Arcadia brings people, makers and ideas together — to make Fryslân just that little bit more beautiful. Every three years, we go all out: our next Arcadia festival year is 2028. But even between editions, Arcadia keeps bubbling and buzzing. Through collaboration, culture and research, new plans, projects and encounters spring up all across Fryslân. Rooted in Fryslân, with an eye on the Netherlands and Europe too. Sometimes small and intimate, sometimes big and bold. But always together with the mienskip (community). Dochst do mei? (Will you join in?)
Where it all began
You might remember us as Cultural Capital of Europe. In 2018, Leeuwarden and Fryslân held that title — a year that showed what happens when thousands of people set something in motion together. With 220 major events and 800 mienskip initiatives, we worked together on a province full of ideas, encounters and imagination. More than 65,000 Frisians took part. Baby steps? Not really our thing. Giant boots suit us better. And: wat wie it moai (it was so good).
That feeling stuck. The energy, the collaboration, and the belief that together we can create more than we sometimes think. Arcadia grew out of that movement. As the ‘legacy organisation’, we look after the legacy of 2018 and bring all that beauty into the here and now.
What we do
Arcadia makes room for culture that surprises, moves and brings people together. From large public events to small encounters. From routes through the landscape to installations in public spaces. From music and theatre to projects where residents, young people and makers build something new together.
We often work around themes that matter right now. How we live together. How we treat our surroundings. What we pass on to future generations. And how things could perhaps be different. Not with a ready-made answer, but as an invitation to look differently, think along, and take part.
Once every three years, we have a festival year. Our last edition was in 2025 and we’re back in full force in 2028. Plenty happens between editions too — we work on new ideas, build collaborations, and keep building towards Arcadia 2028, step by step.
Mienskip
Arcadia isn’t built behind closed doors. We build new ideas and projects together with the mienskip. Sometimes it starts with a big plan. Sometimes with a first conversation, or a small idea that slowly grows.
Arcadia is for anyone who’s curious and wants to help build a world with room for difference, imagination and connection. Young people with fresh ideas. Children eager to discover. Makers, residents and volunteers. People who feel at home in Fryslân, and people who still want to get to know it. Whether you come to make, to build, or just to look around: you’re wolkom (welcome).
Fryslân and beyond
Arcadia is rooted in Fryslân, but looks beyond the provincial border too. We work together with partners and makers from the Netherlands and Europe, share knowledge within international networks, and explore how culture can connect people and places. That way, we carry stories from here out into the world — and bring new ideas and perspectives back to Fryslân.