20th HIGH FEST International Performing Arts Festival

HIGH FEST International Performing Arts Festival was established in 2003. The first edition was situated in Yerevan, Armenia, October 2-9. It is the flagship performing arts festival in Armenia. Over these years more than 500 foreign companies, 5000 participants and guests took part of the festival. HIGH FEST has Main and Fringe parts as well as Armenian Showcase and the special Iranian programme.

The main goals of HIGH FEST (international performing arts festival) are developing of Armenian Performing arts, promoting Cultural Policy in Armenia and cultural rights of Armenian performing arts practitioners; promotion of Worldwide Culture in Armenia and Armenian Culture in other countries in the world; supporting Armenia in the process of integration between European countries in the field of culture; setting up and implementing programmes and events in art and culture for professional artists in order to promote open and a democratic society within Armenia.

To realise our goals, we seek mutually beneficial collaboration with our stakeholders, government business sector, international and local organizations.

Over the past nineteen years, the Festival has significantly expanded and has drawn international attention. From 2006 it is announced by many performing arts networks as a main theatre festival of the former USSR countries (except of Moscow). Every year we have strong educational programmes, such as conferences, master classes, seminars and workshops, run by leading world specialists.

As a result of international recognition Armenia joined several international theatre arts networks, namely: ASSITEJ, IETM, IFEA, ITI, ENCATC, ELIA etc.

The HIGH FEST has developed and expanded to include not only theatre, but also other forms of performing arts. Since 2006 the HIGH FEST International Theatre Festival presents productions in all genres of performing arts including theatre (drama, comedy, mime, movement, circus, street performances, sight-specific and immersive, puppet/marionette, fingers/shadow, multi-media and visual theatre), contemporary dance and movement, music (opera, classical, musical, contemporary, jazz, folk etc) and other forms of performing arts.