EUSKALDUNA CONFERENCE CENTRE AND CONCERT HALL

Inaugurated on February 19^th 1999, The Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall is a very unique building; one of the flagships of the new Bilbao of the 21^st century. Designed by architects Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios as a vessel permanently under construction that stands in a dock on the site of the former Euskalduna Shipyard, the Conference Centre received the 2001 Enric Miralles Award at the 6^th Biennial of Spanish Architecture.

ABAD DISEÑO

A multidiscipline studio specialised in industrial design and architecture that, through a long and experienced career, has made possible to establish itself as a company capable of offering quality products, from the creative concept, its design and industrial development, to its presentation in exhibition areas. Imaginative and competitive solutions based on experienced, research and excitement that have attracted the attention of specialised press and have been acknowledged with important prizes.

ADN DESIGN

ADN Design was founded in 1990. We are currently a team of 12 people with its headquarters in Bilbao, in the heart of the exciting urban transformation that the town is undergoing. Our studio is just a few metres from the Santiago Calatrava walkway and the Isozaki Atea Towers, just a stone’s throw from the Guggenheim Museum. This exceptional location, in the most dynamic centre of this busy city, places us at the cutting-edge of new trends. Knowledge, creativity, sensitivity, relevance, emotions, empathy, business, intuition, passion are the ingredients that make up a great idea. Competence, attention to detail, tangibility, and efficiency are the way to obtain a great product. A product capable of generating significant experiences for people and solid business opportunities for companies. We use state-of-the-art tools to design products and innovation: our Siemens PLM Software CAD NX allows us to work subtly and accurately on the complex geometries of biomimetic objects –inspired by nature– and the shapes arising from the most demanding usability requirements.

IDEILAN

Innovation is not an option. It is the way to keep advancing. Ideilan Design is a design studio made up of highly qualified professionals offering the necessary balance between rationality, creativity, technological knowledge, economic thinking and humanism for the development of each project.

MACHIMBARRENA DESIGN STUDIO

Machimbarrena Design Studio is a Bilbao-based consultancy that offers product design professional services, creating and developing objects and spaces. They have taken part in several design projects for vehicles, furniture, products and corporate image and spaces for several firms. Machimbarrena's work has been recognised at the MAIER International Design competition 2011, the 2014 Edition of Basque Crafts by Design, and has also been selected by the by ADI-FAD.

MERCEDES DE MIGUEL

Fashion designer Mercedes de Miguel sets up her own company in 1989 with the brand M. de Miguel. She creates a collection for the modern and urban woman seeking a distinguishing feature. She creates, within that freedom which women currently demand, designs according to her own style and decision-making ability. While on the lookout for the market’s demand, and being true to her own style, she expands her creative world launching her second brand, POUPÉE CHIC, in 2008. She creates a collection full of color, freshness and optimism, and adds innovation which contributes to a more rapid internationalization of the business.

ACXT-IDOM

The close coexistence between two points of view, architecture and engineering, has given us the opportunity to see how extraordinarily productive dialogue between the realm of ideas and art can be. ACXT-IDOM is composed of a multidisciplinary and experienced team of architects and engineers in order to provide a truly integrated service.

ERREDEEME

erredeeme is a Bilbao-based architectural studio founded by Ruben de Miguel in 1998, where  professionals from different disciplines work together to develop architecture, urbanism, refurbishing and interior design projects. An external network of engineering, structural design, graphic arts or landscaping experts, collaborates with architects and draftsmen at erredeeme, to ensure excellence of the projects they undertake.

JAAM

Founded in 2005, JAAM Architecture covers a broad professional field that includes individual houses, urban public spaces or corporate buildings, to street furniture. The professional team is made up of urban architects trained in European universities.

IRUSOIN

Constant improvement of their own resources and a fantastic creative team, position this production company in the highest standards of quality for the production of advertising campaigns, corporate videos and other audiovisual works from creative development to the final piece.

INTERACTIVEMARTIN

InteractiveMartin launches Rivales.com, an online multiplayer games community with a different touch. The first game of the community, Parchis Stars is a revisited version of the classic Ludo, with new features: Fortune Wheels, teleporting cells... and much more. The Rivales.com community also includes a virtual shop where players can customize their avatar and get boosters for later use in the games. It is available in facebook for PC, Macs, mobiles (iOs and Android) and tablets.

