Sjoerd Bootsma is the artistic director of Dutch cultural triennial Arcadia, the follow-up of Leeuwarden-Friesland European Capital of Culture 2018. Arcadia is a large-scale cultural celebration of 100 festival days, built by many international artists, 20.000 active participants and visited by over 800.000 people. Arcadia presents makers and doers who ask how we are ‘good ancestors’ for the generations to come. In 2022 it included a wandering forest of 1200 trees through urban streets, performing and visual arts festivals, music on the mudflats and drama’s on the cliffs, and many more. From large and immersive to small and intimate. Many of the events are free. In the past Sjoerd was part of the team that created and delivered the Dutch European Capital of Culture in 2018. He was co-founder and artistic director of festivals like Explore the North and Welcome to The Village (winner of the European Festivals Association’s EFFE Award 2019).