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FEDEC & Imaginarius
Imaginarius Festival, Santa Maria da Feira (PRT)
Festival
A collaboration supporting new creations in public space
Imaginarius is an international festival dedicated to performing arts in public space, held every year in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal. Led by the municipality, the project combines an international festival with a creation centre, transforming the city into a space for encounters between artists, audiences and communities.
Considered one of Portugal’s leading street arts festivals and a recognised event on the European scene, Imaginarius brings together national and international artists each year to take over public spaces, experiment with new forms and create encounters with audiences.
A stage for the next generation
Since 2026, Imaginarius and FEDEC have been working together to support a new generation of circus artists, giving them the opportunity to develop and present creations designed for public space.
The collaboration is aimed at students and recent graduates from FEDEC member schools. It allows them to experience the realities of an international festival while benefiting from artistic and professional support.
Selected projects are included in the festival’s official programme and presented to Imaginarius audiences. Artists also take part in outreach activities and the Imaginarius PRO professional programme, creating opportunities to meet professionals from the sector.
Creating for public space
The collaboration places a particular emphasis on artistic creation and experimentation. Projects can take different forms — solo, duo, trio or quartet — but must be conceived to be presented in public space.
For emerging artists, this is an opportunity to explore new ways of thinking about the relationship between circus, places and audiences, while developing their own artistic language.
Through this partnership, FEDEC and Imaginarius create a bridge between education, artistic creation and professional presentation, offering emerging artists a space to experiment, meet audiences and take their first steps onto the international scene.
New open call for Imaginarius 2027! ✨
FEDEC and Imaginarius Festival are continuing their collaboration to support emerging circus artists and give them the opportunity to present their work in public spaces.
The call for participation for Imaginarius 2027 is now open! Up to four original projects by second-year students or recent graduates (up to 24 months after graduation) from FEDEC member schools will be selected for the festival, taking place from 20 to 22 May 2027 in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.
Selected projects will benefit from performance fees, travel contributions, accommodation, meals and technical support.
📅 Deadline to apply: 13 November 2026