We joyfully conclude a memorable year in Timișoara in December – the European Capital of Culture for 2023. We are preparing for a film festival, performances, concerts, and exhibitions highlighting the diversity and creativity that have characterized the year. The long-awaited moment of the month, “Neverending Timișoara 2023” will mark the end of the Timișoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture program with a grand show spanning three days.
Unirii Square will be the heart of this celebration, where a remarkable lineup of globally acclaimed artists such as Jessie J, Katie Melua, Delia, Roisin Murphy, and Emaa will delight the audience with their most beloved hits. The acrobatics show “The Windrose” will also be seen on the same stage.
The closing gala will take place at the Palace of Culture and offer an emotional retrospective of this year, filled with unique moments that will remain in everyone’s hearts. José González, one of the most anticipated artists, will hold a concert at the Timiș Cinema, and all tickets will be sold out within the first 20 minutes. At the Victoria Cinema, the international seminar “VECTOR TM. Culture as urban practice” will take place, where urban strategy authors, architects, curators, and cultural diplomats will discuss the vectors of urban transformation generated by the cultural program. The MX – “Corneliu Mikloși” Public Transport Museum will host the performance program “ZONE &,” referring to the Zona Festival, a significant cultural phenomenon in Timișoara of the ’90s.
More about the “Timișoara 2023 forever” event program can be found on the website https://continua.timisoara2023.eu/ro/.
Besides these events, Timișoara will come to life in every corner with diverse cultural activities, exhibitions, and performances. The Dracula TiMes film festival marks the beginning of the month. Until December 3, there will be premieres and previews of films covering diverse genres such as fantasy, horror, documentary, experimental, auteur, European feature and short films carefully selected from the programs of the Dracula Film Festival in Brașov, Sombra Film Festival in Spain (Murcia), and Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival.
Two of the most appreciated screenings within the festival will be the documentary “Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire” (Romania, 2007), which can be seen on Saturday, December 2, starting at 20:00 at FABER, and the preview of the film “Poor Things” (United Kingdom/USA, 2023), Sunday, December 3 at Timiș Cinema, from 19:30. The last major international contemporary art exhibition, 2023 in Timișoara, Individual Compus | Individual All-Around, will be open to the public until December 3. It can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, between 17:00 and 21:00 at the Garrison Command.
Until next year, the city hosts three special exhibitions that contribute to the festive atmosphere of the end of the year. The first is “The Twisting”, open until February 11, 2024, at Kunsthalle Bega, followed by “Disco MV”, which can be seen until February 10, 2024, at the MV Sci-Art Center, and the tactile exhibition “Feel the City” at Bastion 2, whose visiting period ends on January 15, 2024.
Also, on December 2, the show “Sidy Thal”, created by playwright Thomas Perle and director Clemens Bechtel, will take place, illustrating the scene where the performance of singer Sidi L’vovna Tal’ (Sidi Tal) and her ensemble at the Timișoara Theater was interrupted by the explosion of two hand grenades. On December 6, those interested are invited to participate in Science & Wine #4 – Logistics – Supply Chain Management, an event dedicated to research, where university lecturer Attila Turi, an expert in the field, will reveal essential aspects of logistics and illustrate its relevance in the current context.
The “Csiky Gergely” Hungarian State Theater will have, on December 7, the premiere of the play “1978,” directed by Tomi Janežič. It tells the story of local and global events that connect Timișoara with Nova Gorica (Slovenia), located on the border with Italy. The two cities were once part of the same country – the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On the same day, the most well-known voices of Romanian rock, Phoenix, Cargo, Mircea Baniciu, and Implant pentru Refuz, will take the stage at Iulius Town in the concert “Rock for Life.”
From December 7 to 10, lovers of fashion, jewellery, and contemporary accessories are invited to discover authentic local products created with passion and care by talented artists and designers at the “Harababura Fair” event, held on the ground floor of the Project Center.
On December 8, the exhibition “Histories from ’89 in Comics” will debut and can be admired inside the Central Library of the Politehnica University of Timișoara. The exhibition will include a selection from the works found in the first comic book album, uniting the works of 32 authors dedicated to the events of December 1989, published in Romania.
On the same day, the opening of the exhibition “Moulding Nature – Conceptual Challenges on the Environment in Timișoara” will also take place. Students from the Politehnica University of Timișoara, together with the Färgfabriken Contemporary Art Centre from Stockholm and students from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism UPT, invite the public, through this exhibition, to reflect on the urban environment influenced by man, where nature often becomes limited. The exhibition will be open until December 17 and can be seen from Thursday to Sunday, between 17:00 and 21:00, at Bastion 3. “TakeOver 2.0” brings the vibrant student life atmosphere to the forefront of the end-of-year holidays. With three parties covering diverse music genres and gatherings of national and international artists, the UPT campus becomes the centre of fun on December 9. 
In the middle of the month, the documentary film “The Tale of Four Cities” will premiere on December 14, at 18:00, at the Water Museum. The Common Heritage – The Tale of Four Cities project is a project that unites four European cities linked by the same common architectural heritage. The documentary will expose the common narrative of the four cities through comparative frames, emphasizing similar elements. This narrative aims to increase the sense of belonging to the same European space. Also, on December 14, the public launch of the monograph “Mircea Nicolae. Alone” will take place, marking all the stages of the artist’s work, analyzing existing works and emphasizing his research process. 
For the little ones, December comes with the show “The Little Prince”, a puppet show in natural size, made after the most beautiful book of childhood, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which will take place at the Youth House – Round Hall, from 16:00. The performance “Poetry Jazz Suite” brings a unique sound experience to the heart of Banat. On December 16 at Nemesis Art Club, the audience is invited to discover the profound lyricism of this region in 8 sound paintings. The itinerant show combines spoken word with improvised jazz music, offering a sound panorama that pays homage to the works of Banat’s most important deceased poets.
And how else could we better celebrate this year if not with the impressive show on December 31, offered by the Festival of Lights at the Maria Theresia Bastion? It is a brilliant evening in which Timișoara will reveal its beauty and a fairy tale ending to the year that has brought us many experiences.
We invite you to celebrate this end of the year under the sign of art, joy, and achievements. Whether you are passionate about music, fascinated by performances, or eager to explore the diversity of events, Timișoara 2023 continues. With you in the front row. The communication of the National Cultural Program “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023” is financed by the Municipality of Timișoara, the Ministry of Culture, and the Timiș County Council.
Main partners: Banca Transilvania, Catena, Linde Gaz Romania, Cramele Recaș, Iulius Town, Profi
Official broadcaster: TVR
Mobility partner: Automobile Bavaria
