About Us

The Reiefestival is a triennial, multidisciplinary arts festival in Bruges that brings together heritage and contemporary performing arts. Based on the belief that heritage only remains alive when it is constantly reexamined, the festival invites artists to approach Bruges’ historical and intangible sources in a contemporary and innovative way.

For three days, open-air venues on and around Bruges’ canals are transformed into stages for theater, dance, music, performances, and installations. Each edition has a central theme that guides the artistic choices and deepens the dialogue between the past and the present. The second edition took place from September 4 to 6, 2026, and was centered on “Flow”: everything that moves, changes, and connects.

OPEN CALL

Among other things, the Reiefestival focuses on new stage productions selected through an open call. For each edition, we launch an open call aimed at professional artists and creators working in performing arts disciplines such as theater, performance, dance, music, sound art, or spoken word.

Creators can draw inspiration from a thematic inspiration text compiled by Bruges heritage organizations. Bruges’ tangible and intangible heritage serves as an important and multifaceted source for this. The open call for the third edition will be launched in the spring of 2028.

The Reiefestival offers opportunities to both emerging and established talent, whether individual or group. The selected projects result in a stage-based performance that can be presented outdoors, at nearby locations, or on the Bruges canals.