Festival for (im)possibilities

Blikopener is not a festival like any other you've known. It's more of a movement of people, organizations, and artists who strive for a fairer world together. With the festival, we draw attention to where things go wrong in society. More and more people find themselves at odds with each other and come up against systems. Inspiring art projects during the festival show what we can do about it.

With imagination, we encourage everyone to look at the world in a new way. We bring together residents and communities from the surrounding area, creators, organizations, and policymakers. Our goal? To promote dialogue, inspiration, and action.

We showcase the complex societal themes currently at play in the city and province of Groningen (and beyond). We start this process months before the festival. Together with residents, local organizations, and artists, we explore how we can change the systems we're stuck in. With an open mind, creativity, and sensitivity, we show possible breakthroughs. We do this together with the people it concerns.

We connect creators already working on the themes with each other and put them in the spotlight. The festival is not the end point of this movement, but rather the beginning. We promise you this: you'll come back inspired. Full of new ideas, energy, and connections. Ready to tackle societal change in your own environment!

Blikopener invites you to reimagine how things could be different. Our quest for new perspectives looks like this:

So-called “key figures” act as our antennae in the city. These people with vast networks know better than anyone the issues residents are facing.
Co-creations: artists and designers collaborate with residents to tackle a complex issue affecting this group. In several creative sessions, they work on envisioning a new perspective on this theme. This can take the form of dance, music, theater, visual art, literature, and everything in between.
Ateliers (workshops): we involve professionals, organizations, and creators in the creative process of the co-creations. We invite everyone to think about how we can create lasting societal change based on the newly acquired perspectives.
The Festival: an inspiring celebration of everything done in the Co-creations and Ateliers. Artists working on the same themes showcase their vision. We connect audiences, artists, professionals, and organizations. We encourage dialogue, inspiration, and action. And we revel in the wonderful power of art and culture to broaden your perspective.