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European Leadership Summit

A global gathering of dreamers, doers, artists, and community builders

The Burning Man European Leadership Summit (ELS) is returning in 2026! Each time we gather, the Summit lands in a new European city, spotlighting local culture and fostering co-learning, connection, and celebration. We’re thrilled to invite our international community to Nijmegen – the Netherlands’ oldest city and a hub of creative collaboration – from 16 to 19 April 2026. 

Since 2014, the ELS has been an invaluable opportunity to build and deepen relationships, learn from one another, spark ideas and co-create magic together.

This year’s theme: The Art of Becoming

Art is, at its core, transformation. As a culture of creative alchemy, Burning Man embraces and offers the potential for transformation on many levels: personal, communal, societal and global, each informing and amplifying the other. As community organizers and changemakers, we inspire positive social transformation, human connection, and a reimagination of society. Rather than recoil in fear of change, the Burning Man community celebrates transformation as an ongoing creative practice.

“The Art of Becoming” points to the continuous development happening within our leaders, communities, network, and the broader Burning Man ecosystem, now in its 40th year of social experimentation.

It is the perfect time to look to the future together and ask: Where do we want to go from here? How can we continue to create positive change? And how might we become even more impactful than the sum of our many genre- and boundary-defying parts?

Participate in the ELS

Register for the Program

Please fill out this nomination form for yourself or another community builder. People who are nominated will be sent a link to register for a ticket. Capacity is limited and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Nomination Form

Volunteer

Would you like to help co-create the Summit? The ELS can’t happen without the skills, talents, and passion of global community members like you. Please fill out the volunteer questionnaire if you would like to help make this gathering happen.

Volunteer

Participate in our Sunday public program

On 19 April, starting at 1:00 PM, the Waalplein at NYMA will transform into the “WaalPlaya” with art and interactive experiences open to the public. Join workshops, performances, art, gifting, and opportunities to connect. Everyone is welcome to discover and participate in the culture of Burning Man.

Registrant Program

The Art of Becoming invites us to reflect on not just on where we’ve been—but how we’re changing, and who we’re becoming together. Sessions will cover:

  • Leadership/Board Development: Leadership techniques, governance, & preventing burnout
  • Regional Event Best Practices: Ensure safety, cultural sensitivity, local engagement
  • Philosophy: The ethos defining Burning Man culture
  • Art: How event organisers and artists can best support each other
  • Storytelling: Connection and coherence in a fragmented media ecosystem
  • Civic Activation: Projects for civic good in local communities
  • Acculturation & 10 Principles: How to support new Burners entering the culture
  • Team Recruitment & Retention: Volunteer engagement, retaining volunteers in key leadership roles and addressing burnout
  • Environmental Sustainability: Strategies for a sustainable future
  • Belonging: Inclusive spaces where all groups feel welcome
  • Conflict Resolution: Turning challenges into growth opportunities

Expect meaningful dialogue and connection through a range of interactive learning experiences:

  • Hands-on workshops, panels, discussions and demonstrations
  • Multi-day collaborative Deep Dive sessions focused on problem solving and dreambuilding
  • Interactive art that will inspire and invite reflection
  • Play and connection activities to support mind, movement and networking
  • Performances, cultural exchanges, evening celebrations

Spaces to Gather and Dream

The ELS will come to life in one of Nijmegen’s most alive and experimental districts. Our daytime home base De Vasim, sits alongside the Walhalla skate park and NYMA maker spaces in a former riverside factory complex that was once squatted and has since been reborn as a vibrant cultural ecosystem.

Rebuilt as a buzzing creative commons through cooperation and care, these spaces are where Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, and Participation are a lived, daily practice.

Nominate a Community Builder

A Legacy of Gathering: Past European Leadership Summits

The European Leadership Summit has been hosted in cities across the continent since 2014, each year strengthening our international connections and showcasing creative, local culture.

Past Host Communities: