The call for the 2025 Folkest Showcase is open – powered by UPBEAT: the section of Folkest dedicated to emerging international artists

The call for participation in Folkest Showcase powered by UPBEAT is now open: the section of the
Folkest festival program is part of the UPBEAT project, the European platform for World Music Showcases, and dedicated to live shows for emerging international artists in the panorama of this important musical genre. The selected artists will perform, in fact, between 4th and 6th July 2025 in San Daniele del Friuli, in the context of the central initiatives of the Festival. There will be 8 emerging artists chosen on the international scene for the Folkest Showcase, one of the most important Folk Festivals in Southern Europe.

Registrations, officially opened on November 20th, will end on January 20th 2025. HERE you can find the regulation and the application form.

Who is it aimed at?
The Folkest Showcases are open to artists/groups from all European Union countries and from
Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North
Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Tunisia and Ukraine
.
Each artist or group must propose a World music project, be able to offer a 40-minute showcase
concert, be ready to face an intensive program, which includes meetings, seminars, relationship
meetings, Folk Clinic during their stay in San Daniele of Friuli.
To participate, musicians must be: under 35, not have made more than 3 albums (the first album must
not have been released more than 5 years before application), they must be truly emerging and
therefore not have more than 20 thousand followers on social media and therefore they must not have
participated in an international tour of more than 10 dates and must not have a contract with an
international label. At the same time, they must have held at least one concert in a professional context and have a web presence, although not massive, certainly equally professional (website and social media).


The selected artists will be communicated on March 21th, 2025 on the Folkest website and social
channels.


A unique and unrepeatable opportunity to be seen and heard by international agents, festival programmers, music curators and the audience of our festival, but also to get feedback from industry professionals, expand their professional relationships, and opportunity to be booked for future shows and participate in training courses.


It is important to remember how the Folkest Showcase – powered by UPBEAT are a precious
opportunity for artists to access all the festival concerts, network events, study meetings and professional training courses. But also to meet music industry professionals: agents, festivals, musical
programmers and curators, journalists and experts and therefore to refine the knowledge of the
professional musical environment, the functional relationships to make music a real job: to this in fact,
the focus is on seminars and professional training courses reserved for musicians.

Folkest Showcase is a member of UPBEAT – European Platform for World Music Showcases. Our showcase program is supported by Upbeat, the European Union, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Municipality of San Daniele del Friuli.


For further information: folkestshowcase@folkest.com – +39 0432 1723158