Europeade

History

The Europeade movement was initiated in Antwerp in 1964, at a time when many young people around the world started actively looking for the old layers of their culture. During the fifty years that has passed since then folk dance and folk music have become a part of the elitist and the mainstream culture, found their way to concert stages, stadiums, records and into television. All of this has been possible thanks to the people who have not allowed folk culture to fade.

The beginning

"It all began with the idealism of the late Mon De Clopper (1922-1998), a Fleming, the founding chairman of the Movement for Flemish Folk Culture (the Vlaamse Volkskunstbeweging or VVKB).Together with several fellow members of the VVKB, he organised the first Europeade in Antwerp in 1964. It brought together Flemings, Dutch, English, French and Germans as well as Ukrainian, Yugoslavian and Polish exiles to perform their traditional songs and dances in traditional costume. Each group displayed its own individuality and watched the others. Mutual respect, appreciation and friendship grew. There was evidence even then of an intense desire to bring the cultural side of Europe to the fore by means of its folk culture and a genuine solidarity between nations."

Passage from the Europeade book written by Johan de Donder

1964 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen  1965 * Dortmund DE Westfalen 1966 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1967 Valencia ES Spanje 1968 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1969 Marche-en-Famenne BE Wallonië 1970 * Herzogenaurach DE Beieren 1971 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1972 * Annecy FR Savoie 1973 * Nuoro IT Sardinië 1974 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1975 Marbella ES Andalusië 1976 Annecy FR Savoie 1977 Nuoro IT Sardinië 1978 * Wenen AT Oostenrijk 1979 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1980 * Schwalmstadt DE Hessen 1981 * Martigny CH Valais 1982 * Gijón ES Asturias 1983 * Wenen AT Oostenrijk 1984 * Rennes FR Bretagne 1985 * Torino IT Piemonte 1986 * Figueira Da Foz PT Beira Litoral 1987 * München DE Beieren 1988 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 1989 * Libourne FR Aquitaine 1990 * Vallodolid ES Castilla y Léon 1991 * Rennes FR Bretagne 1992 * Figueira Da Foz PT Beira Litoral 1993 * Horsens DK Jylland 1994 * Frankenberg DE Hessen 1995 * Valencia ES Spanje 1996 * Torino IT Piemonte 1997 * Martigny CH Valais 1998 * Rennes FR Bretagne 1999 * Bayreuth DE Bayeren 2000 * Horsens DK Jylland 2001 * Zamora ES Castilla y Léon 2002 * Antwerpen BE Vlaanderen 2003 * Nuoro IT Sardinië 2004 * Riga LV Letland 2005 * Quimper FR Bretagne 2006 * Zamora ES Castilla y Léon 2007 * Horsens DK Jylland 2008 * Martigny CH Valais 2009 * Klaipèda LT Litouwen 2010 * Bozen (Bolsano) IT Südtirol 2011 * Tartu EE Estonia 2012 * Padova IT Italië 2013 * Gotha DE Thüringen 2014 * Kielce PL Polen 2015 * Helsinborg SE Zweden 2016 * Namur BE Wallonië 2017 * Turku FI Finland 2018 * Viseu PT Portugal 2019 * Frankenberg DE Hessen 2020 virtuele Europeade wegens Coronapandemie 2021 virtuele Europeade wegens Coronapandemie 2022 * Klaipèda LT Litouwen 2023 * Gotha DE Thüringen 2024 * Nuoro IT Sardinië