus. The joint work, formalised in 2025 with the signing of the agreement in Leioa at Umore Azoka, comes into full swing in 2026 with the first Basque Focus in Italy: Basque Street Arts Italia 2026, taking place in Udine on 18 and 19 June as part of Terminal Festival (12–21 June 2026). In this context, Outdoor Arts Italia is launching this open call to select 5 performance projects that will take part in the professional pitch presentation and B2B activities of the programme. The focus is not simply an artistic showcase, but a meeting point for artists, programmers, networks and institutions that combines artistic programming, international professional mobility, industry dialogue and the activation of new production and touring opportunities. Selected projects will be supported through a process that values the relationship between art and public space, fostering dialogue between artistic work, the city, and the festival context.
Terminal Festival
Terminal Festival was born from the coming together of a group of circus artists united in the association Circo all'InCirca and a collective of cultural designers and multimedia authors (Puntozero), with support from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Udine, MIC, PromoTurismoFVG and Fondazione Friuli. The festival puts forward a vision of art and public space grounded in their mutual and transformative cross-pollination.
Each year Terminal invites international artists and companies to engage in dialogue with the city and its inhabitants. It takes place at Parco Moretti in Udine, a central public space that becomes an open cultural device, a place of daily passage and a shared stage.
Between 18 and 19 June 2026, Terminal will host the first Basque artists' focus in Italy as part of the Basque Street Arts Italia 2026 programme, welcoming both the artistic programming of the focus and the planned professional activities.
1) WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The open call is addressed to professional artists and companies working in performing arts in public space, across a range of disciplines including contemporary circus, theatre, dance, performance and hybrid forms, with projects in development conceived as work written for public space in its various expressions.
Projects at different stages of development are welcome, from research and early study through to the final stages of creation, including works seeking premiere dates, co-productions or touring opportunities. The call is aimed at new projects ready to engage with the professional market and enter a phase of concrete activation.
Applicants are asked to clearly present what has already been developed, indicating the current stage of the work and the intended trajectory in the months ahead. It is important to explicitly outline the project's strategic needs in concrete terms — production, co-productions, residencies, working spaces, specific expertise, financial resources, premieres, visibility and touring — so as to enable targeted dialogue with programmers, networks and potential partners.
Beyond artistic quality and clarity of development path, projects that can envision a relationship with public space and communities are particularly welcome — even as a research horizon (site-specific work, adaptable formats, proximity practices, etc.).
2) WHAT OAI OFFERS
Selected projects will gain access to a professional presentation and dialogue process with industry operators during Terminal Festival (Udine, 18–19 June 2026). The programme includes:
- Professional pitch presentation (max 10 minutes) before an invited network of programmers, festivals, cultural operators and residency structures from Italy and the Basque Country.
- Preliminary tutoring session dedicated to preparing the pitch and project presentation materials.
- Structured feedback meetings with programmers and operators to discuss artistic, production and development opportunities.
- Technical space for presentations at Circo all'Incirca (Udine), with the possibility of basic technical set-ups to support the presentation (video, basic audio, small scenic elements).
- Financial contribution of €300.00 plus applicable charges for each selected project, paid via contract and regular invoice. Any costs exceeding this amount remain the responsibility of the company.
- International development opportunity: among the selected projects, 1 project will be chosen to access a development pathway linked to Festival Imaginarius (Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal), as part of the internationalisation actions promoted by Outdoor Arts Italia through the Boarding Pass Plus 2025–2027 programme of the Ministry of Culture.
The selected project may benefit from:
- co-production residency with the partner festival;
- presentation in the official programme of Imaginarius festival 2027;
- inclusion in an international context of exchange between artists, programmers and cultural institutions.
The operational terms of the residency and festival participation will be defined with the partner festival.
3) WHAT WE ASK OF SELECTED PROJECTS
Selected projects commit to:
- Presenting the project in a 10-minute pitch presentation on 19 June 2026 in Udine, with the aim of clearly communicating the artistic work and explicitly outlining needs and requirements for development, completion and touring.
- Participating in the professional (PRO / B2B) activities of the Basque Street Arts Italia 2026 programme within Terminal Festival on 18 and 19 June in Udine, taking part in working sessions and dialogue with programmers, festivals, promoters and industry operators.
- Presenting the project in English, to facilitate dialogue with the international network of invited operators and contribute to professional exchanges aimed at the national and international dissemination of the work.
4) TIMELINE
- Call opens: 15 March 2026
- Application deadline: 30 April 2026 – 11:59 PM (CET)
- Results communicated: 15 May 2026
- Online tutoring session: late May / early June 2026 (date to be confirmed)
- Pitch presentation and PRO / B2B activities – Basque Street Arts Italia 2026: 18–19 June 2026 during Terminal Festival (Udine), at Circo all'Incirca
Physical attendance of selected companies in Udine on 18 and 19 June 2026 is required in order to participate in the professional activities and project presentations.
5) HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted via the online form.
- Each artist or company may submit only one project.
- Applications may be submitted in Italian or English.
- Selection will be based on an assessment of the submitted materials; where necessary, a brief online interview may be requested.
- Artists and companies not registered with Outdoor Arts Italia may also apply. If selected, membership of the association will be required in accordance with current terms and fees.
6) RELEASE / USE OF IMAGES
Participants authorise photo and video recording for the purposes of documentation, archiving and communication of the project/festival (websites, social media, press materials). Use will be non-commercial in nature and will include correct attribution of credits. Any further uses will be agreed upon with the company.
Cover image: Kolektivo Konika "La punta de mi nariz"