Zurich Festival to be discontinued
Following an assessment of the current situation, the Board of Trustees, in agreement with Managing Director Alexander Keil, has decided not to continue the Zurich Festival after 2020 and to dissolve the Zurich Festival Foundation.
The "People's Festival of the Arts" celebrated artistic successes when it was held in 2018. However, according to the official press release, continuing the festival with a strong, independent profile and with the current quality would only be possible beyond 2020 with substantial additional financial resources. Despite great efforts, it has not been possible to secure such long-term sustainable financing in recent years.
With the aim of concentrating financial resources, the festival initially switched to a two-year cycle with a first performance in 2018, in response to "fundamental social changes such as the diversification of society, the increased need for participatory offerings and the need to play a more active and creative role in shaping one's own future".
This reorientation has been very well received by the general public, says Managing Director Alexander Keil. At the same time, however, the willingness of sponsors to invest in cultural institutions has fallen sharply.
