On Friday, 5 December, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze will travel to Nova Gorica, where the official baton will be handed over to the European Capitals of Culture of 2026, Trenčín (Slovakia) and Oulu (Finland). The ceremony during the public "Borderless Lights" celebration will take place in public for the first time in the history of the European Capitals of Culture.
At the end of the joint European Capital of Culture year, the city of Chemnitz and the cities of Nova Gorica/Gorizia sign a memorandum of understanding on further cooperation during the press conference. The two cities thus confirm that they will continue the partnership that has grown over the past few years beyond 2025.
In addition to Lord Mayor Sven Schulze, the two Managing Directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke, will also be taking part in the programme on behalf of Chemnitz.
Programme on 5 December 2025
11 a.m. - EPICenter, Kolodvorska pot 10, 5000 Nova Gorica
Press conference of the five participating mayors and representatives of the EU, followed by the signing of the memorandum between Chemnitz and Nova Gorica/Gorizia.
4 p.m. - EPICentre
Round table and presentations of the current and future European Capitals of Culture with participants from Chemnitz, Nova Gorica, Gorizia, Trenčín and Oulu.
5.30 pm - Europe Square, Trg Evrope, 5000 Nova Gorica
Borderless Light Parade: music and children's groups from Slovenia and Italy parade from both sides of the border to the centre of Europe Square, where they perform together and symbolically represent the unifying power of culture.
18.30 - Europe Square Ceremonial handover of the ECoC title
The teams from Nova Gorica/Gorizia and Chemnitz hand over the title to Trenčín and Oulu. Represented on stage:
- Chemnitz: Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and the managing directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke
- Nova Gorica/Gorizia: Mayor Samo Turel (Nova Gorica) and Rodolfo Ziberna (Gorizia) as well as the Managing Director of GO! 2025, Mija Lorbek
- Trenčín: Deputy Mayor Patrik Žák and the Managing Director of Trenčín 2026, Stanislav Krajči
- Oulu: City Council Chairman Lauri Nikula, Risto Ruohonen, Chairman of the Board of the Oulu Culture Foundation and the Managing Director of Oulu 2026, Piia Rantala Korhonen
This will be followed by the "Borderless Party" with contributions from all participating countries. The event will conclude with a performance by German producer and DJ Fritz Kalkbrenner, who already opened the Capital of Culture Year 2025 in Chemnitz.
Note for media
The event is being organised by the host city. Journalists who would like to report on site should contact: press(at)go2025.eu