About Cultura Nova
Cultura Nova is an annual, ten-day international theatre festival held in Heerlen and the surrounding area. Since its first edition in 1991, the festival has presented theatre, film, dance, music and visual arts, often in unusual venues, in collaboration with cultural and other partners, such as Parkstad Limburg Theaters, SCHUNCK Glaspaleis, the NIEUWE NOR pop venue and Filmhuis De Spiegel.
Colourful and Multi-layered
Cultura Nova has been running since 1991. This annual festival in the heart of South Limburg has grown into an event of international stature. On average, around 70,000 people attend at least 250 events organised by over 40 participating theatre companies and artists. Stemming from a strong tradition of spectacle and street theatre, Cultura Nova has evolved into a multidisciplinary festival with a rich programme for a broad and diverse audience. The programme is colourful and multi-layered, accessible yet daring: from grand opening and closing spectacles to intimate artistic crossovers, from accessible family performances to daring experiments, from world-class circus to ground-based theatre, from eclectic dance evenings to musical avant-garde and from historical sound walks to social projects. Far beyond our borders, this rich, evocative programme exerts a strong appeal on a diverse audience.
Close collaborations across borders
At the heart of this wide-ranging programme lies the unifying power of visual theatre. Over three decades, Cultura Nova’s management has developed a keen sense of what creates a stir in this region. Through years of collaboration with leading groups in the visual arts and through close cooperation with an international and regional network, Cultura Nova has succeeded in bringing big names to Limburg whilst at the same time providing a haven for young talent. Furthermore, by aligning itself with initiatives that use art and culture to highlight local stories, the festival also gives the region greater depth and substance. Heerlen is the heart of the festival, but Cultura Nova also has a major impact in surrounding towns such as Kerkrade, Brunssum, Landgraaf and Aachen.
