How does our programme work?

How does registration work?

GENERAL DAY SCHEDULE
The festival begins on Wednesday 25 March 2026. You can pick up your festival tickets at the reception counter at Zuidplein Theatre between 7:00 and 8:30 PM.

The opening performance, AN FARA (Nigeria), begins at 8:30 PM, followed by a concert. All activities on this evening take place at Zuidplein Theatre, which is easily accessible from Rotterdam Central Station by subway. Please get off at the stop ‘Zuidplein’; the theatre is approximately a 2-minute walk from there.

The full-day festival programme officially starts on the morning of Thursday 26 March and ends in the late afternoon on Sunday 29 March 2026.

Our main location this year is Zuidplein Theatre. All morning activities start here, and all evenings end at this location.Each festival day follows a similar schedule and structure.

DAILY STRUCTURE

As a visitor, you are free to decide what to attend in the mornings and which programme compilation you wish to follow in the afternoons.

For the afternoon programme, you must choose in advance (during online registration) between:

One long workshop of 3.5 hours, or
A compilation programme consisting of shorter workshops and/or showcases.

TYPICAL DAILY SCHEDULE

10:30 AM – Conversations / Seminars or
11:00 AM – Slow Start at Zuidplein Theatre
12:00 PM – Lunch at Islemunda Podium or at the afternoon activity location
1:00 PM – Start of your selected afternoon programme
5:30 PM – Dinner
7:00 PM – Early evening performance or film
8:30 PM – Main stage performance at Zuidplein Theatre
9:30 PM – Late-night afterparty at Zuidplein Theatre

ICAF MORNINGS

Activities commence at 10:30 AM. If you still need to register or pick up tickets for that day, please make sure to arrive at Zuidplein Theatre with plenty of time to spare. The registration desk opens at 9:30 AM each morning, except on Sunday when it opens at 11:30 AM.

The morning programme consists of a mix of conversations, installations, and workshops. Some visitors may prefer discussions and seminars, while others may choose more hands-on activities, informal conversations over coffee, or visiting an installation.For the Slow Start, you can decide on the spot where to go on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that seminars require advance sign-up due to limited seating and a fixed structure.

ICAF AFTERNOONS

Between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM, lunch is served at Zuidplein Theatre or at the location of your afternoon programme. Please be ready at 12:00 PM either for lunch or to move to the starting point of the afternoon programme you have registered for.

The afternoon programme consists of hands-on workshops, presentations, showcase performances, and film screenings. Some activities last 90 minutes, while others run for 3.5 hours, depending on whether you selected a long workshop or a compilation programme.

Several programme locations are situated elsewhere in the city. We will transport you there by pre-organised chartered bus.

To keep the logistics manageable, you are asked to choose one specific Programme Compilation each day that will guide you through the afternoon. It is not possible to switch between routes halfway through the programme.

However, many workshops and presentations are repeated on other days. If you miss something due to your selected compilation, you may be able to attend it on another day.

ICAF EVENINGS

Dinner is served each evening between 5:30 and 6:30 PM. Please note that the location of the evening meal may vary depending on the early evening programme you have chosen. Dinner will be served close to the programme locations.

Each evening programme starts at 7:00 PM with parallel activities taking place at either Zuidplein Theatre or Podium Islemunda.

At 8:30 PM, a plenary performance takes place in the main auditorium of Zuidplein Theatre, followed by an afterparty in the theatre foyer.

FESTIVAL REGISTRATION

From February 2026 onwards, you can register for the festival via our website. During registration, you can indicate which workshops and performances you wish to attend.

As space is limited for some activities, we recommend indicating both a first and second preference.

You can register for the entire festival in one go. This includes access to workshops (with preference selection), performances, lunches, dinners, and practical information to help you prepare for the festival.

It is also possible to register for one or two festival days only.

ICAF CITY PROGRAMME

All tickets for shows and presentations are included in the full festival package.

For visitors who do not participate in the daytime programme, separate tickets are available through our City Programme via the website:
https://icafrotterdam.com/stadsprogramma/

How does registration work?

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!

Registration

You need an ICAF Account to register for the festival.

Benefits of Your ICAF Account:

Register for the festival and create your own program

Save your favorite makers via the Makers page for quick access later.

Save your favorite items in the Library to easily find inspiring resources again.

Send direct messages to other users and connect within the ICAF community on https://icafrotterdam.com/community/

Additional information on registering for ICAF 2026 can be found under ‘How does registration work?

Please log in to register for the festival

Or create an ICAF account using the register link below.

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Registration

You need an ICAF Account to register for the festival.

Please log in to register for the festival