DIGIPEN

DigiPen Bilbao is a branch campus of DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, U.S.A., one of the best schools in North America for Game Design according to The Princeton Review. DigiPen Bilbao offers two degree programs:

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation

• IBachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation

All classes in both programs are taught in English, and students have the option of studying at DigiPen's Redmond or Singapore campuses for a year as part of their degree. For more than 20 years, DigiPen has helped shape the game industry in the U.S. and around the world. Many of its professors and executives have held prominent positions at major game companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Disney, and DigiPen graduates have contributed to hundreds of game titles, including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft , Halo, Portal, Half-Life, Guild Wars, and BioShock Infinite.

FUN & SERIOUS GAME FESTIVAL

The Fun & Serious Game Festival was established in 2011 to recognise the best fun and serious games of the year and, through them, the work of artists, developers, directors, producers, and all the professionals in the video game industry.

November is the month of video games thanks to the 3rd Fun & Serious Game Festival, which is becoming a leading event in the sector in Southern Europe. Awards are given to the best video games in entertainment and other industries. The latter are the so-called ‘Serious Games’ using video game technologies in developments for education, health, aerospace, culture and many other sectors.

The awards are meant to debunk stereotypes about video games and give a well-deserved boost to the video game industry.

SIGNO DIGITAL

Signo Digital started its activity in 1992 in the audiovisual sector, mainly focused on documentary production. Throughout these years they have also developed all kind of productions, such as institutional and musical videos or advertising. Signo Digital is equipped with the latest technology, following the trail of innovation set since the very beginning.

TXB DESIGN

TXB is a Bilbao-based product design studio that offers its services since 2003. In addition to the design and development of industrial products, TXB also designs furniture, accessories and lighting projects. Their work philosophy takes into account functional and technical-economic aspects, as well as the emotional ones.

URALDI

Uraldi is a company dedicated for over 30 years, to the manufacture and commercialisation of accessories and mirrors to decorate the bathroom. They are modern, functional and high quality pieces, developed by recognised designers.

ARTESHOP

New art is born in the university and makes its debut in Bilbao’s shops. The setting for the exhibition of the artworks is not the usual. A new challenge for the young students of the Fine Arts Faculty of the University of the Basque Country.

BIME

Album releases, conferences, conventions, debates and class top musical performances will coexist in this event, called “Bizkaia International Music Experience (BIME)”. It will gather 18,000 people approximately, 2,000 of them professionally linked to the world of music, and will generate a 4 million euro economic impact in Biscay. BIME is Europe's leading music conference and festival dedicated to exploring new opportunities between the music industry and tech, gaming, sync and new technologies. In addition, BIME hosts Europe's first Latin and South American Networking Summit, bringing together top buyers and sellers from these markets across festivals, sync and brands.

EL SOL

International creative and advertising eyes are focused on Bilbao these days due to the celebration of the Latin American Festival of Advertising Communication, The Sun. Bilbao City Council and Biscay Provincial Council emphasize their support to The Sun Festival, and they believe that this event is a sure asset and that it projects an international image of Bilbao as a modern, attractive city, equipped with first class infrastructures and resources to host major events, whether cultural, sporting or any other kind.

BILBAO MENDI FILM FESTIVAL

The Bilbao Mendi Film Festival, Basque Country's International Mountain and Adventure sports event has become an international reference. Born in 2008, the festival works during the whole year promoting Mountain Culture through different cities and schools, thanks to an active cultural and mountaineer community. The competition section of the festival takes part in the third week of December, with the participation of filmmakers, climbers and lecturers from all around the world. The schedule is completed with retrospectives, photography expos, courses and some other activities related to culture and mountain. Member of the International Alliance for Mountain Film (IAMF) since 2011, its main objective is to preserve and promote mountain cinema in all its facets.

SHERPA SUMMIT

The Sherpa Summit is the global event that brings together CEOs, key experts and decision makers discussing and debating “the next generation of user interfaces, mobile search, voice search, interaction and user experience” organized by Sher.pa. This international event draws from leading business people, marketers and strategists, including innovators, technologists and other decision makers involved in the use of IT.

SELECTED

Selected Graphic Design from Europe is a two-day event for which Index Book, a Barcelona-based leading publisher specialising in graphic design books and visual creativity, brings together professionals from across Europe to exchange ideas and share creative solutions through conferences and workshops.

TECHNARTE

Technarte is an international conference on art and technology that has been taking place in Bilbao from 2006. After seven editions, Technarte has become one of the most important events of its kind in Europe. The main aim of Technarte is to present technological developments that enhance a broader expression of modern art, and to provide a forum for debate and reflection on the convergence between technology and art. In Technarte, the interaction between Technological Innovation and Contemporary Art applies to reality; the state-of-the-art technological innovations allow artists to explore endless possibilities; and the technological society uses the creativity of the artists as an inspiration to new technological projects.

