CAFÉ CLOSING CONFERENCE
Date: 28-29 SEPTEMBER 2026
The CAFE Closing Conference brings together project partners, café house representatives, cultural professionals, researchers, artists and associated stakeholders to reflect on the achievements of the project, share the knowledge and practices developed during its implementation, and discuss the future of the European Café Houses Network.
The event will also provide an opportunity to present the Network’s Code of Conduct and Manifesto and to look ahead to the continuation and expansion of the European network of cultural café houses.
Monday, 28 September 2026
Venue: Hadik Gallery, Budapest
17:30–19:00 | Live Exchange Workshop Exchange among project partners, café house representatives and cultural organisers on experiences, practices and opportunities for future cooperation within the European Café Houses Network. Common goals around cultural events in Cafe houses.
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Venue: Adaptér, Budapest
09:00–09:30 | Registration
09:30–09:45 | Opening of the CAFE Closing Conference Welcome and introduction to the objectives of the final conference and the journey of the CAFE project.
Opening: Barabás Richárd, Bosznai Tibor
Moderator: Szij Barbara
09:45–10:10 | European Café Houses: Heritage, Culture and Contemporary Relevance Cristina Da Milano, ECCOM Presentation of the key findings of the CAFE Desk Research and reflections on the historical, social and cultural significance of European café houses.
10:10–10:40 | From Research to Practice: Mapping Contemporary European Café Culture Petra Kolenc, Martin Pogacar, Zrc – Sazu Presentation of the Field Research, Best Practices Collection, café house interviews, the online platform and the experiences of the Live Exchange Workshops.
10:40–11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00–11:25 | Building Capacity for Cultural Café Houses Bosznai Tibor, Ott Anna Presentation of the CAFE international training programme, its main findings and the practical manual developed for café house cultural organisers.
11:25–12:10 | Meet the Network: European Café Houses in Practice
New Cafe Houses from the Network: Maks, Szimpla, Cafe Santa Cruz, Művház, Púder Short presentations by invited café houses participating in or joining the emerging Network of European Café Houses, introducing their venues, cultural activities and local approaches.
12:10–12:40 | Art, Mobility and Cultural Exchange Across European Café Houses Sirokai Mátyás – Hadik, Petra Kolenc – Maks, Győző/Kinga – Szimpla, Cristina Da Milano -ECCOM Presentation of the artistic and cultural mobility programmes implemented within the CAFE project, including experiences from the participating cafés and artists.
12:40–13:00 | Discussion & Q&A
13:00–14:00 | Lunch Break at Hadik
14:00–14:30 | Towards a Shared European Café House Identity Lorenzo Biferale (KEA) Presentation of the CAFE Code of Conduct and Manifesto, developed together with café house representatives and project partners. The session will introduce the shared values and principles underpinning the emerging Network of European Café Houses.
14:30–15:00 | What Have We Learned? Evaluation, Audience Insights and Impact of the CAFE Project Cristina Da Milano (ECCOM) Presentation of the key lessons emerging from the project evaluation and research activities, including findings related to collaboration, cultural programming, audience development, capacity building and the role of café houses as contemporary cultural spaces.
The session will also reflect on the findings of the earlier open call addressed to café house visitors and audiences, which invited participants to contribute their memories, experiences and perspectives related to café houses as part of the project’s emotional geography research. These audience perspectives will be connected with the wider evaluation findings to highlight how people perceive, use and emotionally relate to café houses today.
15:00–15:20 | Coffee Break
15:20–15:50 | Connecting European Café Heritage: The European Cultural Routes of Historic Cafés Vitor Marques Presentation and discussion on the European network of historic cafés and the opportunities for connecting cultural heritage, cultural tourism and contemporary café culture.
15:50–16:30 | The Future of the Network of European Café Houses Round-table discussion with café representatives, project partners and invited experts.
Tibor Bosznai, Vitor Marques, Janota Orsolya
16:30–16:50 | Adoption of the CAFE Code of Conduct & Manifesto (Bosznai Tibor) Presentation of the final document and symbolic endorsement by participating café houses.
16:50–17:10 | Closing Reflections Final reflections on the CAFE project, its achievements and the continuation of the Network of European Café Houses.
Evening Programme
Venue: Hadik, Budapest
18:00–19:00 | Artistic Closing Performance
Interactive Piano & Ambient Performance
An interactive musical performance combining piano, ambient sound and cinematic composition, providing an artistic closing to the CAFE project and conference.
19:00 | CAFE Closing Dinner & Informal Networking
A final gathering bringing together project partners, café house representatives, artists, experts and invited guests to celebrate the conclusion of the CAFE project and the continuation of the Network of European Café Houses.
The event is part of the CAFÉ project, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Here you can see the promo video of the conference: