In the past 10 years the Culture Committee has prioritised using culture festivals as arenas for communicating art and culture, and in this manner establish a network among artists and people working with art in the region. The starting point was that each county would organise a Barents Festival every year with participants from the other counties. There is a diversity of festivals; rock, jazz, traditional folk music, visual art and theme festivals. As more specific project emerged, the Culture Committee has not been as involved in the festival activities. The festivals were an expedient meeting place at the time the networks were lacking.

Today there are numerous networks. This leads to the festivals themselves organising an international repertoire and participation. Russians, Finns, Swedes and Norwegians are natural participants. Some examples: The Karelian Republic organises an international festival with fish as its theme. The cultural works and activities are characterised by breadth and diversity, and groups from the Barents region are naturally invited. The Kalakunda Fish Festival is a folk festival, where business and industry are invited as well. Fish as a commodity is not new. Since the Culture Committee also wants to focus on the connection between culture and business and industry, it particularly emphasises Kalakunda. Another example is the Varanger Festival in Finnmark County, with its main focus on jazz. Performers come from the entire region. Friendship municipality relations are also often cultivated in connection with the festival events. A third example is the international festival for traditional folk music, crafts and folk traditions organised in Umba in Murmansk County every third year. Another example on the Russian side is the International Jazz Festival in Arkhangelsk, which we want to revitalise within a Barents region perspective.

In the future the Culture Committee also wants to be involved in festivals as a basis for building networks and having arenas in which to present various cultural expressions. The main forces in this work will be the various players; institutions, organisations and the municipalities.