Come to the Arts Festival for science, stories, music, and more

On Saturday, 21 September, the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen will host the Arts Festival, a scientific event for anyone interested in the diverse world of the humanities. The Harmonie Building and the surrounding squares will be transformed into a festival site for the afternoon. The festival is free to attend, open to everyone, and no registration is required.

The third edition of the Arts Festival will focus on imagination. Through various workshops and scientific experiments, we will engage the imagination, vision, and creativity of our visitors. For example, in the workshop A Day as an Archaeologist, participants will date ancient tombs like real experts, while in the Become a Factchecker workshop , they will learn how to identify online misinformation such as fake news, doctored photos, and fake videos.

In charge of the news, Literary Consultations, Making better speeches, and more

We also invite our visitors to answer the question: If you were in charge of the news, what would you change? They can contribute ideas on how journalism should evolve in the future and take part in a screen test with an autocue in our TV studio as real presenters. Visitors can come to the Literary Consultation hours for book recommendations from our book doctors. Experts will be available in the fields of grief literature, graphic novels, Wadden literature, children's and youth literature, and book tips for non-readers. Additionally, visitors can learn how to create original metaphors in three steps to make any speech a guaranteed success.

The festival will feature various 15-minute mini-lectures, photo exhibitions, a Victorian photo studio where visitors can be photographed with a camera from 1900, scientific experiments, activities for children, a political pub quiz, and a talk show about cultural heritage.

Theme of Imagination

Festival leader Sarah Willemsen says, “The theme of imagination aligns perfectly with the Faculty of Arts. In our research, we explore the world from different perspectives. We immerse ourselves in different times, places, or viewpoints to unravel who we are, what connects us, and how we organize our societies. The insights from our research provide context and deliver essential expertise for addressing major societal challenges. At our festival, we are eager to share our knowledge and expertise with visitors and are open to the ideas and opinions of those interested. There will be ample opportunity to engage with our researchers.”

Food, Drink, and Music

In addition to the substantive program, there will be live music, food trucks, and an outdoor bar. The festival takes place in and around the Harmonie Building at Oude Kijk in ’t Jatstraat 26 in Groningen, the home of the faculty. The festival starts at 13:00 and runs until 17:00. Admission is free.