The ultimate guide for cultural festivals in Europe. Since its initiative in 1952, the European Festivals Association (http://www.efa-aef.eu/) has brought the importance of arts and culture to society's attention. The new programme EFFE, Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe, is a next step in the Asscociation's work. It brings together festivals that are deeply committed to the arts, their communities and Europe in a new and dynamic platform and honours them with the EFFE labels and EFFE Awards. The EFFE Guide is the festival guidebook celebrating the label and award recipients. It contains both inspiring articles on festival life as well as essential details on each festival taking part in this platform. Inclusion in the EFFE Guide makes festivals' information easily accessible to audiences, colleagues in the arts, artists, performing arts companies, public authorities at all levels, sponsors and the media. This first edition of the EFFE programme is a pilot project set up by the European Festivals Association and supported by the European Commission to recognize, enrich and celebrate the immense power and contribution the arts and festivals in particular can make to European society.