25 YEARS 25 PROJECTS

Bilbao Urban Evolution. Bilbao today is a prime example of urban restructuring, having transitioned from an industrial city to a city of services and culture. Discover the urban evolution of Bilbao visually and intuitively by taking a historical look at the most relevant projects undertaken in the process.

BILBAO, CULTURE AS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE

Culture plays a vital role as a driver of economic activity and social transformation of Bilbao within the development strategy of the city. Since the early 90s, when Bilbao began its deep economic and urban transformation, Culture, along with the implementation of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, has been a key and constant factor in strategy led by the City for economic development, job creation and social cohesion in the city. The implementation of the municipal cultural policy developed during the last two decades has resulted in the consolidation of Bilbao as a cultural reference city, with major cultural facilities which contribute to the economy in terms of wealth creation, maintenance and creation of employment and Image of the city.

SEEKERS - ZORROTZAURRE ISLAND

Seekers - Zorrotzaurre, the creative island where dreams come true. The Zorrotzaurre project is the latest major urban renewal plan launched in Bilbao. It is an integral and sustainable scheme that recuperates a currently derelict site to convert it into a new quarter, where culture and different creative areas go hand in hand producing a new, dynamic, fresh and innovative working atmosphere that enables the development of design, virtual reality, audiovisual, videogames and cultural production artistic projects. Zorrotzaurre is a space to dream, design, create, grow and believe.

ETB

In its 30 year history, EiTB has consolidated and evolved to become the leading media group in the Basque Country, formed by six television channels, five radio stations and a website, it is one of the groups of communication with higher audience ratings in its area. Since the beginning, in 1982 it had a special vocation to the standardisation of the use of the Basque language, Euskera, and ETB 1 began broadcasting exclusively in this language. Later, in 1986, a second channel was in the air ETB 2, which started to put on the air programmes in Spanish as another sign of the plural character of the TV channel. Currently and taking into account the endless possibilities that the Internet offers to the world of media, particularly as far as the interaction with viewers/listeners is concerned, Eitb.com is the big bet of the group, a web in which audiovisual contents are the highlights, accompanied by blogs, social networks, user participation and complete freedom of choice with the eitb à la carte channel.

AZKUNA ZENTROA

One of Bilbao’s architectural icons is emerging again in the heart of town. It is Alhóndiga (1909), the old wine warehouse designed by Ricardo Bastida, which has morphed into Azkuna Zentroa; a place swarming with activity for all and sundry that is expected to become a new leisure and cultural hub.

GETXOPHOTO-INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

Getxophoto is a festival dedicated to photography that takes place in Getxo (Basque Country) and supports the exploration of formats, stands and unconventional exhibition spaces to show the different images. Getxophoto supports -without forgetting what’s habitual- the exploration and experimentation of formats, materials and unconventional exhibition spaces, mainly public places. This is one of its main identity signs. It is not about decorating the city but cutting it to tell stories through especially chosen images. From walls to shops windows, containers, bars, yards or buildings, Getxophoto wants to approach different looks to the citizens and not only arrange the pictures like works to be observed, but to create emotions around them: complicity, questioning, links between people and images, neighbours and visitors.

BILBAO ART&FASHION

Bilbao International Art & Fashion is a Fashion Design Contest targeted at emerging designers from all over the world aged from 18 to 35 years old. It has the support and advice of renowned professionals in the fashion and art areas. Bilbao International Art & Fashion’s scope aims for intercultural enrichment by showing the different approaches of fashion towards art and the promotion of fashion as a true cultural value. For this reason, all works have to be inspired or be directly related to the world of art.

PRACTICE YOUR MUSIC

Practice Your Music is an application that helps you practice your musical instrument. You will see a number of musicians on screen playing the piece of music you selected and you can interact with the musicians in different ways. - Control the volume, mute the instrument or listen to it playing on its own. - View the score for each instrument. - You can view the musicians from close up to study every movement and see their hands as they play. - If you find it difficult to keep up, you can play the track more slowly. You have various speeds to choose from. - Using the loop option, you can repeat a section as often as you want. - You can start up the metronome to help you keep time.

TRIPORG

Basque application Triporg, selected as best International Tourist Destination Guide 2015 'app'. Awarded in the 'AppTourism Awards 2015', Triporg is an online travel organiser that lets you choose the itinerary to visit the selected city. Triporg has more than 26,000 users and tourist information for more than 190 cities worldwide.

