NEXT2023, 16th edition of the international performing arts festival in the cross-border Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai and Valenciennes.

NEXT is the annual, international performing arts festival in and around the cross-border region of the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai and Valenciennes. The festival is co-organized by 5 arts- and cultural centres in France and Belgium:

• on the Flemish side:
  • Arts centre BUDA Kortrijk
  • Schouwburg Kortrijk
• on the French side:
  • La rose des vents Villeneuve d'Ascq, scène nationale Métropole Européenne de Lille
  • Le Phénix, scène nationale de Valenciennes / pôle européen de création
  • Espace Pasolini Valenciennes, laboratoire artistique

On their turn, these 5 partners cooperate with 15 associated French and Belgian theatre houses in the cross-border region. This way, NEXT is festival made by and for its cross-border region, marking it as an international hotspot for contemporary performing arts in Europe. Across country and language borders, the festival brings together audiences and professionals around new work by national and international artists, both emerging and renowned.

The 16th edition of NEXT - from 9.11 to 02.12.23 - showcases a sharp selection of 35 theatre and dance productions by artists such as Alexander Vantournhout (BE), Amanda Piña (MX/CL/AT), Amir Rezo Koohestani (IR), Andcompany (DE), Rabih Mroué (LB), Zoë Demoustier (BE), Julien Gosselin (FR), Mette Ingvartsen (DK/BE), Nathan Ellis (UK), and others.

NEXT is internationally known for its artistic quality and as a pinnacle for cross-border encounters between Walloon, Flemish and French audiences, artists, partners and professionals. The performances are presented in 15 Belgian and French festival cities: Kortrijk, Waregem, Ieper, Menin, Harelbeke, Deinze, Tournai, Lessines, Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, Tourcoing, Roubaix, Armentières, Dunkerque, Valenciennes.

Spectators share free festival buses, taking them to performances in the other cities or regions, including citytrips, museum visits, .... Many showings are framed by workshops, participatory events, debates and informal meetings. Besides those activities, NEXT hosts projects such as:

- teeNEXTers, a 5-day European youth exchange programme for 25 Danish, Italian, Irish, Belgian and French youngers during the festival.

- a long-term artistic research, CIRCULATIONS in which artists, scientists, citizens, students... work together on liveability, inclusion, and ecological actions in the Franco-Belgian Euroregion.

- the professional days IT'S A MATCH, gathering cultural professionals around the works of young artists and around actual challenges for international artistic cooperation.

NEXT 2023 starts on 09.11.2023 in le phénix Valenciennes and ends on 02.12.2023 in CC De Schakel Waregem.