Applications for Hosted Companies
Alongside its lineup of invited companies (programmed by the festival with the support of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation), Namur en Mai also features a selection of hosted companies performing in the streets and squares of Namur. This project is made possible thanks to the support of the City of Namur, the Province of Namur, the Walloon Region, and the National Lottery.
Committed to offering the best to the hosted companies, this project takes place in the heart of the city and provides artists with beautiful performance spaces — the very ones that have built the reputation of Namur en Mai and of the artists who have performed there for years. Namur en Mai aims to create spaces for artistic and cultural encounters, where young and old, festivalgoers and professionals, audiences and non-audiences come together in a vibrant city that comes alive and transforms over three days to the rhythm of international artistic performances selected through open applications.
By hosting this parallel program alongside its official lineup, Namur en Mai addresses three key objectives. First, to respond to the ever-growing demand of an increasingly large audience. Second, to adapt to the territorial dynamics of a lively and culturally active city, home to a street arts festival with an international reputation. And finally, to meet the need to provide artists with performance spaces suited to their street art practices, within a festival that also offers them strong professional visibility.
Proposed Performance Spaces
for Hosted Companies
Pied de l’enjambée
Place Maurice Servais
Place d’Arme
Le Hallage
The audience capacities of the various performance spaces can reach several hundred people. All of these spaces are freely accessible within the public area.
If a company is present for several days, its assigned performance space remains the same throughout the entire festival.
By completing this form, you agree to comply with the conditions defined above.
Conditions and Information
Proposed Technical Conditions:
A performance space that meets the company’s technical specifications (set up, with the support of the festival’s technical management team, to ensure smooth coexistence with other companies sharing the same space).
Technical arrangements adapted to the festival’s audience capacities (in consultation with the company).
A public reception setup designed and adjusted to ensure optimal audience visibility according to the performance space (bleachers, audience management by our venue coordinators, etc.).
Proposed Financial Conditions:
It is important to Namur en Mai that all hosted companies are welcomed equally and under conditions that respect everyone’s commitment. For this reason, the following conditions have been established:
Grant: A grant of €250 (excluding VAT) per day is provided for each artist performing on stage. This is a fixed amount offered to all artists from the hosted companies.
Travel Expenses: A flat-rate contribution of €100 is granted to all Belgian companies. A contribution of €250 is provided for companies from neighboring countries presenting “small-scale” forms. A contribution of €500 is granted to non-neighboring foreign companies or “large-scale” projects requiring more extensive transport.
Pay-what-you-want System: The “hat” practice (voluntary audience contribution) is authorized and encouraged in the performance spaces. The Namur en Mai audience is well accustomed to this pay-what-you-want model, and the festival will continue to raise awareness among audiences about this approach.
Hosting Conditions:
All hosted companies located more than 100 km (as the crow flies) from Namur may be provided with accommodation by the organization for the entire duration of their stay in Namur.
Lunch and dinner catering are covered by the organization when justified by the performance schedule.
A shared dressing and rest area for all invited and hosted companies is available in the heart of the festival. This space is designed to meet everyone’s needs and comfort, offering training areas, rest zones, preparation spaces, changing rooms, sanitary facilities, and light catering. It is also arranged to welcome the children of artists present at Namur en Mai, as part of the festival’s commitment to supporting artists in their parenting responsibilities.
Performance Frequency:
Each hosted company is asked to perform its show twice a day. It is possible to perform up to three times a day if the company requests it during the application process.
The schedule will be determined by the organization, ensuring a fair rotation of performance times.
It is not mandatory to be available for all three days of the festival, although it is strongly recommended.
Communication:
The performance schedules and descriptions of the hosted companies’ shows will be included in the official Namur en Mai program. This program will be distributed in over 20,000 printed copies in Namur and the surrounding region, and will also be available for download directly from the festival’s website.
A digital version will be sent to each hosted company so they can share it within their networks. The content included in this program must meet the festival’s editorial standards, for which the organizer has proven expertise and reserves final approval.
Audience and Professionals:
The Namur en Mai audience is very diverse. It includes both regular festivalgoers who are familiar with live performances and a large number of casual visitors who enjoy discovering quality cultural offerings in their city. Every year, several tens of thousands of people attend the festival (2025 estimate: over 200,000 visitors).
Namur en Mai also serves as a showcase for participating artists, thanks to the strong presence of professionals who have been attending for many years. In 2025, nearly 200 professionals were present (one-third of them international programmers). A list of registered professionals is made available to artists wishing to organize meetings during the festival, and a dedicated space is provided for these networking opportunities.
Commitments:
Hosted companies are asked to commit to:
Performing the number of shows agreed upon with the organization.
Complying with the festival’s technical management guidelines to ensure smooth coexistence between the different projects sharing the same performance space.
Actively participating in the promotion of their show.
Securing the support of a distribution or booking agent to ensure that professionals receive the follow-up and information they may require.
Artistic Programming Line:
The Namur en Mai programming aims to be ambitious, diverse, and thematic. It forms a true patchwork of life moments, woven into a shared space and time — a reflection of society through the diversity of genres and origins, but also a reflection of the richness of the sector through the variety of artistic forms and narratives. It is the result of a careful balance between internal and external factors, and it remains subjective, shaped by the perspective of our programming committee at a given moment in time.
The lineup of invited companies will be announced at the beginning of 2026, while the selection of hosted companies will be revealed in spring 2026.
Application Procedure:
Complete the form above.
Applications are accepted from October 6 to November 10.
Selected companies will be contacted once the application period has closed.
Non-selected companies will be notified by email during December.
