Welcome to the ICAF 2026 registration guide. Registration for each festival day is mandatory in advance of ICAF 2026. Below you will find a clear overview of how to register for workshops, performances, film screenings, and lectures across the festival days.
To register for the festival, you must create an ICAF user account trough our platform. Only one account per person is allowed.
Festival registration is divided into morning, afternoon, and evening programming for each day. Depending on your programme choices, you may need to select both a first and second preference in case of limited capacity.
Morning Programme
There are two morning programme options:
Lecture Programme – 10:30 AM
Registration is required for the Lecture Programme. These sessions include talks and discussions with invited academics and experts in the field of community arts, focusing on current and innovative topics.
Slow Start – 11:00 AM
This is a more activity-based option where you can participate in a hands-on workshop or visit an exposition. Slow Starts operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so registration is not required. However, you must arrive promptly at 10:00 AM at the selected location. Once the workshop or activity has started, entry may no longer be possible.
Two parallel lecture programmes are offered each full festival day, so you must indicate both a first and second choice.
Afternoon Programme – 1:00 PM
The afternoon programme starts at 1:00 PM, directly after lunch. There are two options per full festival day:
- One long workshop of 3.5 hours, or
- One of several Compilation Programmes.
A Compilation Programme consists of a curated sequence of two performances, short workshops, and/or showcases. The timetable for each compilation is fixed. Once you have chosen a compilation, it is not possible to switch between other programmes during the afternoon.
This is because transport and meals are organised according to each compilation programme.
Many programme items are repeated on other days. If you miss something on one day, you may have the opportunity to attend it on another.
All afternoon programme choices must be registered in advance, and you must indicate both a first and second choice.
Early Evening Programme – 7:00 – 8:30 PM
The early evening programme consists of performances and film screenings, some of which include after-talks.
For each evening, you will have two programme options to choose from. You must register in advance and indicate a first and second choice.
Main Stage & Afterparty – 8:30 PM
All festival participants are invited to the main stage performance at 8:30 PM, followed by the afterparty. Registration for these events is not required.
Ticket and Pricing Information
The Early Bird ticket tier is available until February 10, 2026.
To secure your ticket, please send an email to info@icafrotterdam.com.
Ticket Types
- Festival Package – Access to all workshops, performances, lunches, and dinners.
- Daily Fee – Access to one full festival day, including seminars, workshops, performances, lunch, and dinner.
- Sunday Special – Add-on ticket giving access to the closing conversation, brunch, and finale show.
To make the festival accessible, we offer three staggered fee categories:
- Regular – For those in secure employment with the financial capacity for the full fee.
- Independent – For freelancers or those in less secure employment without the capacity for the full fee.
- Student – For registered students (student card required at the ticket desk).
All ticket types include workshops, performances, lunches, dinners, and transportation between locations during the festival.
If you have questions regarding registration, please contact us at info@icafrotterdam.com.
Cancellations
Once confirmed, you may cancel your festival registration. Please note that this will cancel all days in your registration, regardless of whether you registered them together or separately.
If you re-register, you must re-select all preferences, including first and second choices.
If a performance has reached full capacity, it will not reopen for registration. This means that when re-registering, it may not be possible to select performances you were previously registered for.
Ticket Prices
Regular Tier
- Entire Festival: €675 (Regular) / €550 (Early Bird)
- One Day: €225 (Regular) / €190 (Early Bird)
- Sunday: €70 (Regular) / €60 (Early Bird)
Independent / Freelance Tier
- Entire Festival: €450 (Regular) / €350 (Early Bird)
- One Day: €155 (Regular) / €120 (Early Bird)
- Sunday: €60 (Regular) / €50 (Early Bird)
Student Tier
- Entire Festival: €300 (Regular) / €245 (Early Bird)
- One Day: €95 (Regular) / €80 (Early Bird)
- Sunday: €60 (Regular) / €50 (Early Bird)
If you do not fit into any of the categories above, we encourage you to contact us at info@icafrotterdam.com to discuss alternative options.
See you in March!