The How Could We Festival shares common solutions and inspiration across different communities, exploring how Slovakia can become a more active, connected country with a strong future. It will bring together 250 participants from across sectors, regions, and generations – changemakers from the public sector, local governments, business, civil society, academia, research, culture, the creative industries, and innovation.
The festival aims to create space for new personal connections, inspiration, and future collaborations. To encourage meaningful interaction, attendance is limited to 250 participants.
The first edition will take place on 16–17 September (Wednesday and Thursday) in Trenčín, this year’s European Capital of Culture.
Programme
16 September 2026
13:00 – Opening and welcome by the organisers, introduction to the festival themes and objectives
13:10 – 14:10 – How Has the European Capital of Culture Transformed Trenčín?
Inspiring stories of the city’s transformation
14:10 – 14:40 – Coffee break and refreshments
14:40 – 17:40 – Guided walks and tours of Trenčín and its inspiring projects
(Choose from 12 themed walks led by local experts, lasting between 1 and 3 hours depending on the route and location.)
16:30 – 17:30 – Screening of czeXperiment followed by a Q&A session
18:00 – 19:30 – Opening keynote session
- Discussion with former President Zuzana Čaputová
- Discussion with Richard Rybníček
- Keynote speeches by:
- Stanislav Krajči – European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026
- Pavol Kosnáč – DEKK
- Martin Jenča – Büro MILK
- Zuzana Vasičáková Očenášová
