Konferenz Dritte Orte, Tuesday, May 5 to Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Foyer Public, Theater Basel
Third places. New spaces for cohesion.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the future of cultural institutions also depends on how openly they embrace their role as communal spaces—places that not only showcase art but where exchange, interaction, and participation are a given. This is precisely where the concept of “third places” comes in—and they are rapidly evolving from a nice addition to a central component of cultural work.
What is the Konferenz Dritte Orte?
With this conference, we invite you to join us in exploring what “third places” can mean for cultural institutions and organizations today and in the future. The conference is deliberately designed to be interdisciplinary. It brings together perspectives from theaters, museums, libraries, and sociocultural centers, as well as voices from administration, urban planning, architecture, and civil society. Because when we talk about public cultural spaces today, it is worthwhile to look beyond our own boundaries, forge connections, and, not least, learn from one another.
Discover international case studies and practical reports: They demonstrate how cultural institutions can open up new spaces—both strategically and in their day-to-day operations—spaces that strengthen social cohesion, broaden access, and redefine social relevance.
At the same time, we’d like to provide you with a space for discussion. Through various dialogue formats, you can work together to develop ideas and find solutions to the challenges associated with creating such open spaces.
This bilingual conference (German/English) brings together “Space Transformers,” experts, decision-makers, and practitioners. Through their diverse perspectives, they all contribute to making the potential of “third places” visible and accessible.
We look forward to exchanging ideas with you and working together to discover how cultural venues can become vibrant “third places.”
The Konferenz Dritte Orte the start of an annual conference series that will take place in a different Swiss city each year.
Konferenz Dritte Orte now for the Konferenz Dritte Orte :
Tuesday, May 5 to Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Foyer Public, Theater Basel
Conference fee: CHF 275
The conference fee includes admission to the conference, all program items including workshops and city tours, as well as drinks and meals during the day.
Approximately ten days before the start, participants will receive a link to the conference app. This app contains all the relevant information for attending the conference.
Who is the conference for?
professional audience
Representatives from theaters, concert halls, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions
Architects, urban planners, cultural policy makers
Foundations, administrations, civil society actors
Third places are the spaces in between where culture is not only displayed, but shared, felt, and reinvented.
ORGANIZER
With the support of:
CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT
Anna Kleeblatt
Anna Kleeblatt a business administration graduate, cultural manager, and curator specializing in public space, urban culture, and cross-sectoral collaboration.
For over ten years, she has been developing and managing conferences, festivals, and programs at the intersection of culture, society, and politics.
For the Konferenz Dritte Orte , she Konferenz Dritte Orte the concept, program, and dramaturgy in collaboration with Theater Basel.
Anja Adam
Anja Adam is a cultural manager and mediator with a focus on participation and cultural engagement. She has worked for the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Ensemble Modern, and the Mercator Switzerland Foundation, among others. She has been with Theater Basel since 2015, where she has played a key role in developing its fundamental opening up to the public through the launch of the Foyer Public and other projects.
She is co-director of the Theater Public division and a member of the theater management team.