Area of Learning: Coming Soon

Festival Story: Coming Soon

A festival story is the central idea that inspires exploration and creative work throughout an ISTA festival.

Cultural Experience: Coming Soon

A cultural experience at an ISTA festival is an opportunity for participants to connect with the local culture, people, or place, inspiring creative exploration during the festival.

ISTA Global Challenge: This event is part of ISTA’s season-wide theme: Waves of Change. The challenge invites young people to explore how change—personal, social, cultural, environmental, and historical—shapes our world. Through theatre, students reflect on their role in creating, responding to, and riding the waves of change in their own communities and beyond

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Booking secures your place at an ISTA festival by providing estimated participant numbers and paying a deposit. Registration finalises all participant details to support accurate planning for workshops, catering, and logistics.

Booking

• Opens: 9:00 am (UK time), Monday 5 May 2025
• Before booking, ensure your school can attend by confirming:
  
  • Travel restrictions and visa requirements
  • Parental approval
  • School authorisation
• At the time of booking, you must provide:
  
  • Estimated number of students 
  • Estimated number of educators 
  • Lead educator contact details

Deposit & Confirmation

• Once booked, you’ll receive an invoice for a 50% deposit based on student numbers. The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. Booking is only confirmed once the deposit is received (within 30 days). 
• Please only book spaces you are confident you can fill. 

Registration:   Registration window to be confirmed

• Opens: 9:00 am (UK time), Monday 5 May 2025 
• Closes:  11:59 pm (UK time), Thursday 5 February 2026
• Once registration opens, schools with confirmed places should complete participant registration as soon as possible. You’ll need to provide final student and educator details along with confirmed travel information. 

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Changes in Student Numbers

• Fewer students than booked? Deposits for those students are forfeited.
• Need more students? Additional spaces may be requested. A 50% deposit per added student will apply.

Waitlist

• If the event reaches capacity, it will be marked Waitlist. 
• To be added to the waitlist, email the Event Manager with your requested number of students and educators. Spaces will be offered in the order requests are received.

Arrival & Departure: Information coming soon. 

• Arrival: before 2:00pm Thursday 16 April 2026
• Departure: after 5:00pm Sunday 19 April 2026
• Participants should not plan to leave the host school until after the event closes at 1:30 pm on Sunday,

Transport

• Nearest Airport: Luxembourg Airport (LUX)
• Nearest Train Station: Luxembourg (Gare)
• All public transportation in Luxembourg is free.
• Participants will be responsible for their own transportation between the Airport/Train Station and the hotel/school.
• The host will provide more detailed information closer to the date.

Approximate travel times

• Airport-School: 25 minutes
• Train Station- School:  25 minutes
• Hotel - School:

Visas

• It is the responsibility of the schools/participants to ensure they have the appropriate visas, as required.
• Please ensure that you start looking into visa requirements sooner rather than later as the process can take a significant amount of time.
• If you require assistance or additional documentation to support your visa applications please ensure to contact the event manager well in advance.

Accommodation

• This is a hotel stay event. 
• Participating schools are responsible for arranging their own accommodation by contacting the Group Reservation Department (details below) 

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Hotel Name & Location

Novotel Luxembourg Kirchberg

• Quartier Européen Nord, 6 rue Fort Niedergrünewald, 2226 Luxembourg
• Website: https://all.accor.com/hotel/1930/index.fr.shtml

Room Rates (per night including breakfast) 

• Single Room - EUR €114
• Double Room - EUR €133

Group Reservation Department

Novotel Luxembourg Kirchberg / Novotel Luxembourg Centre / Novotel Suites Luxembourg Mama Shelter Luxembourg
6 Rue du Niedergruenewald , L-2226 Luxembourg
phone+352 42 98 48
fax+352 43 91 95
email: mailH1930-RE@accor.com

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IMPORTANT HOTEL  BOOKING INFORMATION

• A credit card is required to complete the booking - participants will receive a link in a separate email to update their card details online.
• Deferred Guarantee 24H link. Please note that the booking will be automatically cancelled if the card is not updated within 24 Hours.
• Participants must book before the 5th March 2026.
• Group Code: ISTA
• Promotional Code: EVEN

ISTA festivals follow a two-step automated payment process:

Step 1: 50% Deposit at Booking

• Upon booking, a 50% deposit is required to secure your place. This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Bookings are only confirmed once the deposit has been successfully paid.

Step 2: Final Balance After Registration Closes

• After registration closes, schools will be automatically invoiced for the remaining 50% of fees, based on the final number of students registered, plus any applicable surcharges.

Changes in Student Numbers

• Fewer students than booked: Deposits for non-attending students will be forfeited. (e.g. If 15 students are booked but only 10 attend, the deposit for 5 students is not refunded.)
• Additional students: A 50% deposit per added student will be invoiced at the time of the increase.

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Festival Schedule:

• Start: 4:00 pm Thursday 16 April 2026
• End: 1:30 pm Sunday 19 April 2026
• Partiipants should not plan to leave the host school until after the festival closes at 1:30 pm on Sunday.

Educator Workshops

• One theatre-focused workshop for teacher chaperones
• Collaborative resource-sharing sessions

E-Programmes containing detailed schedules, artist bios, and key event information will be sent to participating organisations two weeks before the event

3 evening meals, two lunches and daily snacks will be provided by the host school.

The ISTA Young Creative Leadership Programme (IYCLP) offers high school students aged 16+ a chance to develop as creative leaders. Through reflective tasks, mentorship, and leading at a middle school festival, students gain practical experience and create a plan to apply their leadership skills in their own communities. This valuable service-learning opportunity can also support other leadership initiatives.

You can apply for IYCLP places during the festival booking process.

Appropriate attire

• All participants must bring clothing that is suitable for physically active workshops during the day (athletic wear, PE kit, performance blacks, etc.) 
• Black trousers/leggings for the final sharing 

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Please note

• Participants not dressed appropriately for physically active workshops may be asked to sit out.
• Participants may be asked to remove footwear, jewellery etc. for some workshops.
• Chewing gum is not permitted in any of the workshop spaces.

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Materials 

• Pens, pencils, highlighters etc. for notetaking. 
• Refillable water bottle

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