CAST Project

CAST project partners are currently in Moldova for our third study visit.

During the morning sessions at the Moldovan Ministry of Culture we had presentations and interactive workshop sessions to reflect on results so far and plan next steps.

Our local partner Asociația Națională pentru Turism Receptor și Intern din Moldova also prepared a vibrant programme for us to explore the rich cultural heritage of the country including a visit to Mimi Castell Winery and a ceramics workshop.

This morning, Elena Stepanov, Urška Dolinar and Vinko Mihajlović went on stage to talk about the CAST Project at the Incoming Tourism Forum.

Thank you to Asociația Națională pentru Turism Receptor și Intern din Moldova for hosting us and to all partners for your active contributions!

CASTProject

Night of Museums in Szombathely, Hungary 🌙

Spend an evening exploring art, history, archaeology and creativity across three cultural venues in the city. 🎨
As part of the Danube Festival Caravan, Savaria Museum invites visitors of all ages to discover exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and special programmes running throughout the evening.

Visitors can enjoy:

〽️ Creative textile printing workshops
〽️Guided tours exploring themes of summer, art, and irony
〽️Roman games and archaeological stories from the ancient world
〽️Interactive activities for children and adults
〽️Special insights into the ceramic works of Imre Schrammel
〽️Rare artworks brought out from museum collections for one night only

When? 20 June 2026 at 18:00–24:00
Where? Various locations across Szombathely
Admission? 2000 Ft (adults) | 1000 Ft (students & pensioners) | Free for children under 6 and visitors with disabilities

Whether you're an art lover, history enthusiast or simply looking for a different way to spend a summer evening, Night of Museums offers a chance to explore the city's culture after dark.

Swipe through to explore the programme and plan your evening.

What is sensory and cognitive accessibility?

People process information in different ways. Some rely more on visual cues, others on auditory information, clear structures, predictable environments, or simplified communication.

When businesses recognize these differences, they create better experiences for everyone.

A multisensory and cognitively accessible experience helps customers, visitors, and employees engage with confidence and independence.

This means:

• using multiple sensory channels such as visual, auditory, and tactile elements
• reducing unnecessary complexity and cognitive overload
• supporting orientation, decision-making, and participation
• designing experiences that accommodate different learning and information-processing styles

Beyond removing barriers, accessibility is about creating experiences where more people can understand, engage and succeed. ✅

Successful businesses create experiences that work for different people 🙌

business customerexperience leadership innovation userexperience

SAVE THE DATES for DescOpera 2026!

From 19–21 June, ANTRIM bring world class performances directly into the landscape of Orheiul Vechi, blending cultural heritage with the raw beauty of the reserve. For this 10th anniversary edition, the stage will move to a new location within the reserve each evening, transforming the performance experience.

Each evening starts at 19:00. Here is what to expect on the main stage:

🗓️ 19 June: Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic “Serghei Lunchevici”

🗓️ 20 June: Performance by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre “Maria Bieșu”

🗓 21 June: National Symphony Orchestra of Teleradio-Moldova, conducted by Maestro Gheorghe Mustea, plus special guest artists.

This festival is much more than a concert. It is an opportunity to:
-> immerse yourself in local culture,
-> support talented artisans,
-> experience the authentic hospitality that defines Moldova.

ANTRIM work closely with the local community to keep the festival accessible, while also celebrating gastronomy and quality wine.

Do you have plans for June? If not, this is your moment to add DescOpera to your calendar. 🎶✨

🎟️ Tickets are available online via iTicket, with prices starting from 600 MDL.

RECAP OF MAY

Here’s how we celebrated culture last month with the Danube Festival Caravan...

1. Open Day at Bánffy Castle (Bonțida, May 17) 🏰

Around 1,000 visitors gathered at the historic site in Transylvania. The day included 8 historical and natural heritage exhibitions, 6 interactive children's workshops, living restoration work, and 2 music and dance performances in the castle courtyard.

2. Walk through the Naive (Hlebine, May 22-23) 🎨🏃‍♂️

This event combined cultural heritage with active tourism and local gastronomy. Visitors watched unique oil-on-glass painting by local masters, while the programme was enriched by the Naive Trail 2026 5k sports race and the Špekfest gastro-festival, which featured traditional Podravina flavors and local crafts.

