Full Programme online!

In 2026, the discourse programme will focus on the signs of life in our time and the question of how vitality can be found or created in systems that appear exhausted and under great pressure in many areas: in the economy and climate, in political institutions, in the media, and in interpersonal coexistence.

Over three days, international thinkers, artists and activists, including Douglas Rushkoff, Cathrin Clüver Ashbrook, Gilda Sahebi, Wolfgang Palaver, Baro Vicenta Ra Gabbert and Christian Schiffer, will shed light on key questions of our present.
 

For the first time, the festival opening is fully integrated into the Thursday programme and is no longer designed as a separate evening event. The Helmut List Halle will serve as the venue for the opening for the first time, marking a central hub in the new festival structure.

The opening speech will be given by author and journalist Şeyda Kurt, and the evening will be moderated by science communicator and “Science Buster” Martin Moder. A musical highlight will be the performance of Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich, interpreted by the PPCM Ensemble, which will bring the theme of “Vital Signs” to life on an auditory level.
 

On Thursday, topics such as oceanic listening, loving world relations and a wake-up call for democracy will take centre stage, while Friday will focus on designing after collapse, broligarchy and authoritarian fantasies.

Saturday will conclude with discussions on Europe's capacity for action, regenerative economics and strategies against the politics of polarisation. The programme invites participants to pause, listen, discuss and take action themselves – with the aim of recognising and strengthening the signs of life in our society and providing new impetus for a resilient future.

 

In the weeks leading up to the festival, the Elevate Arts programme will open the exhibition “Vital Signs in Public Space”, which will bring together numerous works by local and international artists in public spaces in Graz from 16 February to 15 March.

Eleven artists will display works on culture boards, vacant buildings and lampposts that deal with personal experiences, pop and subculture, and political perspectives. Collages, paintings and photographs oscillate between dream and everyday life, intimacy and social reflection – from manga-inspired collages to neo-surrealistic scenes to political-ecological statements.
 

At the same time, the sound installation “Elevations” by Maxime Denuc and Kris Verdonck uses a computer-controlled organ instrument to draw visitors into an immersive, reverberating soundscape. The festival is complemented by the “Music for Elevators” series, which transforms the Schlossberg lift in Graz into an intense sound space.

The 22nd edition of the festival is also characterised by commissioned works and artistic residencies that were created as part of the Creative Europe projects TIMES and New Perspectives for Action by Re-Imagine Europe, underlining the festival's commitment to European networking.

Tickets for all categories are available via NTRY, oeticket and Resident Advisor. The festival passes are now sold out. Further information can be found in our ticket shop.

Solidarity Tickets
By purchasing a ticket along with a solidarity contribution, you can help people who might not otherwise be able to attend the festival – giving them the opportunity to participate.
This initiative is organised in cooperation with Hunger auf Kunst & Kultur.

The discourse programme in the Heimatsaal of the Graz Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art is free to attend. All panels, discussions and lectures will be livestreamed on elevate.at and Youtube. Workshops and film screenings are excluded.