EUSKAL ENCOUNTER

Euskal Encounter is a computer party for computer amateurs and professionals seeking a knowledge exchange and willing to be involved for a few days in any kind of activity related to computers. A trend for such meetings started in the late 80's in northern Europe, i.e., in countries like Norway, Denmark or Germany. In 2015 it reaches its twenty-third edition. Competitions, talks, workshops and much more…

GUGGENHEIM BILBAO

Designed by American architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao building represents a magnificent example of the most groundbreaking 20th-century architecture. With 24,000 m², of which 11,000 are dedicated to exhibition space, the Museum represents an architectural landmark of audacious configuration and innovating design, providing a seductive backdrop for the art exhibited in it. Altogether, Gehry's design creates a spectacular sculpture-like structure, perfectly integrated within Bilbao's urban pattern and its surrounding area.

SINPATRON

Sinpatron (no patterns) is a new tribe; it is not urban but lives in the city. It does not fill a specific space, but is found everywhere and its main weapon is amusement. It assumes as its own all uses of past folk customs, contemporary tailoring, and its battle cry calls for a new tribal revolution. Sinpatron assumes the freedom of everyone to adopt the look that each wants and spreads it through unique and not serial pieces. In short, a personal way of claiming diversity and breaking the norm.

VIRTUALWARE

Virtualware Group is a business group of technology companies that specialize in the development of Hardware and Software solutions based on Immersive and Interactive technologies. We offer high-tech value-added solutions, products and services through our offices in the United Kingdom, Spain and Latin America as well as through our partners around the world. Virtualware is made up of a multidisciplinary team of highly qualified professionals working together to create truly interactive experiences.

BILBAO TOURISM

Travellers and visitors of the XXIst century, are astonished by the aesthetic and functionality exuded by this splendid nineteenth-century building, in a permanent dialogue with the most cutting-edge vision.

AZPLAY

AZPlay, International Competition for Independent Videogames was born in 2010 as the commitment to the video game industry of the Azkuna Zentroa Culture & Leisure Centre. For almost an entire month, attendees are able to enjoy several ongoing activities; the event holds conferences, workshops and exhibitions of independent games made by Basque companies. Five prizes were given in the 2013 edition: best original idea, best gameplay, best graphics, best sound and best Basque game.

BILBAO CINEMA CITY

Bilbao is a cinema city par excellence. Its streets have been the set for 110 feature films, short films and documentaries for over a century and almost 100 advertisements in the past thirty years. Bilbao was interesting as a filming location when it had a grey, rainy, harsh industrial profile. It is equally interesting now, when it boasts buildings of cutting edge design; sunny, colourful parks; families riding bikes and museums of international renown.

FIG-BILBAO INTERNATIONAL ENGRAVING FESTIVAL

A meeting and promotion point for artists, editors, researchers and enthusiasts of engraving and printing. FIG Bilbao is a fair, numerous exhibitions, an international competition, a diverse scene where artists meet and exchange opinions, ideas and experiences.

SKUNKFUNK

The main Basque textile group exports its creations to more than 20 countries all over the world. Skunkfunk has a unique, creative and urban style. The collections are in harmony with the latest trends, maintaining always the original touch and committed to sustainability.

MONDRAGON UNIBERTSITATEA

MONDRAGON UNIBERTSITATEA is committed to social transformation. It is a cooperative university with a clear human vocation and a commitment to the environment and to society. The teaching model involves a system of relationships which, with the educational system as the central theme, aims to involve the companies and institutions in the area, in order to guarantee social accessibility, the combination of work and study, the development of research and the provision of Continuing Education. The students have the possibility of combining their studies with part-time work, which, besides complementing their academic education, enables them to pay for their studies.

INTERNATIONAL UNSEEN FILM FESTIVAL

The Bilbao International Unseen Film Festival “Filme Sozialak”, organised by the NGOD Kultura, Communication y Desarrollo (KCD) is primarily conceived with the aim of creating an open space for those works made in digital or film format that have repeatedly been made invisible, rejected or censured in their own countries or even in the international framework, not only on account of the issues they deal with, but also because they can’t keep up with the current requirements of the film market… These works must be mainly of a social nature such as gender and women's issues, topics on human rights, social justice, environment, interculturality, etc… This festival is for every work of this nature looking for an alternative space to be shown.