3. World Bee Day (May 20) 🐝

At the Carniolan Bee House, the new children’s book, Jaka Dlaka and the Carniolan Bee, was presented. The event introduced younger generations to environmental awareness and regional beekeeping traditions.

These initiatives brought communities and visitors together to make regional cultural heritage more accessible across the Danube Region 🙌

Digital accessibility begins long before someone walks through the door 🙌

People often think about accessibility in relation to physical spaces, but access to information matters just as much.

If information is difficult to find, understand, or use, participation becomes more difficult too 🔄

An accessible digital experience is one that can be used by people with different abilities, ways of perceiving information and levels of digital confidence. 📲

This means:

providing clear and well organised information
using easy to understand language
ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies such as screen readers
offering captions for video content
helping visitors familiarise themselves with a preview of the space before they arrive.
Digital accessibility is not only about technology: it is also about making information available in ways that work for different people.

When information is accessible, cultural participation becomes more accessible too✅

What makes a digital experience accessible for you?

Looking back at one of our recent festivals🎉

On 20 May, Nice & Homely celebrated World Bee Day 🐝, an initiative originally proposed by Slovenia thanks to its long history of apiculture. 🇸🇮

Bees and other pollinators play an important role in preserving nature, ensuring food security and maintaining biodiversity.

At the Carniolan Bee House, the new children’s book Jaka Dlaka and the Carniolan Bee was presented, which introduces young readers to the world of the Carniolan bee and the importance of beekeeping heritage through a charming story 📚✨

The event took place as part of the Danube Festival Caravan, a network connecting heritage, creativity and community across the region.

Longer days, warmer evenings, and a new month of festivals across the Danube region. ☀️

As summer begins, the Danube Festival Caravan continues its journey with four festival stops across Moldova, Hungary, Slovenia, and Bulgaria. Each one offers a different perspective on culture, creativity, local stories and community life.

You can discover music and arts in Butuceni, experience museums after dark in Szombathely, explore industrial heritage and contemporary creativity in Ravne na Koroškem, or spend a weekend getting to know one of Sofia’s vibrant neighbourhoods.

📍 19–21 June — DescOpera Festival, Moldova
📍 20 June — Night of Museums, Hungary
📍 21–23 June — Iskriva Fabrika Fest, Slovenia
📍 26–28 June — Living Neighbourhoods: Lyulin, Bulgaria

Whether you're planning a trip, looking for a local event, or simply curious about what's happening across the region, June offers plenty of reasons to explore. ☀️

Which festival would you add to your summer plans? 👀 Stay tuned as we share more about each festival in the coming weeks.

What comes to mind when you hear the word accessibility? 🪜

When we talk about accessibility in cultural spaces, most people think about ramps or elevators first. But accessibility begins long before someone enters a building. 👉

It begins with whether information can be understood clearly.

✔ Whether a person feels welcome before arriving.
✔ Whether they can navigate a website without frustration.
✔ Whether they know there is a quiet space available if they become overwhelmed.
✔ Whether ticket prices make participation possible.
✔ Whether communication reflects different communities and experiences.
✔ Whether support can be requested without embarrassment or judgment.

Over the coming weeks, we will explore 10 dimensions of cultural accessibility: digital accessibility, sensory and cognitive accessibility, spatial accessibility, transportation and mobility, service and attitudes, cultural programming, communication, representation, governance, and economic accessibility.

Together, they offer a broader understanding of what it means to create cultural spaces where more people can participate. 👪

Follow the series as we explore each dimension in more detail. 🙌

Walk Through the Naïve Art in Hlebine!

A weekend celebrating art, tradition and the special spirit of Hlebine: Home of Croatian naïve art. 🌿 Over two days, visitors can enjoy:

* Opening exhibition of previous art colonies 🖼️
* Painting on glass workshops and traditional technique demonstrations ✨
* Live art colony gathering 🎨
* “Naiva Trail” race through the countryside 🏃

📅 May 22, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM >> Opening of the exhibition
📍 Community Hall Hlebine (Društveni dom Hlebine)

📅 May 23, 2026
🕤 9:30 AM >> Painting on Glass
🏃 10:00 AM >> “Naiva Trail” Race
📍 Stari Zanati Estate

Experience the blend of creativity, local heritage and nature that makes Hlebine so special.