The festival

The idea of 14th Bella Skyway Festival is “Dreamers from green planet”

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

The year 2023 marks the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus ‒ one of the most famous astronomers in history, who, thanks to his persistence in pursuing his goal and his imagination that allowed him to look beyond the what is visible, was named the One who stopped the Sun and moved the Earth. The Torun-based scientist, author of the revolutionary work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium ‒ On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, spent years gazing at the sky and trying to find meaning in the movement of the planets and stars.  His boundless dreamer’s imagination allowed him to see what had eluded other scientists for centuries ‒ the Earth is not the centre of the universe, but on the contrary, together with the other planets, it travels in its orbit around a shining Star.

This year’s theme for the Bella Skyway Festival is Dreamers from the green planet. As children, we spent whole days letting our imagination run wild and escaping into the land of dreams. As adults, we often forget how easy it is to give in to our dreams and fantasies. In the grey reality that surrounds us, we ignore that gentle starlight trying to reach us through the noise of the cities and let the criticism to clip our wings. However, there have always been places full of magic and inspiration. Wonderland hiding down the rabbit hole, Narnia accessed through a wardrobe or, finally, Neverland, to which the stars showed the way ‒ although completely different from each other, filled with greenery and nature, they were places where Dreamers could always find a moment of rest and inspiration.

Copernicus’ courage not only to dream, but also to speak out about his discoveries changed the face of science and set in motion the cogs that gave rise to discoveries that changed the world. It is thanks to people brave enough to dream that change happens. Thanks to their imagination, the world around us is becoming more modern, more beautiful, more ecological and more accessible. Dreamers who have not forgotten how to use their childhood imagination change our everyday life and the planet. It is modern solutions and technologies created by true Visionaries that make our planet a unique place, not only full of greenery, but also a place where technology and nature coexist in harmony. Just as nature and centuries of evolution inspire people to create inventions, the wonders of modern engineering support the development of the nature that surrounds us.

The cultural landscape of Toruń has been enriched by another European-scale event — Bella Skyway Festival. A festival that is fresh, unique and reality-changing. A festival that breathes new life into the gothic town walls of Toruń.

The Festival has been organised in Toruń since 2009 and its beginnings are connected with the fact that the town tried to become a European Capital of Culture 2016. The programme of this event is based on three pillars:

• Science – festival’s concept is based on astronomy and science. The way Bella Skyway Festival communicates with people taking part in it is unusual, accessible and inspiring, always inviting people to go a step further to learn something new. The experience of beauty is very important, of course, but that scientific accent should be not neglected.
• Art – the driving force of the festival. Audiovisual arts, performance, art that is electrifying, innovative and unusual, that goes well with the natural landscape of the town and its public space. Art you can simply touch. This festival pillar is important from the perspective of town’s heritage and history, as Toruń is known for its special art and science-friendly atmosphere.
• People – “culture for everybody” – this has been the motto of the festival since its very beginning. Bella Skyway Festival is an event for all generations. To start interaction with culture it’s enough to leave the house. This is an advantage of a non-commercial event. An important aspect of the festival is a possibility to get involved in special actions accompanying the event.

Science and art combined with a strong social dimension are the aspects that have always intermingled and complemented one another in Toruń. They make the town so special. So does Bella Skyway Festival.