COLL-BARREU

Coll-Barreu Arquitectos is an architectural studio dedicated to investigation, development and construction of architectural projects. Coll-Barreu Arquitectos also participates in university teaching and theoretical aspects of Architecture, culture, art and communication. The firm, founded in 2001 by Juan Coll-Barreu has offices in Bilbao and Madrid. Coll-Barreu Arquitectos supports a dynamic process that transforms the dialog about the project into the principal quality of its work system. Nowadays, Coll-Barreu Arquitectos develops and rise buildings for public and private purposes in different places and scales, and, at the same time, continues its labor of theoretical investigation. Its projects are strongly present in the Internet and electronic media and are increasingly published in Asian architectural books and magazines.

TRES D

Tres D was founded 25 years ago in Bilbao, with the aim of providing design and innovation services to a wide and varied business community.
 Formed by a team of 10 people, Tres D designs products for different areas: machine tools, appliances, furniture, transportation, electronics, and even interior design for exhibitions, stands, etc. Tres D is in constant search of innovative fresh ideas, paying attention to cultural and social values of the different markets and collaborating with media companies to create design projects with own identity. They have a full commitment to the customer, making the professional journey together in order to fulfil their objectives.

BILBAO FASHION TECH LAB - BFT LAB

The crossroads of the world of fashion and technologies has opened the doors to emerging research opportunities of great economic and innovative potential. The tendency to include technology in clothing and accessories will increase, satisfying unresolved needs and finding new ways to communicate. Through a training programme that covers the major disciplines which will became prominent in the fashion world -3D printing for manufacturing, including sensors to generate other types of interaction, the use of new smart materials, and others-, BFT Lab wants to put the industry in a competitive position comparable to that of similar companies installed in major global capitals like New York, London or Paris, besides acting as a catalyst of this latent potential. The programme intends to create a complete community made up of technologists, designers, fashion companies and organisations developing cooperation projects linked to the fashion industry. The aim is to support the sector to empower it and to place the city of Bilbao at the forefront of this technological change.

BILBAO CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY CENTRE

The Bilbao Contemporary Photography Centre-CFC offers quarterly training modules and weekend workshops apart from the Annual Course. The own teaching staff is complemented with external renowned photographers, so that students achieve a balanced education between technology and creativity. The school has two lecture rooms, digital classroom, photography studio and library as well as an exhibition and conference hall. The training sections include personalised monitoring of students.

HAUTE COUTURE SCHOOL

Coats, bridal gowns or cocktail dresses, Haute Couture and fur designer Javier Barroeta, who set his own atelier in 1989, has just produced what probably is his most complex design, the first Haute Couture School located in Bilbao. Javier Barroeta now puts all his experience and knowledge at the service of the students who attend the school, where they will have the opportunity to choose between different courses, quarterly or yearly, with the ultimate goal of creating their own couture houses or to carry out their professional career in the existing ones.

IA+B

IA+B is a firm which provides architectural services in the field of consulting, urban design, and building as well as technical control over the construction. IA+ B was established in 1997 and since then, it has become a reference in its field. Our team is made out of highly qualified people with a broad experience in the above mentioned fields. IA+B's facilities, with an open office of over 200 square meters, include the latest computer, plotting and software technology for the development of our projects.

TECNALIA

Transform knowledge into GDP. Its mission is to transform knowledge into GDP improving people's quality of life by generating business opportunities for companies. Tecnalia is a global corporation that aims to attract knowledge, talent, resources and high value trends for its members and clients. This international focus has enabled Tecnalia to transfer its technology beyond its own frontiers through international development projects.

AIC-AUTOMOTIVE INTELLIGENCE CENTER

AIC is a European open innovation center based in Bilbao, designed to provide high added value for the automotive industry at a global level, integrating knowledge, technology and industrial development. Following its profound market orientation, AIC identifies and promotes innovative cooperation projects that help the entire value chain reduce time to market while minimizing efforts and risks. AIC supports such initiatives by bringing together industrial, financial and technological stakeholders working in key strategic focus areas for the automotive industry in the coming years.

UPV/EHU

Following their motto 'Give and spread knowledge', the University of the Basque Country is an integrating institution willing to produce knowledge, experience and research in order to forward them to the general public. The courses catalogue consists of 67 Bachelor's Degrees in all fields of knowledge. At postgraduate level, they offer 103 official master programmes, 44 professional & expert diplomas and 71 PhD programmes. UPV believes in education as a means to arouse the students' awareness of the world and develop precious skills both for career and life. Their surveyed graduates appraise, among the competences acquired while attending the institution: the improvement of their teamwork and leadership skills, the reinforcement of their decision-making and problem-solving ability and the unfolding of their creativity.

