Sustainable Tourism through Resilient and Innovative Festival Ventures (STRIVE)

STRIVE’s mission is to transform festivals into catalysts for sustainable tourism development in the South Baltic region by reimagining these large-scale events as models of environmental responsibility. Through collaboration with regional stakeholders, STRIVE aims to set a new global standard for sustainable events by integrating circular economy principles into festival planning and operations. The project has identified seven major festivals, each a unique cultural beacon attracting a significant tourist population:

• Malmöfestivalen: Malmö’s cultural fest, 1.5M visits in 8 days, 70% tourists.
• Hanse Sail: Rostock’s maritime event, 500K attendees, over 50% tourists.
• Baltic Sail: Gdansk’s maritime heritage festival, 50K visitors, 5K tourists.
• Freedom and Solidarity Festival: Gdansk’s democracy celebration, 80K visitors, thousands of tourists.
• Folkemødet: Bornholm’s political festival, 100K visitors, 72% tourists.
• Roskilde Festival: Sustainable music event in Roskilde, 130K participants, 80% tourists.
• Sea Festival Klaipeda: Lithuania’s major maritime festival, attracting over 500K visitors, many tourists.

STRIVE contributes to sustainable tourism in the South Baltic region by:

• Introducing circular economy practices in festival management
• Reducing waste, CO2 emissions, and resource consumption
• Strengthening collaboration among festival organizers, local businesses, and regional stakeholders
• Promoting scalable solutions that balance economic benefits with environmental responsibility

STRIVE integrates sustainable practices into festival operations by focusing on waste management, eco-friendly materials, and circular business models. Through pilot projects, workshops, and collaborations, STRIVE enhances festivals’ contribution to local economies while minimizing their environmental footprint.

Main activities

• Sustainable tourism framework for festivals: Guidelines for reducing the environmental impact of festivals, developed through research and stakeholder engagement
• Cross-border policy recommendations: Standardized practices for sustainable tourism across the South Baltic, guiding policymakers
• Integrated waste management: Innovative solutions focusing on waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable materials
• Capacity building: Workshops to empower local festival organizers and stakeholders to implement sustainable practices
• Regional best practices: Incorporating successful regional initiatives to support sustainable tourism

Clean’s role

As part of the consortium, Clean leads key projects that will:

• Develop guidelines for circular festival operations
• Introduce innovative waste management and resource recycling solutions
• Facilitate cross-border collaboration for sustainable tourism

Target groups

• Tourists and visitors: Offering eco-conscious travelers responsible festival experiences
• Festival organizers: Providing strategies to integrate sustainability into event planning
• Local communities and businesses: Enhancing local economies by supporting sustainable SMEs
• Policymakers and authorities: Offering data-driven policies to balance economic growth with environmental conservation

Want to be involved?

Contact Cleans assigned Project Manager down below for more information on how you can participate in STRIVE and contribute to a more sustainable future for festivals in the South Baltic region.