ITEM

ITEM designworks is a design consultancy based in Bilbao, formed by designers and engineers with over 20 years of professional experience. They have developed projects in different fields: public transportation, automotive, household appliances, electronic devices, fitness and furniture.

BALEUKO

Baleuko, created on 1993 is an audiovisual company which produces documentaries, real action feature films and animation features. More than 20 documentaries, 3 Real Action feature films and 11 animation feature films have been produced. Baleuko won the “Best Animation Feature Film” Goya Award on 1998. At the moment produces an Animation Feature Film, an Animation TV Series and also a TV program based on extreme sports.

UNIVERSITY OF DEUSTO

The history of the University of Deusto is part of an ongoing commitment to achieving a balance between tradition and innovation, always in pursuit of quality and excellence parameters. The value of tradition is strengthened by constantly incorporating milestones of excellence that have consolidated throughout the history of the University of Deusto since 1886 to present. The value of innovation is reflected in continuous improvement, the capacity of transformation of the University of Deusto throughout its one-hundredth years of existence to its current recognised status as Campus of International Excellence (Mention 2011 of the International Committee appointed by the Ministry of Education). This socially-oriented, non-profit university participates and works collaboratively in: Jesuit Higher Education Sector, Global Tuning Project, European Higher Education Area, Basque University System, Basque Network of Science, Innovation and Technology and the Basque Social Innovation Network.

BASQUE CRAFTS BY DESIGN

Basque Crafts by Design is a space for the reflexion of artisans and designers, and a kind of open window from Euskal Herria to the world. The purpose of this initiative is to explore new ways of working together across disciplines and, as a result of this collaboration, to imagine new products and services: to co-create the new crafts. This second edition was structured as a process where designers and craftsmen worked together in a series of workshops. At the same time, three free conferences were organized.

15 ENGINES FOR DESIGN

Design innovation has become an essential tool to improve the competitiveness and quality of life in cities, and is necessary to enhance collaborative public-private environments with direct participation from the administrations, universities and different economic and professional agents. This is the direction Bilbao has followed to achieve its transformation. There are 15 major projects distributed in the areas of Urban Solutions; Art & Technology; and Tourism, Health & Wellness that have transformed the city in the past years, and that have opened the path to continue the renewal of the City.

BILBAO ART DISTRICT: WEEKEND OF THE ARTS

Bilbao Art District is a joint-initiative promoted by the City Council of Billbao and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, in which the Guggenheim and Fine Arts Museums, and the Rekalde Art Centre as well as local art galleries are involved. On 13 and 14 May, Bilbao celebrates like other European cities: Berlin, Milan, London, Helsinki or Oslo, the Weekend of the Arts, in which the streets of the Art District are full of culture and art. Live music, performances, workshops, outdoor painting, entertainment, activities for all ages and special hours in galleries and museums to feel and live a unique experience.

WHITE NIGHT BILBAO

Every year in the anniversary of the City "Bilbao opens at night". Cultural spaces of the city open their doors, change their appearance or they host a show to offer the public an unusual and very different cultural visit. Many outstanding professionals in different fields of action: literature, music or theatre, are in charge of "giving life" to each of the spaces. Companies and local groups have a strong presence in the programme, representatives of the cultural and artistic fabric of the city, which is also part of its heritage.

MAKING CREATIVITY HAPPEN

The industries of the twenty-first century will depend on the generation of knowledge through creativity and innovation. Many first world countries see the creative industries as a key component in a new knowledge economy. It is often argued that the ideas and imagination will be the greatest asset and in support of this argument, the Basque Institutions have undertaken a clear commitment to the creative industries supporting different sectors -architecture, art, audiovisuals, digital contents, advertising, fashion, gastronomy, graphic design, handcrafts, interior design, photography, product design, and videogames-, to create new links that make creativity happen in Bilbao Bizkaia.

BILBAO CITY OF DESIGN

Bilbao has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the design section. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a network of creative cities, working together towards a common mission for cultural diversity and sustainable urban development; it seeks to develop international cooperation among them, in the framework of partnerships including the public and private sectors, professional organizations, communities, civil society and cultural institutions in all regions of the world. The Network facilitates the sharing of experience, knowledge and resources among the member cities as a mean to promote the development of local creative industries and to foster worldwide cooperation. There are currently 69 member cities around the world in seven creative industry fields: Craft and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.